Scoundrels are a blues-rock band from London. They were originally formed in 2007 but the current line-up was completed in 2009. The band were signed by the original founders of

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...

, legendary A&R man

Seymour Stein Seymour Stein (born April 18, 1942) is an American entrepreneur and music executive. He co-founded Sire Records and was Vice President of Warner Bros. Records. With Sire, Stein signed bands that became central to the new wave era of the 1970s a ...

and producer/songwriter

Richard Gottehrer Richard Gottehrer (born 1940) is an American songwriter, record producer and record label executive. In 1997, he co-founded the Orchard with longtime business partner Scott Cohen, an independent music distribution company. His career began as ...

, to the revived Blue Horizon label. They were the first UK signing to the label. Their début album ''Scoundrels'' was released on 27 June 2011. Their second single, "Loud n Proud", reached the top of the

5FM 5FM is a South African FM radio station that follows a Top 40 music format and is owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), South Africa's public broadcaster. SABC announced the appointment of Mr. JD Mostert as Business Mana ...

"Buzz Chart" in South Africa which led to a feature in ''Heat Magazine'' South Africa.

History

Ned Wyndham, Alex 'Billy' Hill and Josh Martens shared a love of 50's

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, roots,

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

, and

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

, which led them all to the

London Centre of Contemporary Music London College of Creative Media (LCCM) is a private college of higher education in South London offering undergraduate degrees in music, writing, and music management; a postgraduate degree in creative entrepreneurship; and shorter courses in mu ...

. During their college years, they were able to hone their skills, putting on rootsy nights at

Notting Hill Arts Club The Notting Hill Arts Club is a music and arts venue in Notting Hill, central London. The venue holds club nights every night of the week. Its range of events include interactive crafts, themed Soviet nights, and a Death Disco club night run by ...

and The Troubadour. They recruited the final member of their band, George Elliot, after original guitarist, Adam Callan, left in the Summer of 2009. Their début album was recorded at an extended stay in Louisiana, where the band lived on a houseboat moored on the swamps at McGee's Landing

Henderson, Louisiana Henderson is a town in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. Part of the Lafayette metropolitan area, its population was 1,617 at the 2020 U.S. census. Home to Cajun Palms RV Resort, it was rated in 2017 as the best campsite in Louisiana ...

, recording with Swamp Pop legend

C.C. Adcock C. C. Adcock (born Charles Clinton Adcock, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and blues rock musician, noted for his cajun, zydeco, electric blues and swamp pop-influenced sound and for his efforts to preserve and promote swa ...

as well as in Chicago with

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

, where they recorded at his own

Electrical Audio Electrical Audio is a recording studio, recording facility founded in Chicago, Illinois by musician and recording engineer Steve Albini in 1997. Hundreds of independent music projects have been recorded there. Unlike most producers, Albini refuses ...

studio. The ''Sniff It Up EP'' was their first release for the Blue Horizon label, which featured five tracks selected from the forthcoming album. The band toured in support of the release in the UK with fellow Brit-blues-rockers

Kill It Kid Kill It Kid are an English alternative rock band fronted by Chris Turpin (guitars & vocals). Members also include Stephanie Ward (Keys & vocals), Marc Jones (drums) and Dom Kozubik (bass guitar). The band was widely recognised as one of the ...

. They then took a residency at London's famous

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

, which ran throughout the summer of 2011. Scoundrels played numerous UK festivals over the summer of 2011, including a main stage slot at

Jamie Oliver James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants. Oliver reache ...

's inaugural Big Feastival. In October 2011, they were invited to support

The Kooks The Kooks () are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The band consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar/synthesizer/bass) and Alexis Nunez (drums). Their music is primarily influenced by the ...

on their UK tour. Later that month they travelled back to the United States to play at college radio festival

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

Band members

* George Elliot –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Alex "Billy" Hill –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Joshua Martens –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Ned Wyndham –

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

Discography

Albums/EPs

*''Sniff It Up EP'' (2011) *''Scoundrels'' (2011) *"Sexy Weekend EP" (2012) *"Music From The Arch" (2020)

Singles

*"Gulf Of Mexico" (2011) *"Loud n Proud" (2011)

References

{{Authority control English blues rock musical groups Rock music groups from London