Art Brut are a Berlin-based English and German

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band. Their debut album, ''

Bang Bang Rock & Roll ''Bang Bang Rock & Roll'' is the debut studio album by British rock band Art Brut. It was re-released in 2006 with bonus CD. Reception ''Bang Bang Rock & Roll'' was released to highly positive reviews from music critics; on the review aggregat ...

'', was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, '' It's a Bit Complicated'', released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter

Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French painter and sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believed to be a ...

's definition of

outsider art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates ...

– art by prisoners, loners, the mentally ill, and other marginalized people, and made without thought to imitation or presentation – South London's Art Brut were tagged by '' NME'' as part of the "Art Wave" scene that also included bands such as

The Rakes The Rakes were an English post-punk band formed in London in 2003. Their first album '' Capture/Release'' released in 2005, received a nine out of ten review in the ''NME'' and was rated 13th best album of the year in the same paper. The band ...

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. F ...

and

Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sampler), Russell Lissack (lead guitar, keyboards), Justin Harris (bass guitar, keyboards, saxophones, backing vocals) and Louise Bartle (d ...

. The band released further albums, '' Art Brut vs Satan'' in 2009 and '' Brilliant! Tragic!'' in 2011. A fifth album, '' Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!"'', was released in 2018. The band's sound is characterised by their straightforward guitar rock setup, as well as frontman

Eddie Argos Eddie Argos (born Kevin Macklin 25 October 1979) is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut, and writer of comics. Personal life Born in Weymouth, England, Argos later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child, and has subsequently wri ...

' enthusiastic '' sprechgesang''-style vocal delivery, and his humorous, often self-reflexive lyrics about music, relationships and other personal interests.

Biography

Early years

Argos had formed

The Art Goblins The Art Goblins are an English alternative rock band featuring Art Brut members Eddie Argos and Jasper "Jeff" Future. History The band was originally formed in Bournemouth in the 1990s by Argos when at sixth form college; after the initia ...

and moved to London in 2001 looking to form a new band. He met guitarist Chris Chinchilla at an afterparty hosted by London indie rock band Ciccone in 2002. Argos also invited Ian Catskilkin, whom he knew from the Bournemouth music scene, to join on guitars. They were joined by Freddy Feedback, Chinchilla's flatmate, on bass guitar and Mikey Breyer on drums; and rehearsed at Scar studios in Camden. The name 'Art Brut' was inspired by Argos's visit to the Musée d'Art Naïf – Max Fourny. The band played their first gig in May 2003, at

the Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...

in Kentish Town. After gigging for several months, they recorded demos of "Formed a Band" and "Modern Art" with Keith Top of the Pops at Supernova Studios. The band became associated with the New Cross scene, and this version of a "Formed a Band" was released on new New Cross-based record label Angular's compilation ''The New Cross: An Angular Sampler'', in November 2003.

Rough Trade Rough Trade may refer to: *Rough Trade Records, a record label * Rough Trade (shops), London record stores *Rough Trade (band), a Canadian new wave rock band * "Rough Trade" (''American Dad!''), an episode of ''American Dad!'' *Rough trade (slang), ...

, a long-running indie music label, offered Art Brut a deal to release "Formed a Band" as a one-off single. It was released in March 2004, backed with "Bad Weekend". It peaked at number 52 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The band co-headlined a UK tour promoting the single with the Fades.

Fierce Panda

Rough Trade declined to sign Art Brut up for an album, and the band signed to Fierce Panda, again for a standalone single. This was a double A-side, featuring "Modern Art" and "My Little Brother". For the vinyl release, each individual single cover was unique, being painted by attendees of the launch party. The single was released in December 2004, and charted at number 49, the highest position that a Fierce Panda single had achieved. After the success of this, Fierce Panda signed Art Brut for their first album, to be called ''Bang Bang Rock & Roll''. It was recorded with producer

John Fortis John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. It features re-recorded versions of "Formed a Band", "Bad Weekend", "Modern Art", My Little Brother", three songs originally written for a concept project about the "Gatti Gang", an off-shoot of the

Red Brigades The Red Brigades ( it, Brigate Rosse , often abbreviated BR) was a far-left Marxist–Leninist armed organization operating as a terrorist and guerrilla group based in Italy responsible for numerous violent incidents, including the abduction ...

: "18,000 Lira", "Rusted Guns of Milan", "Stand Down". This album was trailed by new single "Emily Kane", which made number 41, missing the top 40 only by two sales, later attributed by Argos by a failure to properly register iTunes sales. It remains Fierce Panda's highest-charting single. The album was released in May 2005. Art Brut played extensively in support of their album in 2005. Chinchilla left due to the pressures of touring in September 2005, and was replaced at short notice by Jasper Future, guitarist from Argos' old Bournemouth band,

, for

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was orga ...

. This new line-up toured Europe, including two support slots with

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' magazine in September 2005.

