Meet Jon (vocals + guitar), Maz (guitar), Ben (bass), and Dan (drums). Together they are Little Man Tate.
On the face of it and in many ways Little Man Tate are the archetypal guitar band. Three of the four band members were friends since their teens, playing football, and jamming together in various bands. They love girls, rock 'n' roll, and having a good time. Oh, and they're from Sheffield (and very proud to tell you so) and while their lyrics are smart and catchy, with melodies so strong you hum them for days on end, the similarities with other Sheffield bands (past and present) ends there. Think Pulp, if you must compare.
Such an ordinary band from such an ordinary city? Wrong again. Little Man Tate formed under a year ago. Some bands would still be thinking about putting a demo together. Not Little Man Tate. They wrote songs, rehearsed for four nights a week, three to four hours at a time, played their first gigs to a handful of people, before unleashing four demo tracks onto their website and myspace for download. In the 7 short months that Little Man Tate have been together, they have achieved something incredible, garnering praise from their unfaltering fans right up to respected music bible, Rolling Stone magazine. Not so ordinary now.
Fans online and offline were spreading their love far and wide for Little Man Tate, downloads doubled, then tripled, and more bandwidth had to be purchased for their website. Gig attendances were growing with each performance. This is where things start to go a little crazy. Five months into the life of Little Man Tate The Guardian proclaims their love for them. Industry and press started to request material to listen to on CD. There wasn't one, so the time came to put the demo tracks on CD, and get it to the awaiting public.
December 2005 saw Little Man Tate launch head first into their Club NME tour and from there it got a little crazier. The reception they received was so amazing, they were immediately offered an Academy tour in January, followed by a VirginMobile Louder tour in February. Things were now moving very quickly, but the band had their feet firmly on the ground. A decision was made to put out a debut Single independently (The Agent, Yellow Van Records - 20 February). Cargo suggested that they consider doubling the quantity of their limited release due to the unprecedented demand (or not since the Arctic Monkeys' '5 minutes with'). Remember this band is unsigned. Dozens of 'Ones to watch' features, radio supports from Lamacq followed, as well as winning the 'Fresh Meat' vote on Zane Lowe in the first week of 2006.
So that is the story thus far. Little Man Tate – no ordinary band.
indielondon.co.uk
Following hot on the heels of The View’s debut album, Little Man Tate’s About What You Know could well be the second great guitar album of 2007. It’s a short and lively affair that boasts some cracking songs and a really endearing attitude to all things love-related. This debut album continues to build on their reputation as one of Britain’s most talented young guitar bands.
Songs ooze heart and soul as well as clever and amusing lyrics that are born out of real-life experiences... yep, Little Man Tate can rightly lay claim to being Yorkshire’s finest and 'About What You Know' is a terrific opening chapter.
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