Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Switches to invade the U.S. & Canada

Switches are a British band with as much swagger as they have top notch pop tunes to offer.With the forthcoming release of their debut album Lay Down The Law (Interscope), out on March 18th 2008 and a US national tour, kicking off in January with The Bravery then making their way to sunny Texas for SXSW, Switches are sure to inject new life into the indie-pop scene for 2008.

**2008 US TOUR**
Wed-Jan-16 Boulder Fox Theatre
Thu-Jan-17 Denver Bluebird Theatre
Fri-Jan-18 Aspen Belly Up Aspen
Sat-Jan-19 Salt Lake City Club Sound (formerly Bricks)
Tue-Jan-22 Boise The Big Easy
Wed-Jan-23 Spokane The Big Easy Concert House
Thu-Jan-24 Vancouver Richard's on Richards
Fri-Jan-25 Seattle Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room
Sat-Jan-26 Portland Aladdin Theater
Mon-Jan-28 Sacramento The Boardwalk
Tue-Jan-29 Anaheim House of Blues
Wed-Jan-30 San Diego House of Blues - San Diego
Thu-Jan-31 Las Vegas House of Blues
Fri-Feb-01 Tempe The Clubhouse
Sat-Feb-02 Tucson The Rock
Tue-Feb-05 Austin Emo's
Wed-Feb-06 Dallas Granada Theatre
Thu-Feb-07 Houston Warehouse Live
Fri-Feb-08 Baton Rouge Varsity Theatre
Sat-Feb-09 Atlanta Roxy
Tue-Feb-12 Toronto Opera House
Wed-Feb-13 Detroit Magic Stick
Thu-Feb-14 Cincinnati 20th Century Theatre
Fri-Feb-15 Columbus Newport Music Hall
Sat-Feb-16 Cleveland Agora Ballroom
Mon-Feb-18 Boston Paradise Rock Club
Tue-Feb-19 Boston Paradise Rock Club
Fri-Feb-22 Philadelphia The Fillmore at TLA


Every once in a while, a great British pop band emerges from the gray and gloom that is the United Kingdom. Indeed, Brits may complain about the weather quite a lot but it's the likely culprit responsible for the creation of an array of iconic artists, bands and songs since the birth of pop. Southenders, Switches are no exeption to the rule and are sure to have the same effect as their heroes and rock-forefathers Bowie, ELO and 10cc had before them in the USA.

From Rags to Switches...

Matt
Front man, Matt grew up in Southend (a low-rent seaside town, something like the old Asbury Park neighborhood) and formed the band while at college, needing musical allies to take the songs public: seventies-leaning songwriter with a love for ELO and 10cc even though he wasn't born while they reigned, obsessive to the point of chaos, finds his harmony in a harmony and his voice when it's in tune. He's a fully-fledged Child Of Brit pop.
Ollie
Ollie Thomas, guitar: musical wunderkind aspiring to psychedelic-tinged virtuosity ala Hendrix, but also partial to some tough new wave in the Stranglers and Television. Affable and eloquent, he's the calm to Matt's storm.
Thom
Thom Kirkpatrick, bass: belt and braces, biscuits and tea, Beatles and Ben Folds, particularly English, even for someone from Britain, unsurprising for a man whose great-great-great-great-great grandfather invented the bicycle true!.
Steve
Steve Godfrey, drums: drums and more drums: personifies his instrument. He lives to drum, drums to live, learned Appetite For Destruction on pencils and saucepans so by the time he got his first kit he could play the record faultlessly, hasn't stopped since.

"Switches spectacularly combine all that is good about British indy (new wave bounce, three part harmonies, guitars that 'chug') with all that is good about US indy (The Pixies, pretty much). We really don't need to remind you how all-powerful such a record could be." - NME
"...jaded indie rock to dance to like disco spastics... " Drama Queen, " which features an honest-to-God memorable chorus in a time where it often feels like catchiness has gone out of style. One can almost see the screaming teenage fans, the legions of American popsters that will find their indie rock niche with this accessible-yet-inventive powerpop quartet." - Head Exploder

Switches 'Lay Down The Law' to be released on Interscope Records March 18, 2008

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