Papaphone (the band previously known as Fuzzy Lumpkins and changed name due to legality) the story so far…
Papaphone met whilst at Music College and were soon enjoying local success winning battle of the bands at the Horn Reborn in St Albans, Hertfordshire. They beat off competition from 92 bands over the space of a year to win on audience voting.
The prize was 5 days in a recording studio where they recorded 5 songs and made the "Stoney Rhythms" EP which includes a live recording of the final. After receiving great reviews and feedback from “Stoney Rhythms†they quickly built up a fan base packing out venues in and around the London area.
They then received interest from California for their folk with a surf feel and considered the offer of a small tour in the California area including Fresno. However they felt it more advantageous to concentrate on their UK fan base before touring abroad.
Following the success of “Stoney Rhythms†they released a follow up EP "The Rest" to an overwhelming response culminating in a Saturday headline slot at London's Barfly and opening the main stage at the Rhythms of the World Festival.
Live Circuit described them as “effortlessly soulful†and the American Online Magazine Space Junkies said of “The Restâ€, “This Band has some great dynamic and original songs. The music is catchy enough to jump right into and enjoy, mostly due to the powerful instruments and crisp vocals. Comparison wise, vocally it’s similar to David Usher of Moist. Instrumentally it can fluctuate between mellow piano like accompaniments to electric guitar riddled rock. This album has quite the diverse sound and evolved a rampart of different emotions, which makes it beautiful, creative and amazing. Definitely a great album to listen to on a daily basis. This is one of the types of bands you wish would get signed to a major record label so you can hear their songs being played in maximum rotation on corporate FM radio stations. 10/10â€.
Following the release of “The Rest†other headline gigs included the 100 Club in Oxford Street following in the footsteps of such artists as the Kinks, Small Faces and Eric Clapton to name a few and a showcase at the Waterfront in Norwich where THE INDEPENDENT cited them as "one of the UK's best new bands". The same year saw them entertain the crowds in Halifax city centre for 3 hours at The Peace Hall as part of their 60's weekend.
The next recording "More to Life" acted as a forerunner to their anticipated album "Rural Rebel†which they used to gig intensively and galvanize their distinctive sound. This included a tour of the North of England featuring headline slots at The Cooperage in Newcastle, The 12 Bar in Preston, The Roadhouse in Manchester and a live interview followed by their track “Curvy Nature†being played on BBC radio Manchester where they have been invited to return to perform a live acoustic session.
Papaphone feel their forthcoming album “Rural Rebel†is truly built on good tunes and meaningful lyrics that have developed from their wide range of influences and experiences.
If you would like a copy of Rural Rebel please contact
[email protected]
