Lovejoy are an

indie rock Indie rock is a 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 music they produc ...

band formed in Brighton, England in 2021. The band consists of

William Gold William Patrick Spencer Gold (born 14 September 1996), known professionally as Wilbur Soot, is a British Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and musician. He first became known in 2017 for his work with the group comedy YouTube channel SootHouse, wher ...

(also known by the stage name Wilbur Soot) as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Joe Goldsmith as lead guitarist, Mark Boardman as drummer, and Ash Kabosu as bassist, with all four also sharing in songwriting. Their debut EP, '' Are You Alright?'', was released on 8 May 2021. Their second EP, '' Pebble Brain'', came out on 14 October 2021. The band's third EP, '' Wake Up & It's Over'', was released on 12 May 2023. The band independently releases their music under their own label, Anvil Cat Records, distributing with

AWAL AWAL (an initialism of Artists Without a Label) is a British music distribution company owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The company serves as an alternative to the traditional music label deal, offering deal structures to artists and independ ...

History

Formation and ''Are You Alright?'' (2021)

Lovejoy was founded by

and Joe Goldsmith in 2021. The two met from previously playing in the same

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

group. Gold previously gained a following online for his

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streams and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

videos, as well as his solo music. The band was originally called "Hang the DJ". The current name is after Benedict Lovejoy, a friend of the band, who would sit with them during their early days of songwriting. Before joining Lovejoy, drummer Mark Boardman had been studying

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, o ...

at university, bass guitarist Ash Kabosu was working in

TV broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...

, and lead guitarist Joe Goldsmith was a

tree surgeon An arborist, tree surgeon, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dendrol ...

. Gold met Kabosu, a friend of a friend, in a Smashburger shop in Brighton, and asked him if he'd like to join the band. During

studio recording The term studio recording means any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance. Studio cast recordings In the case of Broadway mu ...

, the band hired Boardman on Fiverr, and after watching him perform, Gold invited him to join as a permanent member. The band recorded their debut EP, '' Are You Alright?'', in two days at

Brighton Electric Brighton Electric is a music studio complex in Brighton, UK, founded in 2000. The main premises was built in 1897 as the Brighton Corporation Tramways head office. Details The main premises was built in 1897 as the Brighton Corporation Tramw ...

in March 2021. It was released on 8 May 2021, which saw Lovejoy debut at number 10 on '' Billboard''s Emerging Artists chart on 20 May 2021.

''Pebble Brain'', covers, pseudonymous gigs, and radio appearances (2021–2023)

Their second EP, '' Pebble Brain'', was recorded in August 2021 at Small Pond Recording Studios in Brighton, and released on 14 October 2021. The EP peaked at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. The songs of this EP had the theme of failed romantic relationships, but also expand to political unrest. In October 2022, the band issued their first two EPs, as well as their cover of " Knee Deep at ATP", to

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

for the first time. Prior to their large concert and festival performances, Lovejoy performed unadvertised gigs under

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

s. From November 2022, the band began to receive renewed attention on

mainstream radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

, with airtime on

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, and on Dutch radio show "''"'' (). Their songs have also been featured on BBC Music ''Introducing''.

''Wake Up & It's Over'', ''From Studio 4'', and other (2023–present)

On 10 February 2023, Lovejoy released the single " Call Me What You Like", which peaked at number 32 on the Official UK Top 40 chart. The song would later be featured on their third EP, '' Wake Up & It's Over,'' which was released on 12 May 2023 and debuted at number 5 on the UK album charts. In addition, "Portrait of a Blank Slate" from the EP is featured in the soundtrack for EA Sports FC 24. On 7 April 2023, under the Anvil Cat alias, the band released a surprise EP titled ''From Studio 4''. It contains acoustic versions of the songs from their debut EP, ''Are You Alright?'', as well as a previously unreleased track introduction, "Tomorrow". In May 2023, the band performed in London for a

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

event entitled ''Our Generation''. They released two songs from the session as part of Spotify Singles, including an acoustic version of "Call Me What You Like" and a cover of "The Perfect Pair" by

Beabadoobee Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus (born 3 June 2000), known professionally as beabadoobee (; '), is a Filipino-British singer-songwriter. From 2018 to 2021, she released five extended plays under the independent label Dirty Hit: ''Lice'' (2018), ''P ...

. Gold said the band has "been huge admirers of Beabadoobee for a while now and love the melody of this song, so it was great to give it our own Lovejoy twist". The band appears on the front cover of issue 77 of the music magazine '' Dork'', which was released in June 2023. On 25 June 2023, Lovejoy performed at Glastonbury Festival on the

BBC Music Introducing BBC Music ''Introducing'' is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. It gives artists the opportunity to be played on Local BBC Radio and nationally on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 ...

stage. They have also performed at Rock Werchter,

TRNSMT TRNSMT (pronounced as "Transmit") is a music festival staged at Glasgow Green in Glasgow, Scotland, organised by DF Concerts. History An early line-up for the first TRNSMT festival was revealed in January 2017, two months after the announceme ...

, the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

, and Lollapalooza. They performed at

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 25 August 2023, and

Reading 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 August 2023. They have since started their Wake Up & It's Over Tour, across the United Kingdom.

Members

Band members *

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriting (2021–present) * Joe Goldsmith – lead guitar, backing vocals, songwriting (2021–present) * Ash Kabosu – bass, songwriting (2021–present) * Mark Boardman – drums, backing vocals, songwriting (2021–present) Touring members Touring personnel can differ between shows. * Leandra Badruza – trumpet, keyboards (2022–present) * Isaac Beer – trumpet (2022) * Zoe – trumpet, keyboards (2022–2023) * Alan Osmundson – trumpet, keyboards (2023–present) * Jackie Coleman – trumpet, keyboards (2023–present)

Discography

Extended plays

Compilation albums

Double A-sides

Singles

Other charted songs

Other appearances

Music videos

Tours

* Northern Autumn Tour (2022) * December Tour (2022) * Inselaffe Tour (2023) * Across The Pond Tour (2023) * Wake Up & It's Over Tour (2023)

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control 2021 establishments in England Musical groups established in 2021 Musical groups from Brighton and Hove AWAL artists English indie rock groups English pop punk groups