The Computers are a British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from Exeter, England. Their sound initially fused

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

and garage rock and progressed to a less heavy sound incorporating blues and

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 atte ...

. As of 2023, The Computers have released one mini-album (''You Can't Hide From the Computers'', 2008) and three albums, ''This Is the Computers'' (2011), ''Love Triangles Hate Squares'' (2013) which registered 70 and 75 points, respectively, on the

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

rating scale and ''Birth/Death'' (2016).

Band history

The band was formed in the mid-2000s by singer/guitarist Alex Kershaw, bassist Nic Heron, guitarist Sonny Crawford and drummer Will Wright. They played their first show in August 2006 at The Cavern in Exeter with American hardcore punk band

Paint It Black "Paint It Black" is a song recorded in 1966 by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European in ...

. Will Wright was replaced in 2009 by drummer Aidan Sinclair. Guitarist and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Fred Ansell joined in 2011. In February 2014 Nic Heron and Sonny Crawford announced their departure from the group. Guitarist James Mattock (formerly of

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

) and bassist Thomas McMahon joined in 2014.

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

1 Punk Show host Mike Davies invited them to play a live session on the show after having been a band for less than a year and soon The Computers, then a Black Flag-influenced

band, signed to

Fierce Panda Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash (band), Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Superg ...

, who released their debut mini-album ''You Can't Hide From the Computers'' in 2008, described by ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' as "stylish UK hardcore" and "punk'n'roll that wants to dance as well as it does break stuff."Lawrence, Alistair. ''

'' #1237, November 22, 2008. p. 499 In 2010 the quartet recorded their debut album, '' This Is the Computers'' (11 songs, 24 minutes), with producer

John Reis John Reis, also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and the Swami is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which ...

of Rocket from the Crypt, in just four days at his home in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

(straight to tape, without any computers involved). Preceded in February by the single "Group Identity", the album was released on 21 June 2011 by One Little Independent. The band rounded up the year by touring Britain with

Gay for Johnny Depp Gay for Johnny Depp was an American hardcore band formed in New York, U.S. Members were: Sid Jagger (guitar – Real name: Joseph Grillo), Marty Leopard (vocals – Real name: Arty Shepherd), Chelsea Piers (bass), JJ Samanen (drums). They were ...

. Their second album, '' Love Triangles Hate Squares'', which came out on 16 May 2013, took a more eclectic approach than their earlier work and received a mainly positive response. Some critics lauding Alex Kershaw's singing and the way the band's writing had "developed, with many of these witty, catchy songs recalling Elvis Costello and the Hives" (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 ...

). Other reviewers claimed the change of direction was derivative and showed its influences too clearly - "Love Triangles Hate Squares is a forceful blast of passion-fired pastiche, but never quite escapes feeling like a cheap holiday in other people's history" according to

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, prima ...

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

said "for all of the frontman’s dynamism, he can’t save a frustratingly slow, out-of-date computer". In March 2015 the band entered the studio to begin recording their third studio album with producer David McEwan. The Album named Birth/Death released in September 2016.

Band members

Current

*Alex Kershaw – lead vocals, guitar *Fred Ansell - guitar & piano *Sonny Crawford - guitar *Thomas McMahon – bass guitar *Aidan Sinclair– drums

*Nic Heron - bass *Will Wright - drums *James Mattock – guitar

Discography

*''Track Four/Is it Just Me?'' ( Freakscene, double A-side single, 2007) *''Teenage Tourettes Camp/Welcome To The Working Week ( Elvis Costello cover)/Rebel Girl (

Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered th ...

cover)'' ( Freakscene, 7" single, 2008) *''You Can't Hide From the Computers'' (

, mini-album, 2008) *'' This Is the Computers'' ( One Little Independent, 2011) *'' The Computers Are Misfits'' (One Little Independent, Black Friday Ltd edition 10" of The Misfits covers, 2012) *'' Love Triangles Hate Squares'' (One Little Independent, 2013) *'' Elvis Vs Elvis'' (One Little Independent, Record Store Day Ltd Edition 10" compiled of Elvis Costello and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

covers, 2013) *'' Live & Inconsolable'' (One Little Independent, Record Store Day Ltd edition Live album, 2014) * Birth/Death (One Little Independent, 2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Computers, The British musical quintets British hardcore punk groups

Band history

Band members

Current

Previous

Discography

References