Team Waterpolo
Encyclopedia
Team Waterpolo were a British
indie pop
band who formed in Preston, England
in July 2007. The NME
made their debut single "Letting Go" its 'Single of the Week', and gave them a place on their New Noise Tour alongside Crystal Castles
, Friendly Fires
and White Lies
. The band signed to Epic Records
in August 2008, beating off competition from numerous other record labels, only to be dropped less than 18 months later.
The band consisted of Fred Davis on vocals, Nathan Standlee on guitar
, Ruggero Lorenzini as DJ
, and Lex Dunn on drums
. "Letting Go", the first track written by the band, attracted the attention of Myspace
, who made them their featured artist of the week. This exposure resulted in the band getting considerable industry interest before they had even played a gig, with several A&R representatives attending their debut live show in their native Preston. In February 2008 Team Waterpolo released the track as a single
on Moshi Moshi Records
, with "Problematic Girls" as a B-side
, which was also included on a compilation
released by CatCutter Records later that year.
Team Waterpolo have supported Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
, Black Kids
, The Wombats
and Supergrass
. Their next single "So Called Summer" was recorded at the countryside studio used by Alex Turner
for his Mercury shortlisted The Last Shadow Puppets
, and was released on 27 October 2008. The band did a UK headline tour, which ended in their hometown.
The band also undertook another tour, playing venues such as Liverpool Barfly, being supported by Defend Moscow and Sampras. They were the winners of the Steve Lamacq
Rebel Playlist in September 2008.
In May 2009 they released their new single "Room 44".
In October 2009 Team Waterpolo announced their break up as a band, after being dropped by Epic. The debut album they recorded while signed has yet to be released. Nathan has since moved back to his native USA while the other three members have begun writing songs for a new project called Kingdom.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band who formed in Preston, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in July 2007. The NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
made their debut single "Letting Go" its 'Single of the Week', and gave them a place on their New Noise Tour alongside Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles (band)
Crystal Castles are an experimental electronic band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo released many limited EPs between 2006 and...
, Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires
Friendly Fires are an English band from St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They are currently signed to XL Recordings. Their self-titled debut album was released on 1 September 2008 and was announced as one of the shortlisted twelve for the 2009 Mercury Prize on 21 July 2009.-History:Friendly Fires...
and White Lies
White Lies (band)
White Lies is an English indie rock band from Ealing, London. Formerly known as Fear of Flying, the band consists primarily of Harry McVeigh , Charles Cave , and Jack Lawrence-Brown...
. The band signed to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in August 2008, beating off competition from numerous other record labels, only to be dropped less than 18 months later.
The band consisted of Fred Davis on vocals, Nathan Standlee on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Ruggero Lorenzini as DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, and Lex Dunn on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. "Letting Go", the first track written by the band, attracted the attention of Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, who made them their featured artist of the week. This exposure resulted in the band getting considerable industry interest before they had even played a gig, with several A&R representatives attending their debut live show in their native Preston. In February 2008 Team Waterpolo released the track as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on Moshi Moshi Records
Moshi moshi records
Moshi Moshi Records is a small London-based record label that has released music by bands such as The Rakes, Bloc Party, Hot Chip, Late of the Pier, Hot Club De Paris, Kate Nash, Junkboy, Architecture in Helsinki, Tilly and the Wall, Slow Club, Yeti, and Au Revoir Simone...
, with "Problematic Girls" as a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, which was also included on a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
released by CatCutter Records later that year.
Team Waterpolo have supported Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
Joe Lean & the Jing Jang Jong were an English indie rock band based in London. Although the band attracted considerable press attention following the 2007 release of their debut single "Lucio Starts Fires", they failed to capitalise on this, and disbanded in 2009.-Overview:The band formed in late...
, Black Kids
Black Kids
Black Kids is an American indie pop band from Jacksonville, Florida. The band's debut EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, received favorable critical response in 2007, and was followed by the Partie Traumatic album, which debuted at #5 on the UK Albums Chart in July 2008.-History:Black Kids formed in Jacksonville...
, The Wombats
The Wombats
The Wombats are an indie rock band formed in Liverpool, England. The band comprises native Liverpudlians Matthew Murphy and Dan Haggis , alongside Norwegian-born Tord Øverland-Knudsen...
and Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
. Their next single "So Called Summer" was recorded at the countryside studio used by Alex Turner
Alex Turner (musician)
Alexander David Turner is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys...
for his Mercury shortlisted The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets is a band consisting of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys, Miles Kane formerly of The Rascals, and composer/producer James Ford.-Formation:...
, and was released on 27 October 2008. The band did a UK headline tour, which ended in their hometown.
The band also undertook another tour, playing venues such as Liverpool Barfly, being supported by Defend Moscow and Sampras. They were the winners of the Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
Rebel Playlist in September 2008.
In May 2009 they released their new single "Room 44".
In October 2009 Team Waterpolo announced their break up as a band, after being dropped by Epic. The debut album they recorded while signed has yet to be released. Nathan has since moved back to his native USA while the other three members have begun writing songs for a new project called Kingdom.