This City

This City

This City is an indie rock group from Brighton, United Kingdom, active since 2006. The band forms after the members meet at a tattoo convention, and it establishes its line-up after two earlier drummers leave to join The Pipettes and Architects. It becomes known in the UK underground for a live show described as energetic and explosive, with five members who play with tight, instinctive interplay.

Style and influences

The group’s music sits between punk and pop, with danceable, jerky rhythms, emotional hardcore intensity, and a strong melodic approach. Their sound draws comparisons with The Travelling Wilburys, Bloc Party, At the Drive-In, Blood Brothers, Les Savy Fav, !Forward Russia!, Dischord Records-era hardcore, The Automatic, and other bands associated with emo, punk, and dance-punk crossover styles. They are also placed alongside UK acts such as Gallows, Ghost Of A Thousand and Kids In Glass Houses as part of a wave of bands that frame their music around British life rather than US suburban imagery.

Career and activity

In their early years, This City records a Radio 1 session for Huw Stephens and supports Biffy Clyro, Future Of The Left, Sparta, CapDown, Taking Back Sunday and As I Lay Dying. They also attract praise from Simon Williams of Fierce Panda, Steve Lamacq, Rock Sound and The Guardian. The Guardian describes them in a deliberately playful way as a band working between nu rave and emo, and notes that they spend a lot of time touring venues across the country.

Releases

The band’s debut single, Romantic / With Loaded Guns, is released on Club Fandango and Fierce Panda and receives attention in the underground. It is described as containing two bright, dance-floor punk tracks built around prominent guitars and large choruses.