Sebastopol | |
---|---|
Sebastopol in 2012
|
|
Background information | |
Also known as | The Masters of Monochrome |
Origin | London, England |
Genres | Alternative rock, art rock, post-punk, new wave |
Years active | 2010-present |
Labels | Warm Fuzz Records |
Associated acts | Kinky Machine |
Website | Official Website |
Members |
Nick Powell Phil Richards Tom Standage |
Sebastopol is an English alternative rock band originating from London. The band consists of Nick Powell (lead vocals and bass guitar), Phil Richards (guitars) and Tom Standage (drums).
The band formed in 2010 following an unusual incident the previous year when Powell found himself dangerously marooned in the North Atlantic while making a television documentary. That experience and what Powell described as "the consequent feeling of helplessness" prompted him to write a collection of songs based around the lyrical themes of being lost, and, specifically, lost at sea. After signing to Warm Fuzz Records, these songs were recorded and became the debut album "Hello All Stations, This Is Zero" which was released in 2012.
The band's name "Sebastopol" reportedly comes from the open D guitar tuning exclusively used by Richards on all Sebastopol recordings which is traditionally called "sebastopol" after the traditional song "The Siege of Sebastopol" composed in that tuning by the 19th Century artist and composer Henry Worrall.
The band's first album "Hello All Stations, This Is Zero" was released in September 2012. It was well received by reviewers, with one commenting that it would be "cited by singers and songwriters for years to come." Comparisons have been drawn with The Police, with a commentator noting the "space in the sound", the high quality of the songwriting, and the fact that Sebastopol has a power trio configuration.
The album's title "Hello All Stations, This Is Zero" is taken from a wartime radio call signal from the 1940s signalling the start of a message. However, the number "zero" being written out is apparently poetic license since, according to the command protocol for imposing radio silence, the actual spoken phrase should be "Hello all stations, this is 0"
Powell, who is the band's main songwriter, has revealed in a number of radio and press interviews the unusual circumstances and inspiration behind the album. In 2009 he found himself marooned on Sable Island, a very small and extremely remote island in the North Atlantic. This lasted a number of weeks during which time Powell's life was in constant danger. The tracks "Send The Boats" and "Take Me Home" directly refer to this experience with the other songs being more loosely linked thematically.