The Boxer Rebellion (band)
Encyclopedia
The Boxer Rebellion is an international indie band formed in London, United Kingdom around 2001, consisting of Tennessee-native Nathan Nicholson (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Australian Todd Howe (lead guitar), and Englishmen Adam Harrison (bass guitar), and Piers Hewitt (drums). They have so far released an eponymous EP, and three studio albums, Exits (2005), Union (2009) and The Cold Still
The Cold Still
The Cold Still is the third and most recent album from the UK band The Boxer Rebellion; it was released February 7, 2011 in the UK and Europe. The album was released exclusively on iTunes February 1, 2011, breaking its way into the iTunes top 10 alternative list in less than 24 hours...

 (2011). The Boxer Rebellion's third studio album, The Cold Still
The Cold Still
The Cold Still is the third and most recent album from the UK band The Boxer Rebellion; it was released February 7, 2011 in the UK and Europe. The album was released exclusively on iTunes February 1, 2011, breaking its way into the iTunes top 10 alternative list in less than 24 hours...

 (2011) was mixed and produced by Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns is a record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Kevin Prosch, Rufus Wainwright, Howard Eliott Payne, Emmylou Harris, Crowded House, Laura Marling, Luthea Salom, and Crosby, Stills and...

 at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios
Real World Studios
Real World Studios is a residential recording studio in Box, Wiltshire, England associated with the Real World Records Ltd. record label founded by rock musician Peter Gabriel...

. The album was released on iTunes on 1 February 2011 in the United States. It is due to be released digitally on iTunes and physically in the UK, Europe, and around the world 7 February 2011, and in France 1 March 2011.

Early Years

In 2000, singer Nathan Nicholson left his hometown of Maryville
Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville is the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. The city is located south of Knoxville. Maryville's population was 27,258 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Maryville has received a number of accolades for its...

, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 after the death of his mother and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. Nicholson connected with guitarist Todd Howe through an online posting for musicians that resulted in the creation of a firm friendship and the beginnings of a band.

They soon attracted the attention of drummer Piers Hewitt, who was just graduating from London Music School.
Their first project was known as Slippermen. Rob Loflin, a friend of Nicholson's from Tennessee, played bass on early sessions before leaving the band and being replaced by current bassist Adam Harrison, who graduated from London Music School along with Hewitt. As Slippermen they produced a single and an EP, "Lens" and The Traveler respectively, but received limited commercial success.

After re-branding as The Boxer Rebellion and with a massive overhaul in their sound they reworked their ensemble and began building a fan-base. As a result of the PlayLouder competition, in June 2003, the band played the Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...

 New Bands tent ahead of Keane. Shortly after this appearance they were signed by Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...

 to his ill-fated Poptones
Poptones
Poptones is a record label launched by Alan McGee after the demise of Creation Records in 1999. Named after a Public Image Limited song, it is seen as something of a return to the staunchly independent roots of Creation...

 record label.

Following the release of their debut EP, the band were to embark on a tour with The Killers. While on tour with The Raveonettes
The Raveonettes
The Raveonettes are a Danish indie rock duo, consisting of Sune Rose Wagner on guitar, instruments, and vocals, and Sharin Foo on bass, guitar and vocals...

, however, Nicholson became seriously ill with a burst appendix which required 5 hours of surgery and months of recovery forcing them to cancel the forthcoming tour.

After three singles following their debut EP, their first full length album, Exits, was released on 2 May 2005. "Watermelon", seen as the band's signature track, was featured on The Football Factory soundtrack (along with Razorlight
Razorlight
Razorlight are a UK based indie rock band formed in 2002. They are primarily known in the UK, having topped the charts with the 2006 single "America" and its parent self-titled album, their second...

, The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...

, and The Buzzcocks).

Two weeks after the album was released the Poptones label imploded, rendering the band without a label, which they announced at a gig at the ICA on 16 May. They have been unsigned ever since.

The band continued to finance their own gigs and play throughout the UK and mainland Europe. They continued to hold support slots for such artists as the Editors
Editors
Editors are a British indie rock band based in Birmingham, who formed in 2002. Previously known as Pilot, The Pride and Snowfield, the band consists of Tom Smith , Chris Urbanowicz , Russell Leetch and Ed Lay .Editors have so far released two platinum studio...

, Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...

 and Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...

, while continuing to write and record.

Their music can be heard on Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...

 and Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...

's second motorcycle adventure, Long Way Down
Long Way Down
"Long Way Down" is a single by the Goo Goo Dolls from their breakthrough album, 1995's A Boy Named Goo. This song is often overshadowed by the low-key ballad "Name", which launched the band to household names...

.

Current activity

The band released their self-funded full-length album, Union. It was exclusively released via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 with the lead single "Evacuate" (previously a limited edition vinyl release in 2008) hosted as "iTunes single of the week". Within 5 days of its release, Union peaked at #4 in the iTunes UK top 100 album chart, and reached #2 in the alternative chart (second only to Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...

's late 2008 Only by the Night
Only by the Night
-Critics:The album was met with mixed reviews. Metacritic's average rating settled on a 63/100, counting a drastic range of ratings between North America and UK press. The U.S. online publications Pitchfork Media, PopMatters and JustPressPlay gave the album a 3.8/10, 2/10 and 4/10 respectively,...

). The album was released as a physical copy world wide in August 2009.

Their song "Semi-Automatic," from the album Union, was featured in the CW show One Tree Hill on 21 September 2010 ("I Can't See You, But I Know You're There") as well as an episode of Human Target ("A Problem Like Maria") on Fox, 5 January 2011.

Due to the lack of a physical copy in 2009, Union could not enter the official UK chart based on downloads alone despite high charting positions, a situation which achieved media coverage in 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...

, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

, and The Evening Standard.

The Boxer Rebellion's songs have been featured in a number of television episodes, commercials, and films, including Fox's Human Target, USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...

's Royal Pains
Royal Pains
Royal Pains is a USA Network television series that premiered on June 4, 2009, starring Mark Feuerstein, Paulo Costanzo, Jill Flint and Reshma Shetty. The series is based in part on actual concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies...

 and WWE Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...

, HBO's 24/7
24/7
24/7 is an abbreviation which stands for "24 hours a day, 7 days a week", usually referring to a business or service available at all times without interruption...

, a Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...

 car advertisement entitled Power, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

's Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...

 and Accidentally on Purpose
Accidentally on Purpose (TV series)
Accidentally on Purpose is an American television situation comedy series starring Jenna Elfman. It first aired on CBS during the 2009–10 season. and was produced by the CBS in-house production arm. The show is based on the book of the same name by Mary F...

, The CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...

's One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...

, Spike TV's 2010 Scream Awards
2010 Scream Awards
The Scream Awards is an award show dedicated to the horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres of feature films, hosted and sponsored by Spike TV. The show was created by executive producers Michael Levitt, Cindy Levitt, and Casey Patterson...

, ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...

's Huge
Huge (TV series)
Huge is a short lived American drama series that aired on the ABC Family television network. The series is based on the young-adult novel of the same name by Sasha Paley. The hour-long drama series revolves around eight teens sent to a summer weight-loss camp called Camp Victory...

 and Lincoln Heights
Lincoln Heights (TV series)
Lincoln Heights is an American drama television series about Eddie Sutton, a Mission Vista police officer who moves his family back to his old neighborhood, Lincoln Heights, to start a new life and to help out his old neighborhood...

, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

's television series Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...

, the 2004 film The Forgotten, the 2010 independent film Flying Lessons, and the 2010 film Going the Distance
Going the Distance (2010 film)
Going the Distance is a 2010 romantic comedy film directed by Nanette Burstein, and starring Justin Long and Drew Barrymore. The movie began filming in New York City in July 2009, and was released on September 3, 2010.-Plot:...

. The song "Spitting Fire" was also featured in the 2011 film The Art of Getting By.

The band was featured prominently in the 2010 film Going the Distance
Going the Distance (2010 film)
Going the Distance is a 2010 romantic comedy film directed by Nanette Burstein, and starring Justin Long and Drew Barrymore. The movie began filming in New York City in July 2009, and was released on September 3, 2010.-Plot:...

. "Evacuate" and "Spitting Fire" were performed from Union, as well as an original song, "If You Run," written specifically for the film's finale. The film was released on 3 September 2010.

The band made their network television debut on 2 February 2011 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

's Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...

