The Parlotones
| The Parlotones | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Johannesburg, South Africa |
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| Years active | 1998 – Present |
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| Website | wearetheparlotones |
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The Parlotones are a South African indie rock band from Johannesburg. Formed in 1998, the group consists of Kahn Morbee (vocals and rhythm guitar), Paul Hodgson (lead guitar), Glenn Hodgson (bass guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), and Neil Pauw (drums and percussion). The Parlotones’ early sound was rooted brit rock, but eventually grew to incorporate a wider spectrum of musical genres. The lyrics focus on personal themes, of love and everyday life, paired with catchy melodies that engage their audience.
Within four years, the band signed with Sovereign Entertainment and released their debut album Episoda. The Parlotones have released 8 studio albums and are one of South Africa’s best-selling music artists of all time, enjoying multi-platinum success. They have won 9 South African Music Awards, and, in 2009, were the first South African band to headline at the Coca-Cola Dome. With their success, the band have championed many philanthropic causes, including The Little Wing Music Foundation, the Anene Booysen Foundation, and the Africa-Unite campaign.
The band formed in Johannesburg in the summer of 1998. Kahn Morbee failed to start a band in high school, explaining that "no one ever gave me a chance", so he decided to enrol at the University of Johannesburg. Shortly after, he was introduced to Neil Pauw, who had attended the same high school in Roodepoort. On hearing Morbee’s original songs, Neil realised they shared a music vision and they decided to start a band. At university Kahn met Paul Hodgson, after they were removed from the campus library for playing guitar inside. The next day Kahn asked Paul to join the band. At the time, Paul's younger brother, Glen Hodgson was still in high school, but asked him to join as a bassist. Their early sound was influenced by The Smiths, The Cure, and R.E.M., but their capability was described by Kahn as "punkish and squeaky", and settled on the punk-influenced band name "Crayon".
In July 2002, well-known underground musician, John Boyd joined the band, adding synth elements and doing the band’s on-stage engineer during live shows. Around the same time, the band met Raphael Domalik and signed the band to his record label, Sovereign Entertainment. This prompted the band to change their name to something less "immature", as Kahn described it. They decided on The Parlotones, as a variation of Parlophone Records. A record label that had signed their biggest influences Radiohead, who expanded their early influence to include Travis and Jeff Buckley. The group's first release, a South Africa-only EP entitled Superstars, was released in late-2002 and distributed it at performances.
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