Biography
English Teacher are an indie/post-punk band from Leeds, United Kingdom. With their inspired lyricism and indie sensibilities, they are the quartet steadily rising to the top of the class.
Made up of Lily Fontaine (vocals, rhythm guitar, synth), Douglas Frost (drums), Nicholas Eden (bass) and Lewis Whiting (lead guitar, synth), English Teacher are no strangers to self-deprecation. Formed in 2020 after meeting at Leeds Conservatoire, their brand of indie is more kitchen sink drama than straight-to-the-chorus smash.
They treat each song as a blank canvas, throwing out all that has come before time and time again; building from the ground up. Fontaine adorns each piece with consistently poetic lyrics, often crafting intricate metaphors to convey her opinions, dropping in references to Victorian literature, local history, and even YouTube channels along the way. Her vocal style refuses to stand still; fragile and soulful in one instant, brazenly monotonous the next.
After meeting at Leeds College of Music, the band began life as Frank in 2018, before adopting a new name and settling on the lineup of Lily Fontaine, Nick Eden, Douglas Frost, and Lewis Whiting. “We all liked our English teachers at school,” explains Fontaine, “I think we all had crushes on them.” Over the past 18 months, the band have been steadily releasing singles, most recently through Nice Swan Recordings. They’ve also been supporting artists such as Yellow Days, No Vacation, and even appearing alongside Sports Team on their fabled Margate coach trip.
Having wasted no time post-lockdown, they’ve already racked up over 20 gigs supporting the likes of Do Nothing and TV Priest, conquered their first Reading & Leeds and created enough buzz around double-A-side ‘R&B’/‘Wallace’ to sign to Nice Swan, home of Sports Team, Courting and The Rills. It’s enough to swell any young band’s ego, but if you ask them why they think their music is resonating, Fontaine will give you an effacing answer.
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