Los Campesinos!
| Los Campesinos! | |
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The band performing in 2010. Left to right: Kim, Neil, Gareth and Jason (Tom, Ellen, Rob and Harriet were present but not pictured)
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Twee pop (early), indie pop, indie rock, noise pop |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Wichita, Arts & Crafts |
| Associated acts | Sparky Deathcap, The Ghost Frequency, The Pipettes |
| Website | LosCampesinos |
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| Past members |
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Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Though the band formed in Wales, none of the members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record titled We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, in October that year. Whilst many consider it to be an album due to its length, the band had previously referred to it as a 'record' or EP (extended EP), for contractual and artistic reasons before ultimately deciding to refer to it as their second album out of simplicity. Their third album, entitled Romance Is Boring, was released on 1 February 2010. Their fourth full-length release, Hello Sadness, was released on 14 November 2011. The band’s fifth album, No Blues, was released on 29 October 2013. Their sixth, Sick Scenes, was released on 24 February 2017.
The group came together at Cardiff University in 2006, originally consisting of Neil Turner on guitar, Ellen Waddell on bass guitar, and Ollie Briggs on drums. In March 2006, Tom Bromley joined the band, assuming the role of lead guitarist, later followed by Gareth David – who became the band’s principal lyricist – on lead vocals and glockenspiel, Harriet Coleman on violin and keyboard, and finally Aleksandra Berditchevskaia on vocals, keyboards, and melodica. According to Tom, he met Neil after overhearing him discussing Sufjan Stevens at a club. The band’s earliest compositions were long pieces in the style of post-rock, though no recordings from this era are known to circulate publicly. The word in Spanish translates to "peasant" or "country person". All members of the band refer to their surnames as Campesinos!.
The band performed their first gig on 8 May 2006 at a student union club night; they went on to play a number of increasingly well-received gigs around Cardiff. An early demo was recorded featuring the songs "Death To Los Campesinos!", "It Started With A Mixx", "Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks", and "You! Me! Dancing!". The songs were posted on the internet, bolstering the popularity established by their energetic live shows and earning them airplay on Huw Stephens's evening show on BBC Radio 1 Wales. The band’s reputation continued to grow, and in August 2006 landed them a slot supporting Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene. In November 2006, the band were signed by Wichita Recordings.
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