, where they performed the single “Step Out of the Car” live. The Boxer's new song "Both Sides are Even" was featured on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

's Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...

 on 3 February 2011.

In December 2009, The Boxer Rebellion's album, Union, was named the Best Alternative Album of 2009 by the editors of iTunes (US).

In 2010, the band performed at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...

, an annual music, film, and interactive conference and festival held in Austin, Texas. They were awarded Best Men In Black by SPIN magazine's online review. The band is expected to return to SXSW in 2011.

Piers Hewitt currently performs a weekly radio show on Brentwood radio station Phoenix FM
Phoenix FM
Phoenix FM is a community radio station serving the areas of Brentwood and Billericay, England. It was formed in 1996 and has broadcast twelve 28-day restricted service licence broadcasts on FM. The station's presenters include local snooker hero Steve Davis, Boxer Rebellion drummer Piers Hewitt,...

.

At the conclusion of their 2010 U.S. tour they announced the title and track listing of their new album The Cold Still to be released in the February 2011. A lot of the tracks from this coming album were showcased during the 2010 tour of the U.S.

The Cold Still
The Cold Still
The Cold Still is the third and most recent album from the UK band The Boxer Rebellion; it was released February 7, 2011 in the UK and Europe. The album was released exclusively on iTunes February 1, 2011, breaking its way into the iTunes top 10 alternative list in less than 24 hours...

 was released in the U.S. on 1 February 2011 on iTunes and is available on CD worldwide. The album became available on iTunes and in select music outlets in the UK and Europe 7 February 2011.

On 10 October 2011, the band cancelled their North American tour, saying "Due to personal tragedy we have made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel our upcoming appearances in Mexico, Canada, and the United States."

2011 Tour Dates

UK
  • 29 September - London, Shepherd's Bush Empire


Mexico
  • 15 October - Mexico City, Curva 4 Autódromo / Corona Capital Festival.

Notable Syncs

  • NCIS - Caught By The Light
  • Human Target - Semi-Automatic
  • Grey's Anatomy - Both Sides Are Even
  • Royal Pains - Doubt
  • One Tree Hill - Both Sides Are Even & Semi-Automatic
  • 24/7 - Both Sides Are Even
  • Ghost Whisperer - Spitting Fire
  • Going The Distance - If You Run, Spitting Fire & Evacuate
  • Huge - Soviets
  • CSI: New York - Locked in The Basement

Studio albums

  • 2005: Exits (CD [poptones/mercury 986979-7] , Promo CD BOXERCJ3, iTunes)
  • 2009: Union (CD [TBR001CD only for sale @ live gigs/ TBR002CD w/opendisc], iTunes) US #82 UK #144
  • 2011: The Cold Still
    The Cold Still
    The Cold Still is the third and most recent album from the UK band The Boxer Rebellion; it was released February 7, 2011 in the UK and Europe. The album was released exclusively on iTunes February 1, 2011, breaking its way into the iTunes top 10 alternative list in less than 24 hours...

     UK #70

EPs

  • 2003: The Boxer Rebellion EP" (500 only of which 100 signed by the band in gold)
  • 2004: "Work In Progress" [promo]


Reference:

Singles

  • 2003: "Watermelon" (CD, 1000 only/Promo CD MC5084SCD/7", 4 only) UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

     #187
  • 2004: "In Pursuit" (CD Poptones/universal MC5088SCD/Promo CD poptones MC5088SCDP/7" Poptones MC5088S) UK #57
  • 2004: "Code Red" (CD/Promo CD BOXERCJ1/7" Poptones/Mercury 986700-2) UK #61
  • 2005: "All You Do Is Talk" (Download/Promo CD)
  • 2007: "Broken Glass" (Free Download)
  • 2008: "JFKFC" (Free Download)
  • 2008: "The Rescue" (Free Download)
  • 2008: "Don't Drag Your Dirty Feet" (Free Download)
  • 2008: "Evacuate" (Free Download/7" AMAK002, 500 only)
  • 2009: "Flashing Red Light Means Go"
  • 2011: "Step Out Of The Car" (TBR006SV 7" Vinyl + iTunes digital download only)
  • 2011: "The Runner" (US)
  • 2011: "No Harm"

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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