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“This band can alter your life,” NME

THE BOXER REBELLION: BIOGRAPHY

Fleeing his native Tennessee in 2000 at the age of 19 after the death of his mother, The Boxer Rebellion’s singer, Nathan Nicholson found himself alone in London. Three years later he would find himself on a life support machine with his band about to go out on their first major tour alongside Razorlight and The Killers.

“When you come face-to-face with death it changes the way you face up things,” he muses now. “You can run but you can’t hide and I suppose this record is what it sounds like to face all your demons and deal with your emotions.” Indeed, The Boxer Rebellion is the sound of a fiery battle ground.

“If you’re crying out for substance in music, The Boxer Rebellion are here to sooth your soul," Kerrang

The years in between saw a chance meeting between Nicholson and guitarist, Todd Howe, at London’s 12 Bar Club soon cemented into a firm friendship. Living and writing together, the duo caught the attention of bassist, Adam Harrison and drummer Piers Hewitt - friends from college, who completed the line-up.

In June 2003 The Boxers bolstered their way onto Glastonbury’s New Bands tent via a Playlouder competition ahead of some unknowns called Keane. Snapped up by Alan McGee before the enormity of what they were doing had even registered, they spent months in the studio rehearsing and writing before disaster struck again for Nicholson.

Floored by stomach cramps, riders were swapped for saline drips as Nathan left behind the sweaty British tour circuit for a hospital bed and a twelve hour operation to remove a life-threatening growth from his stomach. He was lucky. The band was unlucky.

Recovery was to take up the first quarter of 2004, but the band soon regained their footing and went into the Jacobs in Surrey with Chris Sheldon (Foo Fighters, Oceansize). If only it was that easy. With the album deadline looming, large chunks of tape were binned as the boys retreated to The Bunker in Chiswick with Mark Robinson who had done their original demos to try and capture more of their true sound. What emanated from these sessions was the raw, visceral drone rock monster they had become loved for. The “pathological noise-rush warfare not heard since the old school mentalism of Richard Ashcroft,” to quote NME.

With a mammoth UK tour supporting Biffy Clyro completed at the end of 2004, The Boxer Rebellion kick off 2005 on the Jim Beam Music Tour alongside The Raveonettes and Dogs.

They release a taster from their forthcoming LP on 21st March as a download only single. ‘All You Do Is Talk’ will be exclusively available from Napster for 99p during the first week.

The debut album ‘Exits’ will follow on 2nd May through Poptones/Mercury.

The Boxer Rebellion are Nathan Nicholson (singing/guitars), Todd Howe (lead guitars), Adam Harrison (electric bass) and Piers Hewitt (drums)