Crowns are an English

folk punk Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in ...

band from Launceston,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

, England, formed in 2010. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist Bill Jefferson, bass player Jake Butler,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of ...

ist Jack Speckleton and drummer Rob Ramplin (replaced Nathan Haynes in 2013).

History

Formation (2010)

Crowns formed in 2010 after moving from Cornwall to London. Their sound is partly inspired by traditional Cornish songs with the band often closing their live shows with a version of Little Eyes. In July 2010, the band were invited to play a festival at the now defunct North London venue The Flowerpot, curated by the Communion record label. During their closing number the band were joined on stage by Ben Lovett of

Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, k ...

who joined the band on accordion. The live recording of the track was included on the compilation album The Flowerpot Sessions, released by Communion/

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...

in June 2011. At the end of 2010, Crowns were invited by

Spider Stacy Peter Richard "Spider" Stacy (born 14 December 1958, Eastbourne) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is best known for playing tin whistle and sometimes singing for The Pogues. Early life Stacy left school at 16 after fa ...

, tin whistle player in

The Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...

to support the band at London's

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

during their annual Christmas tour. In July 2011, Crowns played the

Eden Project The Eden Project ( kw, Edenva) is a visitor attraction in Cornwall, England, UK. The project is located in a reclaimed china clay pit, located from the town of St Blazey and from the larger town of St Austell.Ordnance Survey (2005). ''OS ...

as part of the Eden Sessions gig series, opening the main stage before

Mystery Jets Mystery Jets are an English indie rock band, formerly based on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, London. The band consists of Blaine Harrison (vocals, guitar and keyboards), Jack Flanagan (bass and vocals), Kapil Trivedi (drums) and Henry Harr ...

and

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers. In addition to his ...

. Their version of Bodmin Town, a traditional Cornish song, was included on 'Eden Project - The Album' and released in September 2011. In March 2012, Crowns released their first EP, ''Full Swing'', featuring 6 tracks. In January 2013, Crowns opened for

The Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...

at the London shows on their European tour.

''Kissing Gates'' (2011)

On 22 September, Crowns announced the release of their debut single 'Kissing Gates' on their own imprint 'Ship Wreckords' and distributed by PIAS. Released on 14 November 2011, the single was made available on limited edition 7" vinyl record and digital download. Radio support for the single has been strong with

XFM Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2 ...

's John Kennedy making the track his 'X-Posure Hot One' in addition to plays on

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

and Mike Davies Punk Rock show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...

. In November 2011, Crowns were invited to support

The King Blues The King Blues are a British punk rock band from London credited for fusing punk and hip hop together with influences from ska and spoken word. Tariq Ali described the band's sounds as "rough, radical music that should unsettle the rulers of t ...

on their UK tour alongside

Cerebral Ballzy Cerebral Ballzy is an American punk rock band from Brooklyn, New York, United States. The band was formed in 2008 and released their debut, self-titled, album on 26 July 2011. The album was released in full as an online preview on the ''Revolv ...

''Stitches in the Flag'' (2012)

On 29 October 2012, Crowns released the single "Parting in the Porch", which is a song from their upcoming album, Stitches in the Flag. ''Stitches in the Flag'' was released on 5 November 2012 and was positively received.

Split (2014)

Crowns played their final show in September 2014.

Discography

* '' Full Swing (EP), Full Swing'' (2012) * '' Stitches in the Flag'' (2012)

References

External links

Official Site

BBC Music Page
{{Authority control English folk musical groups Folk punk groups Musical groups established in 2010 Musical groups from South West England Cornish folk rock groups PIAS Recordings artists 2010 establishments in England