Civil Civic are an instrumental post-punk/electronic rock band consisting of two Australian musicians,[1] Aaron Cupples (guitar, synth) and Benjamin Green (bass, synth), formed in 2009.[2] Aaron currently resides in London, UK, and Benjamin lives in Barcelona, Spain.[1][3] They employ a drum machine which is referred to as the third member of the band and is called 'The Box'.[4] Their sound has been compared with bands such as Gang Of Four, The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, The Cure, The Smiths, Sonic Youth and Joy Division.[5][6][7] Their live shows have been described as "a perfectly synchronised mesh of electro pop and cheek-vibrating space noise"[8] with a "stage presence and lust for playing that exhilarates in the extreme".[9]
Civil Civic | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Post-punk, noise rock |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Members | Aaron Cupples Benjamin Green |
| Website | civilcivic |
History edit
2008 – 2009: formation
The band was conceived by music producer Aaron Cupples who uploaded some home recorded demos to Myspace in 2008. In looking for a bandmate to realise the project he contacted Benjamin Green who responded enthusiastically. Aaron flew to Barcelona where they jammed for 2 weeks and CIVIL CIVIC was born. They had not met prior to this.[10]
The concept was to make music that was highly energetic and intellectual without being overly dense and un-danceable. Their output so far has been wholly instrumental.[10]
2010: first EP and single
In March 2010 they self-released a 5 track EP titled 'EP1' on 100 limited edition cassette tapes. MP3's of the lead single 'Less Unless' were widely blogged about and the single eventually reached number 1 on The Hype Machine popular charts. The single was also featured in NME for the first time.[1] They initially adopted a D.I.Y approach and booked all their shows themselves but were picked up by the Julie Tippex booking agency in late 2010.[11]
On 8 June 2010 the band were The Guardian 'new band of the day' just prior to their follow up single "Run Overdrive" which was self-released in July 2010 on 500 limited edition 7" vinyl.[1]
In November 2010 the single "Lights On A Leash" was released on 500 limited edition 7" vinyl on the Too Pure label[12]
2011: debut album
The band's debut full-length album was released in November 2011, it was praised by many bloggers and some mainstream press including Artrocker who gave it a 5 Star feature review[9]
2012: touring and visa complications
Civil Civic suffered a major setback with complications regarding Aaron's visa renewal process, the result was 6 weeks without a passport and the cancellation of 25 European shows.[13] The band did tour later in the year culminating with a show at France's La Route Du Rock festival where the band played after Spiritualized.[14]
2013 – present
Since 2010 the band have been touring consistently playing over 160 shows in 4 years [15]
They are currently working on their second album after a successful crowd-funding campaign.[16]
2014: R. Stevie Moore collaboration
CIVIL CIVIC collaborated with R. Stevie Moore to produce the single "When You Gonna Find Me A Wife?" released by Remote Control Records
2016: second album Their second album, The Test, was released on 14 October 2016.
Discography edit
- EP1 – (EP) self-released (March 2010)
- "Run Overdrive"/"Fuck Youth" – (7" single) self-released (July 2010)
- "Lights On A Leash" – (7" single) Too Pure (November 2010)
- Rules – (LP) Gross Domestic Product (November 2011)
- "When You Gonna Find Me A Wife?" with R. Stevie Moore – (single) Remote Control Records (September 2014)
- The Test – (LP) Gross Domestic Product (October 2016)
Awards edit
| Year | Organisation | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Artrocker Awards[17] | Heavy Band Of The Year | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ a b c d Paul Lester (8 June 2010). "Civil Civic (#803)". The Guardian.
- ^ "BBC Music". Archived from the original on 2 January 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Webcuts Webuts
- ^ The Line OF Best Fit
- ^ alter1fo
- ^ Yet You're Fired
- ^ Don't Panic Don't Panic
- ^ "Loud And Quiet". Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Civil Civic @ The Macbeth, London". Artrocker. 11 June 2012. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ a b Tone Deaf
- ^ Julie Tippex
- ^ "Beggars Banquet Records". Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ Julie Tippex
- ^ La Route Du Rock
- ^ "Shows | CIVIL CIVIC".
- ^ "CIVIL CIVIC LP2 Pre-Order Campaign".
- ^ Artrocker Awards Archived 21 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine