Let's Wrestle were an English indie rock band based in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The band consisted of Wesley Patrick Gonzalez (vocals and guitar), Mike Lightning (bass) and Louis Scase A.K.A Darkus Bishop (drums).

History

Gonzalez, bassist Mike Hankin (also known as Mike Lightning) and drummer Darkus Bishop formed the band in 2005. Their debut 7" single "Song for ABBA Tribute Band" was released only two years later on Marquis Cha Cha Records. According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, "it gained them fans in the British music scene, including Art Brut's Eddie Argos, to whom Gonzalez (whose stepfather is musician Pete Astor) was often compared". In 2008 the band signed to Stolen Recordings which released their EP ''In Loving Memory Of'', followed by the full-length '' In the Court of the Wrestling Let's'' (2009), recorded in a basement. It was warmly received by critics and earned them comparisons to The Fall and early Wedding Present among others. "They do a first-rate job blending humor, emotion, and energy on ''In the Court''; it's a tricky routine to master but they've done it impressively right out of the gate",

's Tim Sendra wrote. The second album, ''

Nursing Home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to i ...

'', was produced by

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 ...

and released on 1 June 2011 by Merge Records. In May 2015, after taking a hiatus, the band announced they would be splitting up following a farewell show in London in July. Wesley Patrick Gonzalez released his first solo single, ''Come Through and See Me'', in November 2015. To promote the new material, Gonzalez appeared the same month on

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961 in Manchester) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of the Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Ta ...

's show on BBC 6 Music, with a backing band consisting of Rose Elinor Dougall and members of Younghusband.

Musical style

The band claims that their musical influences include

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

, Pavement, Nirvana,

Swell Maps Swell Maps were an English experimental DIY, early punk or post-punk rock group from Birmingham, England, active in various forms between 1972 and 1980. Influenced by bands such as T. Rex and the German krautrock groups such as Can and Faust ...

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The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...

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, Dinosaur Jr., Buddy Holly,

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

Denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been p ...

Grandaddy Grandaddy is an American indie rock band from Modesto, California. The group was formed in 1992, and featured Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Kevin Garcia and Tim Dryden, until Garcia's death in 2017 following a stroke. After several ...

Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...

Wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

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and Phil Spector. They have also said that they are "ultimately trying to be as raw as possible and they try to write songs that make your soul crumble as well as making you smile, sing along and clap your hands".

Critical reception

The band was described by 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 ...

'' as "a charming, funny and utterly real trio". '' Drowned in Sound'' gave their track "Song For Abba Tribute Record" an 8/10 describing it as a "downtrodden plea from a self-absorbed man with issues" by a "captivating and cutting band" of "ham-fisted gentlemen". The song was also described by the BBC's '' Collective'' as "the accidental 4am lovechild of eight bottles of £2.99 Merlot and a wheelbarrow full of Cutter’s Choice". '' Clash'' described their album ''Nursing Home'' as "brittle scuzzed-up grunge guitars...around a chirpy

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

recital".

Discography

Singles

* "Song For Abba Tribute Record" (2007) * "I Wont Lie To You" (2007) * "Let's Wrestle/I'm in Fighting Mode" (2008) * "We Are The Men You'll Grow to Love Soon" (2009) * "In Dreams Part II" (2011) * "If I Keep On Loving You" (2011)

EPs

* ''In Loving Memory Of...'' (2008) * ''Let's Wrestle Stolen Cover's CDR'' (2008)

Albums

* '' In the Court of the Wrestling Let's'' (2009) * ''

'' (2011) * ''Let's Wrestle'' (2014)

References

External links

Official website
at Stolen Recordings {{Authority control English indie rock groups Merge Records artists Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2015