The Band

Hot SE London four-piece playing catchy 3 1/2 minute tunes with stick-in-your-head melodies and fresh new sounds.

Signed to Tough Cookie Records, the band played the Reading Festival for the first time last Summer. Their single, Liberty Jones was released at the end of October, picking up plays on XFM, Radio 2 and BBC 6Music. It also scored a #1 in the Worldwide Podcasting Music Chart and was picked up in the US by Indie 103.1 in LA and 102.7 WEQX in New York. It sold out in two weeks.

Their new single 'I Want A Better Life' will be released in April. Already at #1 in the PMC Top 10, the track was produced by James Lewis (Artic Monkeys, The On-Offs, Morning Runner, Dead 60s) and shows a rawer, rougher side to their sound.

Live is the place to see the Shakes. With a reputation for a highly-charged show, they recently sold out The Borderline, The Water Rats, 93 Feet East, and The 100 Club. Click here for a review from New Noise or better still come down to the next show and join the party.

"Ones to watch for 2007"
BBC 6Music

"The Shakes will charm your socks off with their catchy choruses, story telling lyrics and damn fine indie pop quirkiness all cherry topped with the swagger of Jagger and a twinkle in their eyes."
The Sun

"Tip Top Hot Pop"
Artful Festival

"Their gigs are bound to get bigger and bigger, so see them soon if you want to experience the intimate vibe. Their song I Want A Better Life could be prophetic. If they carry on building what they already have, a better life will indeed be theirs."
Live On Stage

"One of our stand-out acts of 2006"
Tiscali Sessions

Ed

I guess I'm a bit like the songs we write - seem really energetic and happy, but a bit sininster underneath. I have really bad dreams. I keep having one about being stung to death by a massive killer bee. I used to listen to A Northern Soul by The Verve till it welded itself to my Walkman. Best musical moment of my life was Dr John at Cabot Square. I weaselled right to the front and stared mouth-on-the-floor as his gnarly old hands playing the best piano lines I've ever heard. I'm a synth geek and I'm not ashamed, though Tim says I should be. My Volvos keep breaking down. I constantly lose things. My voice carries and gets me into trouble.

John

Music can be wierd sometimes. It's easier to write pretentious angular art-rock than it is to write a catchy and credible pop song that strikes a chord with thousands of people, but somehow loads of average, forgettable drone gets hailed as the best thing ever. It annoys me when people sneer at great songs just because they're popular. I'm messy and chaotic. My memory is strange - I constantly forget things but can remember whole chunks of dialogue from film and comedy at the drop of a hat. If I had a hat. Tim's got a hat. I'm diabetic. I'm putting the beat into diabetes.

Gaz

John and I grew up in Eltham, race-hate capital of London and home to Lee Ryan from Blue. We're trying to raise the standards a bit. It was a quiet place when Ed wasn't round. Learned to play guitar with John by sticking Exile on Main Stret on repeat play. We're brothers. Now that I live in Camberwell, I miss 10-Pin Bowling at Lewisham AMF (Always Means Fun). Mainly because I always used to win. My real name is Paul. I love Creedence Clearwater Revival. I hate the type of blokes that work in music shops.

Tim

What's the point? No-one reads this stuff.