electricriver

The Start...
Electric River formed in late 2004 amongst the nuts & bolts town of Ashford,Kent. Friendships were quickly formed through a mutual love of music, teenage angst & rebellion. Days & nights were spent rehearsing, drinking & carving out the band’s sound & gang mentality. Soon things progressed to playing shows across the south east, where the band’s live shows were honed & crafted.

2009 saw the Electric River’s first studio album recorded with Oz Craggs - ‘Feed The Rhino’, entitled 'Radio No Go' which received great press from Big Cheese & Rocksound Magazines & plays on BBC Introducing & John Kennedy's XFM late night show. The band's strong DIY ethic saw them take to Canterbury high street playing as many guerrilla gigs as possible. This lead to 'Electric River' being hailed as 'one of the south east's hardest working bands'. 

Buzz...
A decision was made to hire Canterbury University’s largest venue 'The Gulbenkian Theatre - (350CAP)' to put on a self promoted show with a 2 hour set from the band. This sold out quickly and a repeat process happened again 9 months later adding further excitement to Kent’s underground music scene. 

Following this the band gained interest from the largest festival in the south east 'Lounge On The Farm'. The band were invited to play on the main stage just before the headline acts appeared. This turned into an annual occurrence for 4 years running, playing to the largest crowds seen by any independent act, at the festival.

Higher Expectations…
After gaining some momentum after 5 years of hard graft another mile stone step was penned out. E.R. decided to hire 'The Kings Hall' Herne Bay - (500 CAP) & a string of gigs leading up to the show along with support from local radio saw the band smash their target before visions were set on the next batch of material.

After achieving these milestones in the south east it was clear the band wanted to take E.R. further afield. Quickly, London shows started to appear & E.R. were performing at some of the capital’s most popular venues. The odd support slot with more established acts started to creep into the gig list. E.R. were invited to play shows with Neville Staples of The Specials & Shane McGowan of The Pogues, Shane joined the band on stage that night in Brixton for two numbers 'Dirty Old Town & Fairy Tale Of New York'. 

Second Wind…
After gigging the London scene relentlessly for around a year & receiving some great live reviews from Big Cheese Magazine the band were eager to get back into the studio. The songs, Monster's Ball, Phony Radio & Babylon had started to make waves at E.R. live shows & the band sought out producer Joe Fields - (Amy McDonald, Mystery Jets, Placebo) for his expertise. Work began on an E.P entitled 'The Darwinian Flush'. The songs were recorded shortly after at The Garden - Shoreditch & Miloco - London Bridge.

Interest was sparked at Sony Columbia & many shows were attended by senior A & R man Paul Harris. Paul began to advise & help the band develop a larger profile but luck was cut short when Paul was transferred to head up Sony Columbia in Sydney, Australia just 6 months into the relationship. The band now with more wind in their sales & sights set on continuing their hard work ethic went out on tour at various small festivals & support slots around the UK.

2012…
With so much to learn from… years of hard work & determination saw the band really start to make a name for itself in the industry. E.R. had become a formidable force on the live circuit & had the material to back it up. New management was found in England Street Management & Jailbreak booking agency soon followed. 2012 saw the band return to the studio this time with "Pete Miles / James Bragg - We Are The Ocean, Sonic Boom Six" to complete 3rd E.P 'In Your Name' widely regarded as their best material yet & crossing over to a new era in E.R.'s career.The 'Hold Your Nerve' video was play listed on Scuzz T.V and the song was widely played on Q Radio, Planet Rock and Total Rock  as well as Classic Rock magazine rating them at number 7 in their Heavy Rotation top 20.

Support slots were sealed across the UK with The Skints, Sharks, Against Me, Crazy Arm, D.A.D, Elvis Jackson, Spear Of Destiny, Mad Caddies, The Blockheads to name just a handful & appearances at BMAD, Guilfest, BT London Live - Hyde Park London Olympics cemented Electric River's place as the ones to watch for the very near future. 

The Future…
Electric River are heading out on The 2013 Big Cheese Presents tour this February & March with a busy schedule in front of them. Plans are being made for a new album release for the summer along with further endeavours into mainland Europe.