Mute

In 2006 Art Brut signed to

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, ...

(then owned by EMI) in Europe for the release of another album, with

Downtown Records Downtown Records is an American record label based in New York City with offices in Los Angeles. Owned and operated by Josh Deutsch and Terence Lam, the label is distributed by Geffen Records (formerly Interscope Records and The Orchard) in the ...

covering the United States. The band toured extensively in the United States in 2006, being the musical guest on

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's l ...

on 4 May 2006, and on a later leg supporting

We Are Scientists We Are Scientists is a New York City-based rock band that formed in Berkeley, California, in 1999. It consists primarily of guitarist and vocalist Keith Murray and bass guitarist Chris Cain, with drummer Keith Carne joining the band in the stud ...

. This second album '' It's a Bit Complicated'' was produced by Dan Swift (after an attempt by Russell Senior was rejected by the label). The first single from the album, "Nag Nag Nag Nag", was released on 20 November 2006, featuring the b-side "I Found This Song in the Road" and five live tracks from the Eurockéennes de Belfort Festival 2006. The song made Single of the Week in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''s "The Guide" section. In 2007 they played on the American '' NME'' Rock and Roll Riot tour with

The Hold Steady The Hold Steady is an American rock band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), ...

. The second single "Direct Hit" was released a week before the album, featuring the B-sides "Don't Blame it on the Trains" and "I Want to be Double A-Sided". Promotion included an appearance on

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musi ...

on 20 June 2007. The album was released in June 2007. In the United States, the album reached No. 14 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Heatseekers chart and No. 32 on the Independent Albums chart. EMI had been under financial problems in 2007 and was acquired by

Terra Firma Capital Partners Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd. (TFCP) is a UK-based private equity firm. Financier Guy Hands founded the firm in 2002 through the spin-off of Nomura Principal Finance Group. The firm, which traces its roots to the formation of its predeces ...

in August 2007. The label released "Pump Up the Volume" as a third single for ''It's A Bit Complicated'' in February 2008, as a digital-only release with no video, apparently without telling the band. This led to the termination of the relationship between the band and the label.

Cooking Vinyl

In late 2008, Art Brut returned to the studio to record their third LP '' Art Brut vs. Satan'' which was released on 20 April 2009, on

Cooking Vinyl Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England, founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner and chairma ...

. The album was produced by

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...

, in his favourite studio in Salem, Oregon. ''Art Brut vs. Satan'' was released to mainly good reviews scoring 75 on Metacritic. There were two singles released from the album "Alcoholics Unanimous" and "DC Comics & Chocolate Milkshake". The band toured throughout the year and played the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contempo ...

amongst others, including a five-day residency at the

Mercury Lounge The Mercury Lounge is a live music venue in the Lower East Side of New York City. Like its brother venue The Bowery Ballroom, The Mercury Lounge is celebrated as an iconic indie venue due to its acoustics, its fostering and even launching of upc ...

in New York City in June. In late 2010, Art Brut recorded their fourth album, ''Brilliant! Tragic!'', released on 23 May 2011. The first single from the album was "Lost Weekend". The album was again produced in Salem by Frank Black. Promotion included another five-day residency, this time at

The Lexington The Lexington, also known as Lexington Apartments, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The five-story brick structure on a raised basement was completed in 1908 as the city's first high-rise apartment building. with ...

in London. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the band's first gig, in 2013, Art Brut released ''

Art Brut Top of the Pops ''Art Brut Top of the Pops'' is a compilation album by the band Art Brut. As well as a 'best of' set, the two-disc collection includes two new songs, "Arizona Bay" and "We Make Pop Music", as well as B-sides, cover versions, demos and live mater ...

'', a two CD

best of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...

compilation album, including B-sides and rarities, such as the ''Brutlegs'' versions of some early songs. The album title refers to the band's chant during live performances of "Art Brut! Top of the Pops! Art Brut! Top of the Pops!" On 13 September 2013 it was revealed that Breyer and Future had decided to leave the band, and that their replacements would be Stephen Gilchrist and Toby MacFarlaine respectively.

Alcopop!

Art Brut's fifth album, '' Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!'', produced by

Jim Moray Jim Moray (born 1981) is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Recording artist While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray released the home-recorded ''I Am Jim Moray'' EP. During ...

, was released in November 2018, on Alcopop! Records. It was preceded by two singles: the title track "Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!", in August 2018, and "Hospital!" in October 2018. The band now features

Charlie Layton Charlie may refer to: Characters * "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise * Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority * ...

from

the Wedding Present The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group originally formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, from the ashes of The Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, ...

on drums. After two dates in London in November and January, the band started their first tour since 2013 in February 2019: UK dates in February and March were to be followed by European shows in April. The band then played a number of summer festivals. Art Brut collaborated with We Are Scientists (see below) for a

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

EP release in 2019. In 2020 they released a German language version of "My Little Brother", "Mein kleiner Bruder". A UK tour with

the Subways The Subways is an English rock band from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. Formed in 2002, the band consists of Billy Lunn (lead vocals, guitar), Charlotte Cooper (bass guitar, lead vocals), and Camille Phillips (drums). Founding-drummer Jos ...

in spring 2020 was interrupted by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

For Record Store Day 2020, the band released a re-recorded, 16-minute version of early single "Modern Art", again with record sleeves designed by fans and friends.

