¡Forward, Russia!
Encyclopedia
¡Forward, Russia! were an English alternative band from Leeds
, formed in early 2004, though are currently on hiatus. Until 2006, the band only named tracks with numbers, in the order that they were written. The band has used Faux Cyrillic
, with its name occasionally typeset as ¡FФЯWДЯD, RUSSIД!.
Katie remixed I Was a Cub Scout
's "I Hate Nightclubs"; her remix was released as a bonus single available exclusively online. She has also been nominated for the Peta 2's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
) 'World's sexiest Vegetarian 2007' but didn't win.
Whiskas remixed Howling Bells
"Low Happening" under the name '¡Constructicons Form Devastator!' and his remix was released as a bonus single available online and on 7".
Tom reached the final of the British Air Guitar Championship, held at Camden's Electric Ballroom in 2004. He also has an electronic side-project AnteAter, with one release to date, "Final Lekky" on DTTR's 3rd compilation Something I Learned Today - released March 2007. He also performed the vocals in the chorus of the Yes Boss song "Tongues In Knots" from their album Look Busy.
and NME
, who called it "Convulsing punk-funk brilliance from Leeds".
, released on guitarist Whiskas' label Dance To The Radio
. This single was reviewed by NME, who put it on their 'Radar'. By summer 2005, Nicholls had finished college and others had quit their jobs to take up the band full-time.
Single "Thirteen/Fourteen" was released in August 2005 on White Heat Records, accompanied by a UK tour. Also during 2005, the band was featured in NME as one of Leeds' forerunners in the so-called New Yorkshire
scene (alongside The Research
, The Sunshine Underground
, The Ivories and Black Wire
). This was followed by several support slots and culminated in the band's first headline UK tour, which took the band to 37 different venues.
The band's next release, "Twelve" appeared in January 2006, on Dance To The Radio, entering the UK Top 40 at 36. Their next single, a new version of 'Nine', was released in May, and preceded the debut album Give Me a Wall
, released on 15 May 2006 in the UK. Around this time they toured with We Are Scientists
and played alongside The Automatic
, The Long Blondes
, Howling Bells
and Boy Kill Boy
on the 2006 NME New Music Tour.
"Eighteen", the fourth track to be lifted from the album in the UK, was released in July on CD and two 7" formats, reaching number 1 in the Indie Charts. The video for Eighteen features cameo appearances from members of The Pigeon Detectives
, This Et Al
and The Playmates.
"Nine" was featured on the soundtrack to the 2007 PSP
game Burnout Dominator. The original version of "Nine" was produced by Richard Green, previously of Ultrasound
& The Somatics.
At Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival, the band debuted their first post-GMAW material - "Don't Be A Doctor" - also the first song with a non-numerical title. Doctor was recorded by GMAW producer Paul Tipler in September 2006 and released as a white label one-sided etched 10" on 12 February 2007. The track was released digitally for the first time ever as part of Dance To The Radio
's compilation Out Of The Woods and Trees. The compilation also features rare tracks from Howling Bells
and The Pigeon Detectives
.
¡Forward, Russia! played the MTV2
Spanking New Music Tour in November 2006 alongside Wolfmother
, The Maccabees
and Fields
. "Nineteen" was released as the final single from the album to support this tour. The band headlined a short UK & Irish tour in February and March 2007 to wrap up domestic promotion for the debut album.
in Seattle, USA. On their blog of studio updates, numerous working titles for the songs were mentioned, including 3 songs previewed on the early 2007 tour. The album is entitled Life Processes
and was released by Cooking Vinyl in the UK on 14 April 2008, Mute North America in June 2008, and Vinyl Junkie in Japan on 26 March 2008. The Japanese release includes exclusive bonus tracks “Reflection Symmetry” and “Don’t Be A Doctor”.
in North America, where Give Me A Wall was released on 19 September 2006. A digital single of Thirteen, as well as two EPs with lead tracks Nine and Eighteen have been released to support the album. ¡Forward, Russia! have visited America four times, all in 2006, to play South by Southwest
, the CMJ Music Marathon
and tours with Scanners
and Snowden
.
In Japan the band are signed to Vinyl Junkie Records.
Dance to the Radio distributed Give Me a Wall for the rest of the world, through an agreement with Cooperative Music. The album was on the most part released in late September/early October, with the band touring most of Europe around the period.
for art college and lead singer Tom doing work on other projects, namely producing fast rising Leicester band Minnaars. They played their final show at the Brainwash festival at the Brudenell Social Club
on 17 October 2008. In February 2009 it was announced that Whiskas was joining Duels
as a full time member.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, formed in early 2004, though are currently on hiatus. Until 2006, the band only named tracks with numbers, in the order that they were written. The band has used Faux Cyrillic
Faux Cyrillic
Faux Cyrillic, pseudo-Cyrillic, pseudo-Russian or faux Russian typography is the use of Cyrillic letters in Latin text to evoke the Soviet Union or Russia, regardless of whether the letters are phonetic matches. For example, R and N in RUSSIAN may be replaced by Cyrillic Я and И, giving "ЯUSSIAИ"...
, with its name occasionally typeset as ¡FФЯWДЯD, RUSSIД!.
Band members
- Tom Woodhead – vocals, synth
- Rob Canning – bass guitar
- Katie Nicholls – drums, vocals, shouts
- Whiskas – electric guitar, shouts, synth
Katie remixed I Was a Cub Scout
I Was a Cub Scout
I Was a Cub Scout was a two-man synth-pop/indie rock band from Long Bennington and Collingham, England, consisting of William Bowerman and Todd Marriott. They were formed in 2006, and split on 5 June 2008.-New Bands:...
's "I Hate Nightclubs"; her remix was released as a bonus single available exclusively online. She has also been nominated for the Peta 2's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
) 'World's sexiest Vegetarian 2007' but didn't win.
Whiskas remixed Howling Bells
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an indie rock band that formed in Sydney in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album...
"Low Happening" under the name '¡Constructicons Form Devastator!' and his remix was released as a bonus single available online and on 7".
Tom reached the final of the British Air Guitar Championship, held at Camden's Electric Ballroom in 2004. He also has an electronic side-project AnteAter, with one release to date, "Final Lekky" on DTTR's 3rd compilation Something I Learned Today - released March 2007. He also performed the vocals in the chorus of the Yes Boss song "Tongues In Knots" from their album Look Busy.
Career
¡Forward, Russia! formed in early 2004 from Leeds band The Black Helicopters, of which Tom and Rob were members. They joined siblings Katie and Whiskas (previously of Leeds band les Flames! amongst others). The band performed their first gig in April, closely followed by demos which received reviews from prominent music magazines such as Drowned in SoundDrowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
and NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, who called it "Convulsing punk-funk brilliance from Leeds".
Give Me a Wall
In April 2005, ¡Forward, Russia! released "Nine", a split 7-inch single with This Et AlThis Et Al
This Et Al were an English alternative rock band, from Leeds and Bradford, West Yorkshire. They were active between 2002 and 2008. Their sound was often compared to My Bloody Valentine, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Queens of the Stone Age and Interpol.-Band members:* Neil 'Wu'...
, released on guitarist Whiskas' label Dance To The Radio
Dance to the radio
Dance To The Radio is an independent record label co-founded by Whiskas of Les Flames and ¡Forward, Russia! in 2004.It was named after the refrain of the Joy Division song "Transmission"...
. This single was reviewed by NME, who put it on their 'Radar'. By summer 2005, Nicholls had finished college and others had quit their jobs to take up the band full-time.
Single "Thirteen/Fourteen" was released in August 2005 on White Heat Records, accompanied by a UK tour. Also during 2005, the band was featured in NME as one of Leeds' forerunners in the so-called New Yorkshire
New Yorkshire
New Yorkshire is a musical movement identified by UK music magazine NME in 2005, in response to the success of Yorkshire bands such as Arctic Monkeys, The Cribs, and Kaiser Chiefs....
scene (alongside The Research
The Research
The Research were a band from Wakefield, England. The members were : Russell 'The Disaster' Searle , Georgia Lashbrook , and Sarah Williams...
, The Sunshine Underground
The Sunshine Underground
The Sunshine Underground are an English, Leeds based indie rock band. The Sunshine Underground play a variety of punk, funk and indie, featured on their debut album, Raise the Alarm, released by City Rockers on August 28, 2006...
, The Ivories and Black Wire
Black Wire
Black Wire were an English indie rock band formed in Leeds, England.-Members:*Daniel Wilson *Si McCabe *Tom Greatorex *Danny Prescott -History:...
). This was followed by several support slots and culminated in the band's first headline UK tour, which took the band to 37 different venues.
The band's next release, "Twelve" appeared in January 2006, on Dance To The Radio, entering the UK Top 40 at 36. Their next single, a new version of 'Nine', was released in May, and preceded the debut album Give Me a Wall
Give Me A Wall
Give Me a Wall is the debut album from ¡Forward, Russia!, and was released in the UK on the 15th May 2006 and in the US on the 19th December 2006. Tracks on the album include previous singles "Twelve", "Nine" and "Thirteen". The album was released through the band's own label, "dance to the radio"...
