Rooster
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Rooster
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Despite being more indebted to '70s rock than blink-182-style power pop, U.K. four-piece Rooster were still -- perhaps unfairly -- lumped in the same teen rock category as Busted and McFly. Singer Nick Atkinson had previously fronted nu metal outfit 50 Grind, who had a minor hit with a track from the Pokemon movie soundtrack. But after the band split, he reunited with childhood friend Luke Potashnick and -- inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Cream, and Guns N' Roses -- the pair started writing songs together. After recruiting drummer Dave Neale, an old touring contact of Potashnick's, and bassist Ben Smyth via an advertisement in the rock press, Rooster were formed. Named after a horse that Atkinson won £250 on, they became the first act signed to Hugh Goldsmith's Brightside label and soon built up a largely teenage girl audience thanks to their photogenic looks and appearance at several festivals.Their first single, "Come Get Some," reached number seven in 2004, and months later they became the first ever group to broadcast a live concert over the 3G mobile phone network. At the beginning of 2005, the success of second single "Staring at the Sun" (number four) helped their self-titled debut album to reach the Top Three, and after further singles "You're So Right for Me" (number 14) and "Deep and Meaningless" (number 29), the bandmembers started work on their second album. With a much more polished sound, they released comeback single "Home" in 2006, but despite strong radio support, it missed the Top 30 and the release of parent album Circles and Satellites was delayed. A second single, "Good to Be Here," taken from the Stormbreaker soundtrack, was released as a download-only single but failed to reignite interest in the band, and the album's release was shelved indefinitely. Rooster announced their split through their MySpace page in 2007. Since then, Smyth has joined British soft rock band Chinastyle and Atkinson is working on a solo career. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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Rooster (band)
| Rooster | |
|---|---|
 Rooster in 2006. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Indie rock, hard rock, pop rock |
| Years active | 2002–2007 |
| Labels | Brightside, Sony BMG |
| Past members | |
| Nick Atkinson Luke Potashnick Nick Howell Ben Smyth Dave Neale |
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Rooster were an English pop rock band that formed in London in 2002.
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Contents
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History
Formation
Vocalist Atkinson and guitarist Potashnik were former school friends who reunited while living in London, after both admitted they were struggling to make an impact with their respective bands. Atkinson was previously the singer in British nu metal band 50 Grind, who reached #57 in the UK Singles Chart in December 2001 with "Gotta Catch 'Em All",[1] featuring the Pokémon all-stars, but never released any more material. They formed Rooster with Neale and Smyth and the name was settled on when Atkinson came home £250 richer after putting a bet on a horse called Rooster Booster. After only a few live shows, were signed to the new BMG affiliate label Brightside.
The quintet received plenty of publicity when they became the first band to broadcast a concert live to mobile phones, with their gig at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London on 2 November 2004 aired by the 3 network. The quartet's debut album was released the following January.
Mainstream recognition
The band's style combined hard rock with pop but was marketed primarily at the UK teen rock market. Rooster's debut single "Come Get Some" reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart in November 2004. The next single, "Staring at the Sun", reached number 5 and their self-titled debut album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 3.
Live shows saw the band improvising and extending songs; Neale often performed a four-minute-long drum solo during "Drag The Sunrise Down." Rooster were known to incorporate covers, such as, Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love," Free's "All Right Now", Jamiroquai's "Deeper Underground", Blackstreet's "No Diggity" and The Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" into their live sets.
Rooster provided a track for the soundtrack of the film Stormbreaker. The track selected to appear on the film's soundtrack was "Good to Be Here" which was released as a download-only single in August 2006. In autumn 2008, Rooster's song "I Come Alive" was used in American Discovery Channel commercials.
Break-up
In 2007, with musical differences and difficulties with their record label, Rooster announced their split via their Myspace page.
Post break-up
- Atkinson joined the indie blues band The Ya Ya Boys.
- Neale became a founding member of the superhero rock band The Justice Force 5.[2] He also drums for Diana Vickers[citation needed]
- Smyth is now playing with Amy Macdonald[3] and Olly Murs[4], and performing with other bands and solo artists.
- Potashnick is now in the band Ben's Brother and is the guitarist on Leona Lewis' 2010 Labyrinth Tour.[citation needed]
- Howell is currently touring with post-punk outfit "Illusions, Michael"
Band members
- Nick Atkinson - Lead Vocals
- Luke Potashnick - Guitar
- Ben Smyth - Bass & Backing Vocals
- Dave Neale - Drums
- Nick Howell - Percussion
Discography
- Studio albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Rooster
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| 2006 | Circles and Satellites
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- Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK[5] | AUS | CHI | JAP | NZ | |||
| 2004 | "Come Get Some" | 7 | 38 | 5 | 18 | 22 | Rooster |
| "Staring at the Sun" | 5 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | "You're So Right for Me" | 14 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Deep and Meaningless" | 29 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Home" | 33 | — | — | — | — | Circles and Satellites |
| "Good to Be Here" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "One of Those Days" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
References
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 199. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Myspace.com
- ^ "Amy Macdonald". http://www.amymacdonald.co.uk/gb/images/photo_of_the_week/.
- ^ "Olly Murs". http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150639638830080&set=a.10150609859510080.675726.297643705079&type=1&theater..
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 469. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
External links
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