Biography

New Release

Our brand new single, ‘The Rebel’ is available to download from Monday 31st January 2011 on iTunes, along with our previous singles and Homesick EP.
Our debut music video is available online to watch now at http://www.theamateurs.co.uk

What else is happening?

Fresh from a host of national UK tour dates with Eliza Doolittle, we are back in the studio and working hard on material for our debut album - due out in spring 2011. Meanwhile, we are releasing a number of brand new singles which we are all really excited about.

In other news, we have recently been invited perform at the 2011 Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Canada - see you all there!

10,000 EUR – Online Competition Winnings

Competitions for bands are a fantastic way to increase exposure and reach new audiences; we saw the ‘Sound of Bamboo’ competition on Myspace and thought it was a great opportunity to get our music heard.

Winning the competition out of so many entries across the globe meant a lot to us. It’s great to know that our music is out there, and we’re proud to have the Sound of Bamboo brand champion our track, ‘Saturday Night’ – which is also available to download on iTunes.

As a thank you to all of the people that voted for us, along with the 15,000 Sound of Bamboo subscribers, we ran a competition to give away a brand new signed Yamaha Pacifica guitar, donated exclusively by Yamaha to The Amateurs.

Competition details can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/theamateurs

Background

Myself (Fletcher), and Matthew (singer) met at school and decided to form a band together. After playing a number of shows on the local scene, we were asked to play a series of charity concerts in a band with Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin – he was raising money for the Tsunami relief campaign. This gave us a taste for the big shows and large audiences, and ultimately shaped our path in becoming The Amateurs.

We came across Jimmy Holliday on a local musician site and after our friend stood in on guitar for a while, we found Alex by the same method. We wanted to find musicians that pushed our music and sound into new and exciting dimensions – both guys fitted the bill perfectly.

Location

We are based in the heart of Birmingham.

Music

We mix a lot of styles and sounds in the studio, as we like to experiment with the latest software and production techniques. We have elements of rock, pop and dance all rolled into one, but we tend to do one thing and move on to the next to keep it as fresh as we can.

Influences

I know there are vast differences between our preferred music. I’m (Fletcher) a big Motown fan, but on the other hand love the experimental Radiohead albums and a lot of dance music too. Matthew (vocals) draws inspiration from the likes of Damien Rice, John Lennon and Bob Dylan. Alex (guitar) loves his rock and impressive guitar licks from the greats and also funky styles such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jim (drums) loves his jazz drummers like Billy Cobham and other bands such as Steely Dan – he’s also a big Jackson and Stevie Wonder fan.

Highlights

We have had many great times playing alongside artists like: Eliza Doolittle, Guillemots, Cage the Elephant, Athlete and Reverend & The Makers; we were also invited exclusively by Oxfam to perform at Leeds Festival last year. Our single, ‘Homesick’ also won an award for being a top song of 2009 in the Billboard 500 awards.


Contact: Jezz Haigh (j.haigh@acamusic.co.uk)
+44 (0) 1225 428284



For previous press coverage please visit: http://www.theamateurs.co.uk/press-page.html