Relationships with other bands

Art Brut invited various bands to provide guest vocals on "Top of the Pops!", their contribution to the second Angular compilation, "Rip Off Your Labels: More Angular Product", including The Boyfriends, The Long Blondes, The Rocks, The Violets,

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...

, Ciccone, The Swear and Abdoujaparov. These bands had mostly provided tracks to the Angular compilations themselves. Relations with Bloc Party, also an Angular band, were more strained: a dispute conducted by media between Argos with Bloc Party lead singer Kele culminated in a physical confrontation at a nightclub. Art Brut had a system of "franchises", whose names range from AB0 (the original Art Brut) to AB3.14/Pi, AB², AB17 or even to AB29600 (from Rennes and Morlaix, France), who perform and cover Art Brut songs. The band have released a split 7-inch with

in 2006, with Art Brut covering We Are Scientists' "The Great Escape", and We Are Scientists covering "Bang Bang Rock & Roll" (in the style of

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. The original line-up consisted of singer/guitarist Lou Reed, multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Angus MacLise. MacL ...

– in reference to the song's lyric of "I can't stand the sound of the Velvet Underground"). We Are Scientists also have an Art Brut franchise number, 47. Art Brut resumed their collaboration with We Are Scientists in 2019, with a split 12-inch for

, as "WASABI" (We Are Scientists Art Brut International). Argos and

Black Box Recorder Black Box Recorder were an English indie rock band. They debuted in 1998 with '' England Made Me'' and followed this up with '' The Facts of Life'', which gave them their first hit with the single of the same name in April 2000. Their thir ...

released a single, "Christmas Number One", under the name The Black Arts, in 2007. In 2010, Argos released an album with the side project Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!, featuring Dyan Valdés from The Blood Arm on vocals and keyboards. The album, called ''Fixin' the Charts'' was a collection of songs in responses to classic pop songs, including those by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

. The band's early supporter Keith Top of the Pops played his first gig in support of Art Brut in New York in 2006, with members of Art Brut acting as his band. Keith has now released three albums, under the name "Keith Top of the Pops & His Minor UK Indie Celebrity All-Star Backing Band", which variously feature contributions from most of Art Brut, Black Box Recorder, The Blood Arm, We Are Scientists and numerous other musicians, including members of The Boyfriends, Luxembourg, Ciccone and Abdoujaparov.

Members

Current members *

– lead vocals (2003–present) * Ian Catskilkin – lead guitar (2003–present) * Freddy Feedback – bass guitar (2003–present) * Toby MacFarlaine – guitar (2013–present) * Charlie Layton – drums (2018–present) Former members * Mikey Breyer – drums (2003–2013) * Chris Chinchilla – guitar (2003–2005) * Jasper Future – guitar (2005–2013) * Stephen Gilchrist – drums (2013–2014)

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2005) UK No. 116 * '' It's a Bit Complicated'' (2007) UK No. 123 * '' Art Brut vs. Satan'' (2009) UK No. 138 * '' Brilliant! Tragic!'' (2011) * '' Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!'' (2018)

Live albums

* Art Brut Live at Schubas 15 November 2005'' (2005)

Compilation albums

* ''

'' (the best of) (2013)

Singles

* " Formed a Band" (March 2004) UK No. 52 * "Modern Art/My Little Brother" (December 2004) UK No. 49 * "Emily Kane" (May 2005) UK No. 41 * "Good Weekend" (September 2005) UK No. 56 * "Nag Nag Nag Nag" (November 2006) (Released as a seven track CD single featuring five live tracks) * " Direct Hit" (June 2007) UK No. 194 * "Pump Up the Volume" (February 2008) (Download only single) * "Alcoholics Unanimous" (6 April 2009) * "DC Comics & Chocolate Milkshake" (24 August 2009) (Download only single) * "Lost Weekend" (16 May 2011) * "Clever, Clever Jazz" (15 August 2011) * "Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!" (August 2018) * "Hospital!" (October 2018)

Music videos

* "Modern Art" * "Emily Kane" * "Good Weekend" * "Direct Hit" * "Pump Up the Volume" * "Alcoholics Unanimous" * "Lost Weekend" (directed by

Alex de Campi Alex de Campi is a British-American music video director, comics writer and columnist. Career Comics Alex de Campi wrote 2005's mini-series ''Smoke'' (published by IDW Publishing, art by Igor Kordey), which was nominated for the Eisner Award ...

) * "Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!" (Ben Pollard and Jonny Drewek) * "Hospital!"