Groove Armada

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay and Andy Cato started pulling together ideas in pokey little studios ten years ago. Since then, their careers have blown up. On New Year’s Eve just gone in fact, they brought the stars out of the skies, the koalas out of the eucalyptus trees and the ladies out in their sundresses at Bondi Beach, Sydney, where they played to over 20,000 people. The duo’s combined love of so much different music inspires them to dish out house basslines, 80’s pop samples and stonking anthemic choruses with equal aplomb. Put that on a stage and you’ve got dance music’s most enlightened musical firework show.

Their songs (“bass, beats, vocal, up and down 5 or 6 cul-de-sacs, back to where you started, bingo!” says Andy) belong to all the clubbers, gig-goers, Top 40-watchers, festival fans – particularly London’s Lovebox Weekender regulars – and the two million people who have ever bought one of their many artist albums or compilations. By making tunes that soundtrack the party warm up, the party proper and the day-after-the-night-before, they’re the ideal companions for a night on the tiles from its beginning to its bitter end. Naturally, being so popular means that their tunes translate best on stage, in front of enthused crowds.

Since their 1995 inception, their live shows have offered euphoria, skilled musicianship, immersing light shows, energy and love… Seminal singles such as ‘If Everybody Looked The Same’ and ‘I See You Baby’ sound idyllic in a live setting. The powerful portrayal of the pair’s clubbing history warms every spectator with its acid house-influenced spirit. One minute you’ll be jumping in unison, arms in the air, alongside a thousand others to ‘Superstylin’’. The next you’ll be swaying to ‘At The River’, marvelling that the trombone solo still sounds as magical as the best sunrise anthems did during Britain’s late-80s rave culture.

Their live set up is incredibly well received wherever they go and is the cornerstone and catalyst for everything else they do. In 2008, you’ll see both boys on stage, although, GA live is certainly not just about Tom and Andy – it’s also about the main vocalists Veba, Stush, MAD, George the lead guitarist, Max on bass, Martin on Drums, Patrick on percussion and Andy or Tim on keys. Says Andy, “being on the road with GA is a unique experience, as anyone who has come into contact with it agrees. It's proof that you get back what you give out.” When they’re not together, they send zip files between Tom’s London studio (“the Tom Tom Club”) and Andy’s medieval bunker studio tucked underneath his flat in the Gothic quarter of Barcelona. Preparing for a live show Andy admits that the keyboards are easy to pick up but that “after a couple of months lay off, stepping up to play 'At The River' feels like a walk to the gallows.”

In 2007, Groove Armada toured their fifth studio album, ‘Soundboy Rock’, with shows in Australia and New Zealand, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, Ireland, and Los Angeles, also completing two sold out tours of the UK that culminated in 3 consecutive nights at Brixton Academy, London to 15,000 people. They played several festivals, including Rock Ness (Scotland), Isle of Wight (UK), Lovebox Weekender (London & Dublin, to 45,000 and 10,000 crowds respectively), Fuji Rock (Japan), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Amsterdam Dance Event (Holland), The Falls Festival (Lorne, AUS and Tasmania) & Southbound (Australia). The slight reggae-MC-vibed style of the new album went down a storm, mixed with old hits that could be found on the anniversary compilation album ‘GA10 – Ten Year Story’, also released last year. While many consider their appearance at the Lovebox Weekender to be the best of their career, it could have been their collaboration with Mutya (ex Sugababe) on the single ‘Song 4 Mutya’ that, having dominated dancefloors and airwaves all summer, had put them on a massive high.

Groove Armada are core visionary geniuses with penchants for brass sections, strings, keyboards and excellent, energised vocalists. To engage with them while pogoing in a field or concert hall is the ultimate buzz. In 2008 they’ll be touring America (stopping off at the Miami Winter Music Conference) and will be back on stage at the Lovebox Weekender (Victoria Park, Hackney, 19 & 20th July).