MakethisRelate was a Scottish four piece

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band from

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland.

History

2008-2009: Formation

The band formed in September 2008 whilst studying sound production at

Cumbernauld College New College Lanarkshire is a List of further education colleges in Scotland, further education institution in Scotland in North Lanarkshire. The college was created in November 2013 from the merger of Cumbernauld College and Motherwell College, a ...

. After an impromptu jam session in the college studio"IN PROFILE: Make this relate"
STV Local. 8 Mar 2011. the band decided to continue playing music together, initially as the backing band to Kevin's solo project at the time. After a year of playing gigs in pubs and youth centres in central Scotland, the band adopted the MakethisRelate moniker and began to work on their debut EP, Pick Your Side. In an interview with Alter The Press! the band stated the transition between Kevin's solo project and performing their own material "was a really natural progression". The band cite

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Mesa, Arizona. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach Lind. They h ...

and

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have r ...

as two of their main influences.

2009-2010: Pick Your Side

MakethisRelate recorded Pick Your Side over the summer of 2009 and released the four track EP on 10 September 2009. The EP's lead single, We'll Always Be Famous, found its way to a producer at

102.5 Clyde 1 Clyde 1 is an Independent Local Radio station based in Glasgow, Scotland, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Glasgow and West Central Scotland. As of September 2022, the station has a weekly audie ...

who gave the song its first play on national radio. Physical copies of Pick Your Side sold out within a few months and the EP became popular in the Glasgow music scene.

2010-2011: One More Second Chance

Following the success of Pick Your Side and support slots with Flood of Red,

Rolo Tomassi Rolo Tomassi are an English band from Sheffield. Their name is taken from a dialogue in the film ''L.A. Confidential''. The band is known for their strong DIY ethic and chaotic style and performances. They are currently signed to MNRK Heavy. ...

and

Ten Second Epic Ten Second Epic was a Canadian five-piece alternative rock band from Edmonton. The band formed in 2002 consisting of Andrew Usenik (vocals), Daniel Carriere (guitar), Craig Spelliscy (guitar), Sandy MacKinnon (bass) and Patrick Birtles (drums). ...

, the band's fan base increased. This led the band to bigger stages including the main stage at the

O2 ABC Glasgow The O2 ABC was a nightclub and music venue on Sauchiehall Street, in the centre of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. The building was constructed in 1875, renovated many times in its lifetime and also largely rebuilt in the 1920s. The buildi ...

and a sold out show in

King Tut's Wah Wah Hut King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts. The Glasgow live music venue takes its name from a ...

with Twenty Twenty. The band described the experience with Twenty Twenty as an eye opening one which shattered many of their illusions of the music industry. During the summer of 2010, the band began work on their second EP, One More Second Chance. The majority of One More Second Chance was recorded in a church in

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

and was of a slightly heavier sound than their first EP. This led to comparisons between One More Second Chance and

Blackened Sky ''Blackened Sky'' is the debut studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro. Largely produced with the band by Chris Sheldon, it was released by Beggars Banquet Records on 10 March 2002. The album reached number 78 on the UK Albums Chart, and ...

by Biffy Clyro."MakethisRelate - One More Second Chance"
Ark Magazine. 24 Aug 2010 In September 2010, the band headlined the

and released One More Second Chance. The band went on to support

Elliot Minor Elliot Minor are an English rock band from York, England. The band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Davies, vocalist and guitarist Ed Minton, drummer Dan Hetherton, bassist Ed Hetherton and keyboardist Ali Paul. The band ...

and completed their first mini tour before the end of 2010.

2011 – present: Red Bull Bedroom Jam & Sugar Glass

MakethisRelate spent the beginning of 2011 working on their live show and played a number of gigs around Scotland. They also announced that they would embark on their first UK tour with

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

based band, Page 44, in May 2011. Over the summer of 2011, the band was announced as one of eight finalists in the

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

Bedroom Jam project and went on to perform at

Download Festival Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...

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T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...

and several other UK festivals. They also supported heavy metal supergroup

The Damned Things The Damned Things is an American rock supergroup consisting of Fall Out Boy's Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley, and Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics in Ram ...

at their show in The Garage, Glasgow. Guitarist, Dave McErlane, left the band during the festival season, citing personal reasons. Off the back of their festival appearances, the band released the single, Sugar Glass on 22 August, which was mixed and mastered by Jason Wilson at Stakeout Studios (

You Me At Six You Me at Six are an English rock band from Weybridge, Surrey. The band consists of lead singer Josh Franceschi, guitarists Max Helyer and Chris Miller, bassist Matt Barnes and drummer Daniel Flint. Formed in 2004, the name for the group origin ...

, We Are The Ocean,

Fightstar Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generally c ...

) and then embarked on a short UK tour. The single received positive reviews from critics and was used by

Front Magazine ''Front'' was a British men's magazine. First published by Cabal Communications in 1998, it was created to rival IPC's publication '' Loaded'', catering to a demographic of 16- to 25-year-old males. It began as part of the British " lads' mag" ...

to soundtrack one of their videos."Sabine's Halloween Horror"
.

. 31 Oct 2011. As of March 2012 the band have announced an extended hiatus during which they will not be recording or performing live. The band reformed in 2013 for a free show in Glasgow on 25 September and shortly after re-entered the studio to work on previously unfinished material, but there has since been no activity from the group.

Band members

;Current members * Kevin Walls –

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 ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

(since 2008) * Aidan Scott –

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 ...

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 ...

(since 2008) * Danny Kelly –

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

(since 2008) * Dave McErlane –

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

(since 2008)

Discography

;Extended plays * ''Pick Your Side'' (2009) * ''One More Second Chance'' (2010) ;Singles * ''Pick Your Side'' (2010) * ''Sugar Glass'' (2011)

References

{{Reflist Scottish alternative rock groups