, released on 15 May 2006 in the UK. Around this time they toured with We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists
We Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
and played alongside The Automatic
The Automatic
The Automatic , are a Welsh rock band. The band is composed of Robin Hawkins on vocals, bass and synthesizers, James Frost on guitar, synthesizers, backing vocals and occasional bass, Iwan Griffiths on drums and Paul Mullen on vocals, guitar and synthesizer - since 2007...
, The Long Blondes
The Long Blondes
The Long Blondes were a five-piece English indie rock band formed in Sheffield, United Kingdom in 2003 by Dorian Cox , Reenie Hollis , Emma Chaplin , Kate Jackson and Screech Louder .After several critically...
, Howling Bells
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an indie rock band that formed in Sydney in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album...
and Boy Kill Boy
Boy Kill Boy
Boy Kill Boy were an English rock band based in Leytonstone, East London. Perhaps Best known for their highest charting single "Suzie", the band produced two studio albums and six singles before splitting in 2008.- History :...
on the 2006 NME New Music Tour.
"Eighteen", the fourth track to be lifted from the album in the UK, was released in July on CD and two 7" formats, reaching number 1 in the Indie Charts. The video for Eighteen features cameo appearances from members of The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. They have been championed by such well known DJs as Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, and performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they were tagged "the band most likely to leap to...
, This Et Al
This Et Al
This Et Al were an English alternative rock band, from Leeds and Bradford, West Yorkshire. They were active between 2002 and 2008. Their sound was often compared to My Bloody Valentine, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Queens of the Stone Age and Interpol.-Band members:* Neil 'Wu'...
and The Playmates.
"Nine" was featured on the soundtrack to the 2007 PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
game Burnout Dominator. The original version of "Nine" was produced by Richard Green, previously of Ultrasound
Ultrasound (band)
Ultrasound are an English indie band, predominantly active during the late 1990s. Although the band's focal point was their tall, obese singer/guitarist Andrew "Tiny" Wood, the main songwriter was guitarist Richard Green, with the line-up completed by drummer Andy Peace, keyboardist Matt Jones and...
& The Somatics.
Appearances
2006 included a short UK tour and numerous UK and European festival appearances. The band played in Leeds and Reading at the Carling Weekend Festival, appearing on the NME/BBC Radio One Stage.At Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival, the band debuted their first post-GMAW material - "Don't Be A Doctor" - also the first song with a non-numerical title. Doctor was recorded by GMAW producer Paul Tipler in September 2006 and released as a white label one-sided etched 10" on 12 February 2007. The track was released digitally for the first time ever as part of Dance To The Radio
Dance to the radio
Dance To The Radio is an independent record label co-founded by Whiskas of Les Flames and ¡Forward, Russia! in 2004.It was named after the refrain of the Joy Division song "Transmission"...
's compilation Out Of The Woods and Trees. The compilation also features rare tracks from Howling Bells
Howling Bells
Howling Bells are an indie rock band that formed in Sydney in 2004. The band obtained moderate popularity in the United Kingdom following the release of its 2006 self-titled debut album...
and The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives
The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. They have been championed by such well known DJs as Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley, and performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006, where they were tagged "the band most likely to leap to...
.
¡Forward, Russia! played the MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
Spanking New Music Tour in November 2006 alongside Wolfmother
Wolfmother
Wolfmother is an Australian rock band from Erskineville, Sydney. Formed in 2000, the group was originally a trio composed of vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, bassist and keyboardist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett. Wolfmother released their self-titled debut album in October 2005,...
, The Maccabees
The Maccabees
The Maccabees are a indie rock band from Brighton, England. They have released two albums so far, Colour It In in 2007, with a follow-up, Wall of Arms, released on 4 May 2009...
and Fields
Fields (band)
Fields were an Anglo-Icelandic electronic/indie band formed in London in 2006. After playing their first live shows they signed a deal with Atlantic Records, who allowed them to release through their own Black Lab Records set-up to record their 2007 debut album Everything Last Winter with producer...
. "Nineteen" was released as the final single from the album to support this tour. The band headlined a short UK & Irish tour in February and March 2007 to wrap up domestic promotion for the debut album.
