Jason Lowe and Simon Hart have been making music together under the name Wilful Damage for some years, the two having met at art school and discovering a mutual passion of rock music. Initially they jammed with other musicians, but found that they were often held back in their artistic ambitions by others. They immediately worked well as a musical duo, a mixture of organic and technical talents that compliment each other well. Writing and playing original songs came very naturally, and the partnership continues as effortlessly today. They performed some live shows as an acoustic duo early on, and experimented with rough recordings of originals and covers including several Nick Barker tunes.
Early in 1998 they started sending out a thirteen song album that they had recorded over the previous year. "Bitter & Twisted" was a diverse set that incorporated sounds from all points of the rock spectrum - pop, alternative, punk, metal, folk, blues, ballads, and even included strings and brass on a few tracks. Lyrically it was a combination of dark, emotive material dealing with relationships and mental anguish, and occasional tongue-in-cheek humor. Acknowledging that it may have been a bit ambitious and self-indulgent to expect such a collection to be given an airing as a demo, they edited down the album to the most accessible six tracks and released "The Bitter & Twisted EP" in 2000. After a few changes of packaging, the artwork for this EP was settled in 2002 and it was distributed that year within the music industry.
In 2002, Two tracks, "Skyscraper" (from "Bitter & Twisted") and the newly recorded "Violence in Your Blood" were submitted and accepted by mp3.com for online release. The Wilful Damage page, advertised in local music street press, received hundreds of visitors, including numerous downloads. A "Violence in Your Blood" single was also produced (in 2003), containing acoustic versions of the title track and "Skyscraper". The mp3 webpage was subsequently abandoned.
In October 2004, a new EP "Caution to the Wind" was released, with new recording techniques resulting in a crisper, more professional, contemporary-rock sound. "Damn the Consequence" the powerful opening track was played on radio station 3RPP later in the month. Meanwhile the guys continued recording, working on songs for the 2005 EP, "Counting the Cost", opting for a more commercial pop-rock sound on the first cut "Gotta Lotta Love to Give".
With a huge pool of songs to choose from, they began recording their fourth EP in February 2005 with the new song "Suckerpunch". They have written over fifty songs and many remain unrecorded, though some exist in rough demo form. Wilful Damage are a studio bound act currently, wanting to produce recorded music of the highest possible standard, with a view to radio airplay and commercial release. They are looking for a record label to release their material and believe that they present a credible, yet viable artistic package. With regard to live work, the two would simply recruit sidemen to accompany them should they be required to perform in concert. With performing experience under their belt, this transition would not be a problem.
In the winter of 2007, Radio 3RPP began playing the "Counting the Cost" album regularly on rotation and in November the station aired a two hour special on the boys as part of their "Beyond the Groove" segment. The show featured the album in it's entirety, including an extensive interview and track-by-track commentary, as well as four early recordings.
"COUNTING THE COST" EP NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH www.cherryecho.com