Capdown is an English punk rock band from

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

. Originally known as Soap, their songs have political themes as alluded to by their name, which is short for Capitalist Downfall. Mixing

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

, dub,

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

, and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, Capdown built a reputation around their independent releases and numerous tours.

Career

In May 2000, the

Household Name Records Household Name Records is a DIY punk rock record label, based in London, UK founded in 1996. It has been home to notable artists including Capdown, Howards Alias, Lightyear, and Adequate Seven. Biography Household Name Records was started in ...

released Capdown's debut album '' Civil Disobedients''. The album featured hardcore, but also mixed in

and dub. According to

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

the album kick started an underground punk scene. The album went on to be listed at 76 in the

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

's top one hundred list for the decade. In the same year Capdown played nearly 250 gigs. In early 2001, Capdown toured with a number of established American bands, including

Less Than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxoph ...

and played the Deconstruction touring festival with Pennywise and

Lagwagon Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the band's tour van, which can ...

. In September 2001, Capdown released their second album, ''Pound for the Sound'', receiving positive reviews from ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' The following year saw tours with

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

and

Hundred Reasons Hundred Reasons are an English alternative rock band from Aldershot, Hampshire, and Teddington, South West London, formed in 1999. The band consists of Colin Doran (vocals), Larry Hibbitt (guitar, vocals), Andy Gilmour (bass) and Andy Bews (drum ...

. In 2003 the band signed to

Fierce Panda Records Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass. Fierc ...

, releasing two EPs: ''Act Your Rage'' and ''New Revolutionaries''. The band received critical acclaim for their live performances. The final line-up included: Jake Sim-Fielding (vocals and saxophone), Boob Goold (bass guitar), Keith Minter (vocals and guitar), Tim Macdonald (drums) and a new addition, Andrew "Eddie" Hunt (keyboards/samples). They released an album on 5 February 2007, entitled '' Wind Up Toys'' on

. The band split up after their final UK tour, which was due to be 9 November 2007, in their home town of Milton Keynes. However their 'final show' took place on 7 June 2008, at the Pitz club in Milton Keynes, following a 'warm up' at the Kingston Peel on 5 June 2008. It was announced on 16 February 2010 through ''punktastic.com'', that Capdown were to reform exclusively for the

Slam Dunk Festival Slam Dunk Records or Slam Dunk Music is a British independent record label, promoter and concert organising company, founded in Leeds, England, in 2007. Some notable signees include You Me at Six and Decade. The label evolved from "Slam Dunk", a ...

, held in London and Leeds on 29 and 30 May that year. However, the band also played at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, between 4 and 6 August 2011. In addition, they appeared at Hevy Fest in Kent, between 5 and 8 August 2011 and at the

Reading and Leeds Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...

on 27-28 August 2011. In September 2021, the band played

in Leeds and Hatfield, United Kingdom.

Other projects

Following the original demise of Capdown, both Goold and Macdonald worked on a new band, The Maccalites, alongside Simon Wells from Snuff/Southport. Goold, Minter and Macdonald are also members of rock band This Contrast Kills and The GetGone. As of 2013 Tim Macdonald has been playing drums in the U.K Hardcore band Menshevik along with Steve Pitcher of Vanilla Pod, Dan Hawcroft previously of Whizzwood and Robert Dempsey of Mustard City Rockers. Since 2012 Robin Goold has been working on The GetGone with Ben Hyman, David Lloyd (1000 Hz) and Rob Blay. The band have released the 5 track 'Stories and Ruses' E.P in 2013, and their debut album 'One thousand ways to live' in April 2016. Both recorded and produced by Capdown's Keith Minter.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music Videos

* Act Your Rage (2003) * New Revolutionaries (2003)

Other releases

Critical reception

In 2021, ''Loudersound'' included the band in a 'best of' list, saying "Capdown kick-started something of a movement here in the UK ...", and that if things had gone differently it could have been massive.

References

External links

Official siteGravity DIP Records PageInterview with Jake
at Onemetal {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1997 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom Third-wave ska groups People from Milton Keynes English ska musical groups Fierce Panda Records artists Political music groups Post–third wave ska groups