Life Processes
Following a secret show to preview new material, the band recorded new material with producer Matt BaylesMatt Bayles
-Information:Bayles is known for his work with bands such as Isis, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Botch, Mastodon, The Fall of Troy, Minus The Bear, Burnt by the Sun and Norma Jean....
in Seattle, USA. On their blog of studio updates, numerous working titles for the songs were mentioned, including 3 songs previewed on the early 2007 tour. The album is entitled Life Processes
Life Processes
Life Processes is the second album by ¡Forward, Russia!, and was released in the UK on the 14th April 2008. It was produced by former Minus the Bear keyboardist Matt Bayles at Red Room Recordings in Seattle, Washington. The first single from the album is "Breaking Standing". This album marks the...
and was released by Cooking Vinyl in the UK on 14 April 2008, Mute North America in June 2008, and Vinyl Junkie in Japan on 26 March 2008. The Japanese release includes exclusive bonus tracks “Reflection Symmetry” and “Don’t Be A Doctor”.
Outside the UK
The band are signed to Mute RecordsMute Records
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
in North America, where Give Me A Wall was released on 19 September 2006. A digital single of Thirteen, as well as two EPs with lead tracks Nine and Eighteen have been released to support the album. ¡Forward, Russia! have visited America four times, all in 2006, to play South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
, the CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon
CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival is put on by CMJ Network. CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival 2010 is scheduled for October 19–23 and will be headquartered at New York University and other downtown NYC venues.- History :...
and tours with Scanners
Scanners (band)
-History:The band was initially formed by Matthew Mole and Sarah Daly around 2004, who after...
and Snowden
Snowden (band)
Snowden is the moniker of musician and songwriter Jordan Jeffares. The name is inspired by Snowden, a fictional character from the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.- History :...
.
In Japan the band are signed to Vinyl Junkie Records.
Dance to the Radio distributed Give Me a Wall for the rest of the world, through an agreement with Cooperative Music. The album was on the most part released in late September/early October, with the band touring most of Europe around the period.
Hiatus
On 13 August 2008, the band announced via their forum that they had "decided to take a break from doing ¡Forward, Russia!", and that the band wouldn't be playing or recording "for the foreseeable future". The reasons behind the split are seemingly due to a lack of interest from members of the band in touring or recording new material, teamed with drummer Katie moving to NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
for art college and lead singer Tom doing work on other projects, namely producing fast rising Leicester band Minnaars. They played their final show at the Brainwash festival at the Brudenell Social Club
Brudenell Social Club
The Brudenell Social Club is a social club in the Hyde Park area of Leeds, England. It is best known as a venue for live music.The Brudenell was formed as a 'gentleman's social and recreational club' in 1913 and originally was a social club for cabaret and bingo...
on 17 October 2008. In February 2009 it was announced that Whiskas was joining Duels
Duels (band)
Duels are an English indie band from Leeds formed in 2005. They have been described by The Guardian as "one of Britains most ambitious groups"...
as a full time member.
Studio albums
- Give Me a WallGive Me A WallGive Me a Wall is the debut album from ¡Forward, Russia!, and was released in the UK on the 15th May 2006 and in the US on the 19th December 2006. Tracks on the album include previous singles "Twelve", "Nine" and "Thirteen". The album was released through the band's own label, "dance to the radio"...
15 May 2006 Dance To The RadioDance to the radioDance To The Radio is an independent record label co-founded by Whiskas of Les Flames and ¡Forward, Russia! in 2004.It was named after the refrain of the Joy Division song "Transmission"... - Life ProcessesLife ProcessesLife Processes is the second album by ¡Forward, Russia!, and was released in the UK on the 14th April 2008. It was produced by former Minus the Bear keyboardist Matt Bayles at Red Room Recordings in Seattle, Washington. The first single from the album is "Breaking Standing". This album marks the...
14 April 2008 Cooking VinylCooking VinylCooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
Singles
| Title | Release Date | Label | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Nine" | April 2005 | Dance to the Radio | ||
| "Thirteen" / "Fourteen" | August 2005 | White Heat | 74 | |
| "Twelve" | January 2006 | Dance to the Radio | 36 | Give Me a Wall |
| "Nine" | May 2006 | 40 | ||
| "Eighteen" | July 2006 | 44 | ||
| "Nineteen" | November 2006 | 67 | ||
| "Don't Be A Doctor" | Feb 2007 | |||
| "Breaking Standing" | 7 April 2008 | Cooking Vinyl | 195 | Life Processes |
External links
- Official site
- Official MySpace page
- Official Last.FM page
- ¡Forward, Russia! - Leeds Music Scene
- Latest ¡Forward, Russia! news and reviews at AngryApe
- Punkcast#1060 - Live video from Fontana's NYC - 3 November 2006
- ¡Forward, Russia! on The Mag
- Announcement of indefinite hiatus