Thebandwithnoname

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The correct title of this article is thebandwithnoname. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.

thebandwithnoname
Background information
Also known as	TBWNN
Origin	Manchester
Genre(s)	Christian music, Nu Metal, Hip Hop, Rap, Grime
Years active	2002-2007
Label(s)	Authentic
Associated acts	World Wide Message Tribe Hoolio and Ad:Apt Doug Walker TBC
Members
Chip Kendall Leon Henderson Jonathan Moore David Strafford
Former members
Adam Brown Bobby Joel Stearns

thebandwithnoname, also sometimes referred to as "TBWNN" by fans, are a Christian dance band who were launched by Innervation Trust in March 2002, as a "flagship" band. Innervation Trust is a Christian charity that exists to recruit and resource schools teams, dubbed "Collectives", each dedicated to a major city in the UK. Innervation Trust is the vision of Mark Pennells and Zarc Porter, a respected songwriter/producer partnership also credited with writing most of the music for, and co-founding, the World Wide Message Tribe.

1 Name
2 The Blitz
3 Schizophrenix
4 New Lineup
5 Dying To Be There
6 External links

[edit] Name

As an advertising device to raise the profile of the band at its launch, Innervation opened a competition for fans to give the band a name. Fans were invited to vote via the internet for a new name, and the most popular ones were placed in a shortlist from which fans could vote for their favourite. However, the band had already released a single (Take Up The Tempo, which would also appear on their first album "The Blitz"), and performed a high-profile launch concert at Soul Survivor 2002, both under the name "thebandwithnoname". Fan response was in favour of the name being retained.

Innervation and the band specify that the name should always be written in lower case as one word. Although distinctive, the name has consistently been written incorrectly since its inception, even by reviewers and concert promoters (Bandwithnoname, The Band With No Name, etc).

Cover of The Blitz

[edit] The Blitz

thebandwithnoname's debut album "The Blitz", written and produced by Pennells/Porter, was released almost as soon as the band's lineup was finalised. thebandwithnoname were then a three-piece group, the members being Adam Brown (known as Presha while with thebandwithnoname); Bobby Joel Stearns (known with thebandwithnoname as The Bobsta); and Chip Kendall (known in thebandwithnoname as Chip K). The "Blitz Tour" took place in 2002/2003, a 60-date tour to promote this album, and also featured Doug Walker (Manchester-based singer/songwriter) as a support act. Bobby Joel Stearns is now one-third of electrosoul outfit Unklejam.

Cover of Schizophrenix

[edit] Schizophrenix

Schizophrenix was the band's second album, and launched the band further into the Christian music scene. The album received very positive reviews. However, Bobby Stearns, and later Adam Brown, left the group shortly after the release of Schizophrenix to pursue individual careers (currently Unklejam and Hoolio And Ad-apt respectively). A long period of reduced activity followed for the band, with Zulu (a rapper) and Joshua Philip Oluwadare Morohumobo Kofi Alamu (a singer known simply as "Josh" whilst appearing with thebandwithnoname) occasionally featuring alongside the only remaining original member of the group, Chip K. For some time Innervation failed to recruit any new members for the group.

[edit] New Lineup

Mid 2005 saw Innervation recruit three new members: Leon Henderson (known with thebandwithnoname as "Q Kid" or "Kid Quality"), Jonathan Moore (stage name "J"), and David Strafford (stage name "Straff"). This new lineup debuted on the Innervation Winter Tour 2005, when thebandwithnoname performed at 13 dates all over the UK, joined by sister band TBC. In the middle of the tour, the first songs written for (and partly penned by) the new lineup were performed; "Justified" and "Pull Up The Vinyl", released in early 2006 as a double download-only single release through the iTunes store. "Justified" also featured the four members of TBC singing in the final chorus of the song. In mid 2006 a third song by the new lineup emerged, "Shake It Down", released on the 2006 "Best Of Movation" album - a collection of the highlights of the Pennells/Porter back catalogue, as well as some unreleased tracks, including "Shake It Down".

Cover of Dying To Be There

[edit] Dying To Be There

The band's third album, Dying To Be There, was released on the 23rd Feb 2007, and has so far garnered extremely positive reviews including a 10 square review from Cross Rhythms. Thanks to a "systems failure", several copies were sent to Christian bookshops early and sold well before the release date. In addition the album was sold in the US, by the band (who are currently on a US tour), before the album was released in the UK.