The Duke Spirit
| The Duke Spirit | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock, garage rock |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | You Are Here |
| Associated acts | Roman Remains |
| Website | Official site |
| Members | Liela Moss Luke Ford Toby Butler Oliver Betts Rich Fownes |
| Past members | Dan Higgins Marc Sallis |
The Duke Spirit are an English rock band based in London. Their sound has been seen as a melding of influences ranging from alternative rock bands such as The Jesus and Mary Chain and Spiritualized, the tremulous rock'n'roll of bands such as The Gun Club and The Patti Smith Group, to distinctive rhythmic 'Atlantic soul' and Motown influences. Band members Liela Moss and Toby Butler also perform together in the electro-rock duo "Roman Remains".
The band was formed in London in 2003 by Luke Ford (guitar), Liela Moss (vocals), Toby Butler (bass) and Dan Higgins (guitar).
Ford and Moss met at art college in Cheltenham where he was studying photography and Moss was taking a Fine Arts course. After moving to London and a short period writing and performing as Solomon (in which they were later joined by Butler) they formed The Duke Spirit. Along with guitarist Dan Higgins they set about writing, recording and self-producing a group of songs that formed the basis of their first single and EP. Higgins also creating the woodcuts that served as the band's early artwork.
The band released their second single "Darling You're Mean/Bottom of the Sea" in May on the City Rockers label, without having performed live. The line-up was completed by drummer Olly "The Kid" Betts, and the band played their first show at the Brixton Windmill later that year. They released the Roll, Spirit, Roll EP toward the end of 2003, which won the band critical acclaim from publications such as NME.
The band's debut album was due to be released in September 2004 until their record label, City Rockers, ran out of financial steam. They moved over to Loog Records/Polydor and released the album in the UK on 16 May 2005. The album's producers were Simon Raymonde (formerly the bass player in The Cocteau Twins, and now Bella Union Label boss) and Flood, best known for his work with Nick Cave, NIN and U2. After headlining tours of the UK, the album was released in the U.S. and the band found themselves travelling through America for much of 2006, including a highly praised performance at the Coachella 2006 festival, California.
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