UK2LA Presents THE DIRTY ROYALS AT THE DOLL HUT TUESDAY, JUNE 13th

* * *

The Regal Foursome, Led By Oxford-Bred Brothers Simon and Matt Williams And Including Jimmy Martin and New L.A. Drummer Keith Tenenbaum, Evolved >From Globally Popular Indie Outfit The Samurai Seven, Which The Late, Legendary BBC DJ John Peel Called One Of His Favorite All-Time Bands

The Dirty Royals have nothing to do with the bathing habits of Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles . BBC DJ John Peels all-time favorite band, The Samurai Seven ,  h its US shores with their new "The Dirty Royals" moniker.  The UK post modernist punk outfit has a surprise show at The Doll Hut  on Tuesday, June 13th at 10PM in support of their newly released Obsessed America EP.

The Dirty Royals

Venue:   The Doll Hut - 107 S. Adams Street, Anaheim CA 92802  (714) 533-1286   www.dollhut.com
Date: Tuesday, June 13th, 2006
Time: Doors at 8:00 PM
Cover: $5.00    21+

Also Performing:
Pillow Fight

 

 

PLAYING DOWN, DIRTY AND HARMONIC:

THE DIRTY ROYALS

DRIVE THEIR OWN HARD-HITTING

BRITISH INVASION WITH THEIR DEBUT EP

OBSESSED AMERICA

 

* * *

The Regal Foursome, Led By Oxford-Bred Brothers Simon and Matt Williams
And Including Jimmy Martin and New L.A. Drummer Keith Tenenbaum,
Evolved >From Globally Popular Indie Outfit The Samurai Seven ,
Which The Late, Legendary BBC DJ John Peel Called One Of His
Favorite All-Time Bands

* * *

The Dirty Royals, Who Toured The West Coast In August 2005,
Was Voted 'Best Out Of Town Band' At Midpoint Music Festival
In Cincinnati, One of The Top Indie Rock Events in the U.S.

Contrary to popular mythology, the cheeky moniker adopted by the British-U.S. hybrid band The Dirty Royals has nothing to do with the bathing habits of Queen Elizabeth or Prince Charles. In fact, fans who are fast catching on to the foursome's brilliant three part harmonies and West Coast meets UK, punk royalty dirtying it up with straight ahead rock vibe—described by one tastemaker as The Buzzcocks meet the Beach Boys —may also be surprised to realize that “dirty” in the U.K. has more to it then just sex.

The edgy yet cool, powerful yet ultra-danceable sounds created by Oxford born and bred brothers Simon (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Matt Williams (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jimmy Martin (bass, vocals) and L.A. drummer Keith Tenenbaum are a better fit for the modern Brit interpretation of the word—that is, irreverent, down and dirty, the way rock used to be before a corporate, cookie cutter mentality stormed the music business.

“We've always liked band names with contradictions, or which juxtapose two ideas which at first seem opposite – like sweet vocals and dirty guitars” says Matt. “Rock and roll by nature is down and dirty, insolent when it's engaging in full freedom of expression. It's also the name of a cocktail.”

Launching a career with a five song EP may seem like a modest way to encourage a post-millennial British invasion, but the five tracks on Obsessed America may be the most intense, happy, raging and soulful 17 minutes in indie rock history. The album cover—featuring four Royal Guardsmen standing before an image of the American flag—and title might invoke the idea of a full-on political statement, but actually, the songs vary between social consciousness and very personal storytelling.

Obsessed America is not so much about the Dirty Royals' opinions about the U.S. —which they love, by the way—as it is about people who become so immersed in the culture of another land that they forget their core identity and values. “There's a Riot Going On” addresses the hypocrisy and apathy of people who complain about political and environmental issues, then drive home in their gas guzzling SUVs. In synch with the entire EP's vibe as a wake up call in the classic rock tradition, the song is simply saying, “put up or shut up.”

“CIA” is about wiretapping, but not on the level of a national scandal; it's about Simon's jealous ex-girlfriend who rummaged through the names in his mobile phone. “It's an analogy about Big Brother, but it's really ‘little sister,' laughs Simon.

The ongoing buzz surrounding The Dirty Royals is living proof that sometimes, successful rock bands have to evolve out of previous units who needed that one extra spark (and maybe a taste of Old Glory) to attain greatness. Back in 2000, Simon, Matt and Jimmy (as The Seven Samurai ) were all the rage in Great Britain , a hot indie band dubbed by some as the “next Oasis” and even “The Beatles” of the coming decade.

The late legendary BBC DJ and cultural tastemaker John Peel hosted them on his show numerous times and declared them one of his favorite bands. Success was delayed for a few years after Simon was shot by a passing motorist outside a pub in 2000. Things finally clicked in 2002, when Le Sport, their first CD on Rotator Records, sold a remarkable 15,000 copies and earned them a loyal following throughout Europe , Japan and even Australia .

The band had great expectations when they first hit America in August 2005—but truly had no idea that by the time they left, they would have an L.A. born drummer, a new sound (but with the same magical harmonies, of course) and attitude and a name that switched loyalties from Japanese folklore to the House of Windsor. The first element of this change happened when their South African born original drummer couldn't get a visa and they had to hire a session drummer from California to play their dates.

After hitting the West Coast—where they toured three weeks, wowing audiences with acoustic and electric sets at The Gig, The Joint, The Derby, Westwood Brew Company and Universal Bar & Grill (Los Angeles), The Red Devil (San Francisco) and Mo's Alley (Santa Cruz)—the boys jammed at MPMF, the Midpoint Music Festival in Cincinnati. With over 50,000 fans attending over the course of four days, at the third largest indie rock festival in the country after CMJ and South By Southwest.

The buoyant “I Feel Alive” is about the optimism the band discovered when it hit Los Angeles and met Tenenbaum, who would become their drummer as The Samurai Seven became The Dirty Royals. The new group, which was created with the help of manager Orrin Ezralow of UK2LA management, was inspired by the SoCal sunshine and late nights at the Sunset Marquis Hotel Bar.

“In Britain , there's less of the ‘anything is possible' attitude that is everywhere in Los Angeles ,” says Simon. “We're all told to lower our sights, be realistic so as not to be disappointed. But this rebirth of ours, which we actually made official via a literal ceremony, was like the joy of a California sunshine day that got us through the British winter. It's now a true Anglo-American outfit!”

Ezralow adds, “These guys have always been committed to the essence of rock and roll, where they can incorporate technological advances but not at the expense of gustiness and heart. We brought The Samurai Seven to L.A. to begin integrating the concept of L.A. based sounds, but everyone decided it was just time to restructure everything and start with a whole new fresh energy. The Dirty Royals have the classic British invasion idea but with a modern, Transatlantic twist.”

Simon believes that above everything else, however critics and fans want to label their music, the group's main goal is to communicate their love of music and the feeling they have when they play together. Jimmy says of this unbreakable bond: “When we perform, we feel very connected through the music, and to paraphrase a line from ‘This Is Spinal Tap,' we're all united by it. People always leave our shows smiling, and that's a great thing for us.”

Simon adds, “When we came to L.A. , we were astounded by the level of talent there, and asked ourselves, what is it we have to offer? The truth is, it's the dynamic energy and directness that draws people to us. Everyone has a primal urge to be invited to the party, rather than peering in from outside. With us, they see a group of guys really digging what they do, and they want to be a part of it.”