British Sea Power

British Sea Power (BSP) are a five-man band based in Brighton, England. They are an indie rock band who have a sweeping, often epic, guitar pop sound, often compared to that of Echo & the Bunnymen

British Sea Power (BSP) are a five-man band based in Brighton, England. They are an indie rock band who have a sweeping, often epic, guitar pop sound, often compared to that of Echo & the Bunnymen and The Smiths. The vocals owe much to David Bowie and on some songs the post-punk influence of Joy Division is clear.

The band formed around 2000 when Yan recruited his brother Hamilton and friend Woody (all attended Kirkbie Kendal School, Kendal, Cumbria) and convinced them to move to join him and his friend Noble in Reading, where they were studying at the University. They played some gigs in Reading before relocating to Brighton in search of a more vibrant music scene. In Brighton BSP amassed a strong local following, due mainly to their own club night called Club Sea Power which was most frequently hosted at the Freebutt and a now deceased club called Lift. In September 2001 BSP signed to Rough Trade Records. Eamon was recruited to play live keyboards in Autumn 2002, when the band were on tour supporting Gene. They released their debut album, The Decline of British Sea Power in June 2003 to critical acclaim. However, the album only charted in the lower reaches of the UK Top 75 Album Chart but turned out to be a word of mouth success, shipping well over 60,000 copies over the following two years and allowing them to play sellout UK tours to venues of over 1,000 people. The follow-up, Open Season, was released in early April 2005, and also enjoyed wide critical praise as well as charting at #13 in the UK Albums Chart. It showcased a more accessible, produced sound. Lead single "It Ended on an Oily Stage" charted at #18 in the UK Singles Chart a week earlier.