Capdown
Encyclopedia
Capdown are a band from Milton Keynes
, England. Originally known as Soap, their songs have political themes as alluded to by their name, which is short for Capitalist Downfall. Mixing ska
, punk
, hardcore
, dub
, drum and bass
and reggae
, Capdown built a reputation around their independent releases and numerous tours.
in 2000, a year in which Capdown played nearly 250 gigs. In early 2001, Capdown toured with a number of established American bands, including Less Than Jake
and played the Deconstruction touring festival
with Pennywise
and Lagwagon
. In September 2001, Capdown released their second album, Pound for the Sound, receiving positive reviews from Kerrang!
The following year saw tours with Bad Religion
and Hundred Reasons
. In 2003 the band signed to Fierce Panda Records
, releasing two EPs: Act Your Rage and New Revolutionaries. The band received critical acclaim for their live performances.
The final line-up included: Jake Sim-Fielding (vocals and saxophone), Boob Goold (bass guitar), Keith Minter (vocals and guitar), Tim Macdonald(drums) and a new addition, Andrew "Eddie" Hunt (keyboards/samples).
They released an album on 5 February 2007, entitled Wind Up Toys
on Fierce Panda Records
.
The band split up after their final UK tour, which was due to be 9 November 2007, in their home town of Milton Keynes. However their 'final show' took place on 7 June 2008, at the Pitz club in Milton Keynes, following a 'warm up' at the Kingston Peel on 5 June 2008.
It was announced on 16 February 2010 through www.punktastic.com, that Capdown were to reform exclusively for the Slam Dunk festival, held in London and Leeds on the 29 and 30 May that year. However, the band have now been confirmed to play the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, between 4 and 6 August 2011. They have also been confirmed to play Hevy Fest in Kent, between 5 and 8 August 2011 and Reading and Leeds Festival on 29/28 August.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, England. Originally known as Soap, their songs have political themes as alluded to by their name, which is short for Capitalist Downfall. Mixing ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, Capdown built a reputation around their independent releases and numerous tours.
Career
Their debut album Civil Disobedients was released by London punk label Household Name RecordsHousehold Name Records
Household Name Records is a DIY punk rock record label, based in London, UK. It has been home to notable artists including Howards Alias, Lightyear, and Adequate Seven. It was started in 1996 by David "Lil" Giles and Katherine "Kafren" Vik to promote unknown UK bands...
in 2000, a year in which Capdown played nearly 250 gigs. In early 2001, Capdown toured with a number of established American bands, including Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake
Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida. Originally formed in 1992 as a power pop trio, the band evolved into a hybrid of ska punk. Less Than Jake have also been cited as showing influences from a wide variety of genres including post-grunge, heavy metal, alternative...
and played the Deconstruction touring festival
Deconstruction Tour
Deconstruction Tour is a one-day punk music and skate festival that is staged in various countries across Europe. It first took place in 1999, and has occurred annually since. The tour is arranged by Destiny Tourbooking. In general, the tour offers the opening slot of each day to a local, often...
with Pennywise
Pennywise (band)
Pennywise is a Californian punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California, formed in 1988. The name is derived from the monster, It, from the Stephen King novel of the same title....
and Lagwagon
Lagwagon
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, just outside Santa Barbara, California. They formed in 1990 and went on hiatus and reunited several times over the years...
. In September 2001, Capdown released their second album, Pound for the Sound, receiving positive reviews from Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
The following year saw tours with Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
and Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons
Hundred Reasons are an English rock band from Farnborough, Hampshire, composed of Colin Doran , Larry Hibbitt , Andy Gilmour , Andy Bews and Ben Doyle . Originally, the band was signed to Columbia Records in mid April 2001, after fourteen months of near-constant touring...
. In 2003 the band signed to Fierce Panda Records
Fierce Panda Records
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, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
, releasing two EPs: Act Your Rage and New Revolutionaries. The band received critical acclaim for their live performances.
The final line-up included: Jake Sim-Fielding (vocals and saxophone), Boob Goold (bass guitar), Keith Minter (vocals and guitar), Tim Macdonald(drums) and a new addition, Andrew "Eddie" Hunt (keyboards/samples).
They released an album on 5 February 2007, entitled Wind Up Toys
Wind Up Toys
Wind Up Toys is the third studio album from UK punk band Capdown released on February 5, 2007. It is also the first Capdown album to be released on the Fierce Panda Records label...
on Fierce Panda Records
Fierce Panda Records
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, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass...
.
The band split up after their final UK tour, which was due to be 9 November 2007, in their home town of Milton Keynes. However their 'final show' took place on 7 June 2008, at the Pitz club in Milton Keynes, following a 'warm up' at the Kingston Peel on 5 June 2008.
It was announced on 16 February 2010 through www.punktastic.com, that Capdown were to reform exclusively for the Slam Dunk festival, held in London and Leeds on the 29 and 30 May that year. However, the band have now been confirmed to play the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, between 4 and 6 August 2011. They have also been confirmed to play Hevy Fest in Kent, between 5 and 8 August 2011 and Reading and Leeds Festival on 29/28 August.
Other projects
Following the original demise of Capdown, both Goold and Macdonald worked on a new band, The Maccalites, alongside Simon Wells from Snuff/Southport. Goold, Minter and Macdonald are also members of rock band This Contrast Kills.Albums
| Year | Album title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Civil Disobedients Civil Disobedients Civil Disobedients is the debut album by UK Ska-core band Capdown, released on May 22, 2000 through Household Name Records.It was included in NME magazine's Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade list.-Track listing:#"Unite to Progress"... |
Household Name Household Name Records Household Name Records is a DIY punk rock record label, based in London, UK. It has been home to notable artists including Howards Alias, Lightyear, and Adequate Seven. It was started in 1996 by David "Lil" Giles and Katherine "Kafren" Vik to promote unknown UK bands... |
| 2001 | Pound for the Sound Pound For The Sound Pound for the Sound is Capdown's second full-length studio album. Released in September 2001, it is the follow-up to the previous year's Civil Disobedients. The songs are a mix of hardcore and the ska-core sound. The lyrics in the album show a positive attitude towards life and lyrical themes... |
Household Name |
| 2007 | Wind Up Toys Wind Up Toys Wind Up Toys is the third studio album from UK punk band Capdown released on February 5, 2007. It is also the first Capdown album to be released on the Fierce Panda Records label... |
Fierce Panda Fierce Panda Records 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, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass... |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Act Your Rage | Fierce Panda |
| 2003 | New Revolutionaries | Gravity DIP |
| 2006 | Keeping Up Appearances | Fierce Panda |
| 2007 | Surviving the Death of a Genre | Fierce Panda |
| 2007 | No Matter What | Fierce Panda |
Other Releases
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Time for Change EP | Household Name | |
| 2000 | Split EP | Household Name | Split with Link 80 Link 80 -Band history:Link 80 started in late 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr... |
| 2001 | Christmas Fisting EP | Household Name | Split with Hard Skin and Southport |
| 2004 | Live in Brighton | Punker Bunker | Live DVD; split with Rude Bones |
| 2005 | Live in M.K. | Gravity DIP | Live album |
| 2007 | Live EP | Fierce Panda | Live EP; included with some editions of Wind Up Toys and subsequently given away as a free download |