ROB COWEN & THE DISSIDENTS create euphoric epic-folk that manages to sound both timeless and timely. Part poems and part sing-a-long anthems, these are swaggering rock n roll songs of passion and hope, infectious tales of survival and social observation that come straight from this country's heartlands.
The story of this elegiac, epic sound starts with singer/songwriter Rob Cowen who hails from a small town on the Yorkshire moors. Rob recorded a solo album in 2005, which drew insanely positive reviews from everyone from Q to Radio 2, but money was tight and only promo copies were ever produced. Working for a spell in a tannery and amateur boxing on Wednesday nights turned out to be a less than glamorous existence and Rob headed to London in 2006, broke and bruised, but with a guitar case full of stories.
Relentless gigging drew bigger and bigger audiences until Rob found himself headlining venues like The Borderline, where devotees pointed out it was strange he didnt have records of the passionate sagas he was carving out on stage every night. So, enlisting the considerable skills of Charlie Westropp (guitars) to produce, they hid away in a flat in Ealing and started documenting the tales of mill town girls with thin white legs living amongst frozen tarns and concrete cathedrals, where working late on the industrial estate means driving home past carnival lights that shimmer like a window in a jewelry store. In the same way true folk music was used to spread news through song, they recorded tunes that are peppered with catchy hooks and killer lines, but still hold a mirror to the world with a heartbreaking poetic accuracy.
With the sound blossoming, it was a natural step to bring on board the epic talents of John Stevens (bass), Danny Williams (synths) and Olly Samuels (drums) to complete the line up, officially forming ROB COWEN & THE DISSIDENTS in January 2009. Since then, any audiences lucky or clever enough to catch them at this summers music festivals and their continuing showcases at London venues have been treated to jaw-droppingly passionate performances of righteous rock n roll ripped through with raw emotion and depth, earning them comparisons with Arcade Fire, Bruce Springsteen, The Killers, Elbow and Neil Young.
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