Various Cruelties are a four-piece London-based band described as " Motown-influenced pop." Formed in 2010, Various Cruelties received early acclaim based on a self-released limited edition single, "If It Wasn't For You," and signed with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

. In 2011, Various Cruelties released three singles, and in October 2012, they released their debut album on their own label, Almanac Recordings. Various Cruelties are recognised for the song "If It Wasn't For You," which was used in a 2012 holiday commercial for

Zales The Zale Corporation is an American jewelry retailer, incorporated in Delaware in 1993. The principal executive offices are located in Coppell, Texas. History The company began in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas, when the two Russian-Jewish immig ...

, and for high-profile performances with

Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karl ...

The Vaccines The Vaccines are an English indie rock band, formed in West London in 2010. Band members Justin Hayward-Young (lead vocals, guitar), Freddie Cowan (lead guitar, vocals), Árni Árnason (bass, vocals), Timothy Lanham (guitars, keys, vocals) and ...

, and

Mumford and Sons Mumford may refer to: *Amazing Mumford, a Muppet character on ''Sesame Street'' * ''Mumford'' (film), a 1999 American comedy-drama film * Mumford procedure, also called distal clavicle excision or distal clavicle resection, an orthopedic surgical pr ...

, among others.

History

Various Cruelties is largely the project of Liam O'Donnell now a songwriter with success on tracks - Fall Out Boy "Uma Thurman" and MAX "Lights Down Low". He is also a distant relative of Oscar Wilde. Born in London to a Scottish father and an Irish mother, O'Donnell moved to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Kingdom of Jorvik, and the ...

as a teenager, and began performing as a singer/songwriter. He chose the stage name Various Cruelties after seeing a painting of the same name by American artist

Ed Ruscha Edward Joseph Ruscha IV (, ''roo-SHAY''; born December 16, 1937) is an American artist associated with the pop art movement. He has worked in the media of painting, printmaking, drawing, photography and film. He is also noted for creating severa ...

. " It seemed to resonate with my character and the music I was trying to make," O'Donnell said. "It seemed to fit perfectly." After moving to London in 2010, O'Donnell decided against performing as a solo artist and began to assemble the band that would become the current incarnation of Various Cruelties. He met Beanie Bhebhe (vocals/bass/beats), Adam Coney (guitar/vocals) and Dean Valentine (drums) in London in September 2010, and in December they played their first show, supporting

the Vaccines The Vaccines are an English indie rock band, formed in West London in 2010. Band members Justin Hayward-Young (lead vocals, guitar), Freddie Cowan (lead guitar, vocals), Árni Árnason (bass, vocals), Timothy Lanham (guitars, keys, vocals) and ...

at the infamous Madam Jo Jo's. By May 2011, Various Cruelties had recorded and self-released two singles, "If It Wasn't For You" and "Neon Truth," and had been embraced by UK audiences and the media. Before the end of the year, they'd performed alongside Metallica, Lou Reed, Steve Earle and Nile Rodgers on Later... with Jools Holland, and signed with

. Various Cruelties eponymous debut was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Tony Hoffer, known for his work with

Foster the People Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members are singer Mark Foster, guitarist Sean Cimino, and keyboardist Isom Innis. Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending several years in ...

, Beck, and

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

. It was released in October 2012, and included the original recording of "If It Wasn't For You," which was used in a December 2012 North American holiday campaign for Zales Jewelry. Various Cruelties have continued to tour in the United Kingdom since the release of the album, and embarked on their first US tour in February 2013.

Discography

Albums

*''Various Cruelties'' Almanac Recordings, October 2012

Singles

*"Neon Truth" Mercury/Universal, April 2012 *"Great Unknown" Mercury/Universal, January 2012 *"Chemicals" Mercury/Universal, September 2011 *"Neon Truth" Independent, May 2011 *"If It Wasn't For You" Independent, January 2011

References

External links

*
Madame Jo Jo's
{{Authority control English pop music groups British soul musical groups Mercury Records albums