Biography
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Years Active
2008 – present (16 years)
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Founded In
Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom
Their live show 'has to be seen to be believed' according to Rebecca Atkinson of Leeds Music Scene and has been described as 'refreshingly bonkers' and 'bracing stuff.' They want people to have a good time.
They formed in September 2008, taking their name* from 'The Matrix. Keanu Reeves' character 'Neo' is given a choice of pills to ingest - red or blue. Taking the blue pill will allow Neo to live a cosy, comfortable lie. Taking the red pill will allow him to wake up to the truth.
*They chose their name before the rise of the so-called 'Red Pill movement'. This 'movement' is nothing to do with them. They don't support or condone it. They’re writing a new song about this at the moment because they feel like they need to reclaim their name from a bunch of idiots on the internet!
Following on from their debut, ‘Northern Rock’, Landmines For Clowns is a more bass-driven album which has enabled them to focus on catchy, noisy, funk, punk, rock ‘n’ roll songs. The clowns are the celebs / politicians and the landmines are the songs. One landmine per clown.
Most of the recording was done in a rented warehouse room, with a few overdubs being added in Nick’s bedroom. They recorded drums, bass and rhythm guitar together for that raw ‘live’ feel, then added lead guitar and vocals. Nick mixed the tracks in ProTools (which he had to learn first) and mastered in WaveLab. It was DEY (Do Everything Yourself) from creation to release.
Despite being a laid back, self-ridiculing bunch valuing off-the-wall humour and often touching on sleazier topics, they're equally at home railing against the injustices of the world.
They lash out at people who’ve been given a kind of power and abused it either wilfully or through their own ignorance. Luckily there does seem to be a groundswell of anger among young people about the increasingly intolerant and isolationist nature of the UK (or at least the public face of it) and the world, and The Red Pills try to ensure that their material reflects this and still resonates.
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