Sire Records is pleased to announce that it has signed two new young bands from the musically fertile North West of England: The Lottery Winners from Leigh, near Manchester and Sugarmen from Liverpool.
Under the stewardship of co-founder Seymour Stein, Sire Records has a long history of signing exciting talent from the United Kingdom, including The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen,
The Cult and The Cure.
The Lottery Winners and
Sugarmen are acts that will add to this legacy, and both will release their debut albums on Sire in 2017, when the label celebrates its 50th Anniversary.
The Lottery Winners formed when best friends Thomas Rylance and Robert Lall posted a "Bassist Wanted" poster in a local guitar shop. The position was filled by 15-year-old Katie Lloyd. She recruited her high-school best friend, Joe Singleton, to join on drums. The band's live reputation spread fast, while exposure through the BBC's "Introducing" program raised the bands profile via their buoyant indie pop tunes BBC 6 Music reckons "The Lottery Winners are like the bastard child of Freddie
Mercury and Peter Kay" and "Somewhere on the musical spectrum between the blithe Beach Boys and the suffering Smiths" whilst the NME describes their music as "The most infectious few minutes of indie-pop you've heard in a long while".
Says Stein of The Lottery Winners: "It's so refreshing to see such a unique and great performing live band. Truly amazing songwriting. I expect great things from this very special bunch of musicians. I feel like its Sire that's won the lottery with this great signing."
Liverpool's
Sugarmen was formed by Luke Fenlon and Chay Heney, who were later joined by of drummer Sam McVann and bassist Tom Sheilds. Their debut single "Dirt" was produced by The Clash's
Mick Jones in Paul Weller's studio. The band has opened for Blur, The Who, and Weller, reinforcing their growing reputation for high octane live sets, driven by charismatic cool and electric chemistry.
Sugarmen continue to write intelligent, existential songs propelled by compelling vocals, blissful and buzzing angular guitars, and a watertight rhythm section.
Stein comments on Sugarmen: "I was blown away when I first saw
Sugarmen live, and then again when they opened the Who and Blur, both at Hyde Park. In May I saw the band at
Liverpool Sound City: They keep getting better and better; the songs, their musicianship and their live performance. Both bands are perfect additions to the Sire roster. I look forward to working with them and Warner Bros, and having success wit
The Lottery Winners and
Sugarmen as part of Sire's 50th Anniversary in 2017."
About Sire Records and Seymour Stein: 2017 will mark the 50th anniversary of Sire Records, one of the world's most influential record labels and home to many of the most iconic artists in modern music. In 1966, Seymour Stein co-founded Sire Productions with producer Richard Gottehrer, and Sire Records was officially launched the following year. In 1976, Sire joined the Warner Music Group family and quickly became a pioneering force on the emerging punk and new wave scene, signing cutting-edge artists such as the Ramones and Talking Heads. The Sire roster grew to include Madonna, the Smiths, the Pretenders, Depeche Mode, the Cure, the Replacements, Ice-T, and dozens more. Stein was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2016, he was honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Today, Stein continues to be a vital force in the business through his work at both Sire and ADA, Warner Music Group's distribution and services arm for indie labels and artists.
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