The Rebs

"Just instantly engaging, their relationships onstage, their music and also their melody. They really had a handle on the melody." - Carl Barat, Dirty Pretty Things

"The Rebs are one of my favourites out of the 14, a really great frontman and they don't look like a typical kind of 'boy band' aswell." - Sav Remzi, A&R Consultant

"The keyboard player is fantastic. I thought the songs were strong, I was excited about them!" - Paul Samuels, Crown Music Management

"Good, old-fashioned, strong indie-pop. I think that they have the opportunity to pick up a lot of fans, they're quite accessible" - Mags Revel, V Festival Promoter

"There were a lot of bands on here who had quite a good image. This was the one band that had an anti-image!! But what an amazing noise they make!" - Marc Beaumont, NME
- Channel 4 06/08/08

"The rain came on Sunday morning – but that didn’t stop an amazing performance from Ents24 competition winners, The Rebs – who seemed to be thriving on the bad weather!" - GuilFest's official press release - GuilFest's official press release

"Next up were The Rebs, hailing from Southampton this band has already built up a reputation supporting acts like The Enemy and Tiny Dancers. Taking to the stage they looked like stars, and as soon as the melodies kicked in it was clear that they have both the stage presence and music to be huge. Keep your ears peeled!" - noizemakesenemies.co.uk

"Act number two, The Rebs (my highlight of the evening) make a massive impact with their modern synth-pop, getting right down to business faster than you can scream “rock on!” while throwing corna devil-horned hand gestures. The Rebs are like a cross-between The Zutons and Dandy Warhols. Led with gusto by a couple of fuzzy-haired dudes, The Rebs play a tight set of indie, rock, reggae, ska, and pop made up of catchy original tunes and a whole lot of charm." - uk.moli.com

"They look likely to pick up a huge following - they're really likeable both musically and personality-wise. Thankfully they aren't taking themselves too seriously and seem to enjoy their onstage banter. Finishing on a funky cover of 'I Shot The Sheriff', The Rebs are set for the heady world of indie pop... watch this space!" - the-mag.me.uk

"I can honestly say that this was one of the best gigs that I have been to in a long time. The set was upbeat and musically brilliant... The Rebs, a local Southampton band with an engaging front man who took no prisoners, stood there and proclaimed 'we are the Rebs and we are bloody brilliant!' They were not wrong. With their mix of electro funk and larger than life guitar sounds, they were more than qualified to take confidently the stage and I was more than happy to stand there and let them. With a sparkling array of achievements behind them such as opening V Festival last year (after they won the Road To V competition) and being one of the favourites on the ents stage at Guilfest, we haven’t heard the last of this amazing four piece just yet." - www.gobshout.com

Direct link: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/Reb_army_occupies_The_Brook/
Reviewer: Warwick Payne

Some might label their music as catchy rock, but that over-simplifies their sound.

The Rebs strike a happy balance between writing songs that would pass the old grey whistle test without being mindless pop. Their tunes have a rare mixture of quality and catchiness.

The latest single, Don’t Fool Yourself, and Flesh and Bones certainly come into that category.

Indeed, it is hard to know which track to start humming first after you finish listening to the album, as they all end up competing for attention.

With that in mind, it is hardly surprising that they won the Road to V Festival in 2008. Perhaps the only shock is that they have not become a household name already. - Southern Daily Echo

Direct link: http://www.playingoutloud.co.uk/playing_out_loud_reviews.html
Reviewer: Paul Lane

You would think that winning a competition as high profile as “The Road To V” would be the cause of a wide range of reactions from bands. The sensible option would be to bide your time and make sure you make something that matches the hype and builds upon the foundations that such an opportunity has given you. That is exactly what Southampton indie popsters The Rebs have done.

The band had only been together for 5 months when they entered the “Road To V” competition in 2008 so when they were playing to huge festival crowds in Chelmsford and Staffordshire on those sun drenched afternoons, it was very much nose-bleed territory. Their exceptional knack of marrying memorable hooks, playful synths and huge choruses won the band many fans over the two shows and those admirable traits are still very much in the band’s armoury, making “In A Heartbeat” an immensely likeable pop album.

“Always In A Heartbeat” musically recalls fellow Southampton band Delays’ finer moments, “Leave It All Behind” and “Wish Your Love Away” are gorgeous slices of summer time pop with hooks aplenty whilst “Don’t Fool Yourself” is a simply intoxicating pop song. Oddly enough, “In A Heartbeat” as a whole, provokes an image of the band playing these songs to a sun drenched field of festival revellers. It is a free flowing joy from start to finish. - Playing Out Loud

Reviewer: Ed Mitchell

Pop Music. In a good way. It's hard to pin The Rebs sound down. You could call it a synth-heavy, indie pop concoction that occasionally brings to mind the likes of Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines. Those comparisons aside, these guys have their own wicked way with a melody. The album's opener Would I Remember is a perfect pop song that burrows right into your noggin then just won't leave, whether you actually want it to or not. Don't Fool Yourself and Superman come loaded with hooks big enough to land a blue whale. Likewise, Wish Your Love Away, Happy Face... hell, the whole album. The Rebs are probably sweet enough to cause tooth decay but you should definitely suck 'em and see. 8/10
- Classic Rock Magazine