Billy Ruffian (band)
| Billy Ruffian | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Genres |
Alternative rock Indie rock |
| Years active | July 2005-Summer 2011, Summer 2013- |
| Labels | Filthy Little Angels |
| Website | Bandcamp |
| Members | Stephen Ruffian Thom Cuell Rob Goodison Andy Brownridge |
Billy Ruffian are an English indie rock band. Their debut album, My Secret Life, was released on 28 May 2007, with its accompanying single "Music vs. Money" following the next month. They went on hiatus in 2011, returning in 2013.
The band began to take formation in July 2005 and, with a settled line-up, played their first gig in November that year. A steady stream of gigs followed from January 2006 and, following the release of a low-budget split EP entitled "Late Arrivals" in February, the band headed to a recording studio in March to record their first four tracks. The tracks – "Death of a Band", "Preensters", "Leaving Soon" and "(My Girlfriend Is Like A) Trojan Horse" were self-released by the band in April, with a second issue (omitting "Leaving Soon") following a couple of months later.
Some drastic line-up changes followed the re-release of ‘Death of a Band’, and by August the band was floundering, due to the departure of their drummer. It wasn’t until October when, following an invitation to play at Chris Chinchilla’s farewell party, the band took the decision to carry on as a three piece (with drum machine). After a few shaky gigs, Billy Ruffian came to embrace the new technology and ‘Death of a Band’ finally found an official release on Filthy Little Angels’ Christmas compilation "Hark! The Filthy Angels Sing". This three-man lineup would remain stable for the next three years.
Having already recorded a few new tracks for another self-released EP, Billy Ruffian soon found themselves having to write and record several more tracks when Filthy Little Angels signed them up to record an album in January 2007.
Recorded during the Spring, "My Secret Life" was released at the end of May to varied reviews, including a 4 star ‘album of the week’ review from Manchester Music., a 3 star 'High Voltage' review as well as further positive reviews from Sandman magazine and Music Towers. Some other sources, however, were not so charitable; the band was also derided as a "pseudo-public school" outfit led by "some faux dandy in a cheap suit". The "Spring Sampler EP" featuring five FLA acts preceded the album and coincided with the band’s first tour.
The next month, the songs "Music vs. Money" and "Whipping Boy" were taken from "My Secret Life" and released on an accompanying single along with the non-album cut "My Secret Life". The single was a split single with "The Art Goblins" as part of Filthy Little Angels’ Singles Club, and was awarded 'Single of the week' by the NME. The Billy Ruffian tracks were judged by many to be the best tracks in the package.
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