We are empire started just over 3 years ago, when guitarist Iain McClung and singer Chris Hunter met at college in Kirkcaldy. They soon started performing as an acoustic duo at parties and in local bars.
After college the pair moved to Edinburgh, where they shared a flat with drummer, and long time friend of Iain, Asim Rasool. The trio decided to form a band, and began the hunt for like minded musicians. They found Jim Harbourne, a bassist and singer who attended university with Chris, and was more than happy to join the band.
With this line-up complete the foursome began writing songs, rehearsing and performing under the name “Atlanticâ€. They played venues such as Bannermans, Henry’s Cellar bar, The Ark and some of the local student unions. However, after two years of gigging in Scotland’s capital, they decided that to continue making progress as a band, they would need to recruit a new member.
After a short and unsuccessful series of auditions, Jim contacted Dan Collins, a guitarist he had met at university. Dan fit right in to the band, and after a couple months of rehearsing, the line-up was complete. They began gigging, and received positive reviews from critics at venues such as The Ark, Cabaret Voltaire, Studio24 and TheGRV. The band made progress, but, after research into the legality of their name, they decided that a change was needed. Atlantic ceased to be, and We Are Empire was born.
They have been described by their peers in Edinburgh’s music scene as “the most exciting sound in town†and have wowed audiences with energetic and passionate performances, followed by raucous and memorable after parties.
The band are now writing new material and looking to recruit a sixth member to play keys/synth on stage.
Enquiries to [email protected]
We Are E M P I R E
.
