| Maybeshewill | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Leicester, UK |
| Genres | Post-rock, electronica, post-metal, math rock, instrumental |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Robot Needs Home, Field Records, XTAL Records |
| Website | maybeshewill.net |
| Members | |
| James Collins John Helps Robin Southby Jamie Ward Matthew Daly |
|
Maybeshewill are an instrumental band from Leicester, United Kingdom whose music is characterised by the use of programmed and sampled electronic elements alongside guitars, bass and drums.
Maybeshewill has seen a number of musicians come and go, but core members Robin Southby, John Helps and James Collins have been with the band since their first tour and album.
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Maybeshewill was formed by guitarists Robin Southby and John Helps whilst the pair were studying together at university in 2005. They released their first record Japanese Spy Transcript on the band's own label, Robot Needs Home Records in 2006 with Tanya Byrne on bass guitar and Lawrie Malen on drums. The 4-track EP was well received by the press and attracted the attention of Nottingham's Field Records (also home to Public Relations Exercise) who released "The Paris Hilton Sex Tape" (taken from the record) as part of a split 7" single with Ann Arbor later that year. In August 2006 a re-mastered version of Japanese Spy Transcript was released in Japan on the XTAL label (also home to Yndi halda and You Slut!) which was set up specifically for the release by The Media Factory Group. Shortly after this release the band dissolved temporarily.
In May 2007, John and Robin began working with drummer James Collins (formerly a member of Fight Fire With Water) and bassist Andrew Jackson, along with a number of guest vocalists and musicians on an album entitled Not for Want of Trying. The record was released on Monday 12 May 2008 through Field Records, and was chosen by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens as his album of the week in its release week. 'The Paris Hilton Sex Tape' also featured on the cover CD of June's edition of Rock Sound magazine.
Thirteen months later on 7 June 2009, the band released their second LP Sing The Word Hope In Four-Part Harmony through Field Records, with Victoria Sztuka taking Andrew Jacksons place on bass guitar. This was a heavier record which saw them continue to try to break away from the post-rock tag with which they are often labelled. The record was received well by both press and fans alike, but did receive some criticism for failing to depart substantially enough from the band's established sound.
After the release of Sing The Word Hope, The band returned to the three-piece line-up of James Collins, John Helps and Robin Southby. They were joined in 2009 by Jamie Ward, a former member of Kyte and Tired Irie who was to guide the recording session for their third album, as well as filling the vacant role of bassist.
As of August 2009 the band are known to be working on an album for release in 2011.
Maybeshewill tour very regularly across the UK, Europe and Asia. This has seen them pair up with Lite, &U&I, Fight Fire With Water, worriedaboutsatan, And So I Watch You From Afar, Death Of London and Cats & Cats & Cats on various excursions. They have also appeared at Summer Sundae Weekender, Truck Festival, Brainwash Festival 2000 Trees, Hockley Hustle and Dot To Dot.
The band have stated in a number of interviews that they are concerned about the state of the mainstream music industry and as such continue to work with 'DIY' label Field Records, release a lot of their music themselves through Robot Needs Home, and are learning to do the jobs that would normally be performed by managers and booking agents themselves. Up until December 2010 they had booked all their tours 'in-house' and recorded all their music themselves using borrowed equipment and spare rooms. The band have claimed in interviews that they wanted to prove that it's possible to make music without spending any money. In the liner notes of Sing The Word Hope In Four-Part Harmony they published a brief guide to the approach that they take, as well as information on how they go about recording everything themselves.
Although not a 'political' band as such, many of the samples and song-titles within their music hint at broadly left-wing, somewhat socialist or idealistic ideas. For example This Time Last Year from Sing The Word Hope In Four-Part Harmony uses a sample from I Heart Huckabees in which the characters discuss whether a desire to preserve open space is a socialist idea, and the same album's title track includes a long monologue bemoaning the state of the society, but praising the community in which the band exists and suggesting hope for the future.
The band have described their sound as "instrumental rock with electronics",[1] while Drowned in Sound described them as sounding "like Mogwai would if the latter had ever found love in an arthouse cinema. And then were beaten around the head with a keyboard".[2] Comparisons have also been made with Sigur Rós,[3] and 65daysofstatic were often mentioned by reviewers as a likely influence on their earlier work.[4] Their tracks often include samples of film or other dialogue; "Not for Want of Trying" contains a sample from Network, while Sing the Word Hope in Four Part Harmony includes samples of broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, and excerpts from Young Winston.[5]