The Capes
Encyclopedia
The Capes was a five-piece indie rock
band from South London
. Their hook-laden music drew comparisons to britpop
, in particular Blur
.
. Rupert Cresswell's brother Nick was soon brought in as an extra guitar and keyboard player, thus completing the current line-up of the band.
Hard Soul Records, an American label, released the band's debut EP Taste in 2005. This was followed in early 2006 by the Capes' first album, Hello. Despite two American tours, an appearance at SXSW, and favourable reviews by online publications such as Pitchfork Media
and Cokemachineglow, by late 2006 the band had parted ways with Hard Soul. This was in part due to a general lack of support from the label, who, amongst other things, left the band stranded in Athens, Georgia
at the end of the 2006 US tour. Hello, however, is still available both in the US and internationally via the iTunes store
.
In late 2006, the band signed to Fabtone records in Japan, who domestically released Hello, with a slightly different tracklist and some bonus tracks, on 10 January 2007.
The band has confirmed, via its Myspace page, that they are now defunct. Singer Kris Barratt is now focusing his attention on a new band, Spring Tigers
, on the Bright Antenna
label.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
. Their hook-laden music drew comparisons to britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
, in particular Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
.
Biography
The band formed in 2002 when singer/guitarist Kris Barratt, keyboard player Richard Gladman, bass guitarist Rupert Cresswell and drummer Rupert Phelps began rehearsing together at South London's Goldsmiths CollegeGoldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
. Rupert Cresswell's brother Nick was soon brought in as an extra guitar and keyboard player, thus completing the current line-up of the band.
Hard Soul Records, an American label, released the band's debut EP Taste in 2005. This was followed in early 2006 by the Capes' first album, Hello. Despite two American tours, an appearance at SXSW, and favourable reviews by online publications such as Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
and Cokemachineglow, by late 2006 the band had parted ways with Hard Soul. This was in part due to a general lack of support from the label, who, amongst other things, left the band stranded in Athens, Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
at the end of the 2006 US tour. Hello, however, is still available both in the US and internationally via the iTunes store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
In late 2006, the band signed to Fabtone records in Japan, who domestically released Hello, with a slightly different tracklist and some bonus tracks, on 10 January 2007.
The band has confirmed, via its Myspace page, that they are now defunct. Singer Kris Barratt is now focusing his attention on a new band, Spring Tigers
Spring Tigers
-History:The band was formed when Kris Barratt, as frontman of the since disbanded group, The Capes, found himself stranded in Athens mid-tour when his record label was unable to fly him back to England...
, on the Bright Antenna
Bright Antenna
Bright Antenna is a record label founded in 2007 and based in Oakland, California. One of the founders is author and filmmaker Tiffanie DeBartolo...
label.
Singles and EPs
- Taste EP (Hard Soul Records, 2005)
- "Tightly Wound" Single (Outafocus Records, 2005)
External links
- Official site
- MySpace page
- [ Allmusic biography and reviews]
- Pitchfork review of Hello
- Cokemachineglow review of Hello