Allo Darlin'

Allo Darlin' began as a vehicle for the solo songwriting exploits of Elizabeth Morris. Australian by birth, Morris moved to London, England in 2005, where she began making recordings under the name the Darlings. Morris would only release one disc under this name, a three-track affair called The Photo EP, which came out on the U.K.-based indie pop label WeePOP! in late 2007. Morris changed the project's name to Allo Darlin' the following year. In a 2010 interview with Spinner.com, Morris explained that she got the band name from her time working in Soho. "I used to work near the market sellers," she said. "Every day I'd walk past and the old guys would yell out "Allo darlin'" as they ashed into their fruit bowls." She self-released a Christmas-themed EP, Merry Christmas from Allo Darlin', shortly before 2008 came to a close. A few months later, in early 2009, the lineup of Allo Darlin' expanded to include two members of Hexicon, guitarist Paul Rains (who first began working with Morris when the two recorded a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City") and drummer Michael Collins, along with Moustache of Insanity's Will Harrison on bass (though he was soon replaced by Bill Botting.) The newly formed quartet released its first single, "Henry Rollins Don't Dance" (WeePOP! Records), that summer. Fortuna Pop signed the band soon after, and Allo Darlin' saw a couple of singles on that label in short order (2009's "The Polaroid Song" and 2010's "Dreaming," which featured a cameo by the Pipettes' Monster Bobby). The band's self-titled debut full-length, produced by Simon Trought, was released on Fortuna Pop in the summer of 2010. The reception for the album was very favorable, garnering praise from former Go-Between Robert Forster and being named as online retailer EMusic's number two record of the year. Morris had been playing in Amelia Fletcher's group the Tender Trap since early 2009 but she resigned after the album's release to concentrate on Allo Darlin' exclusively. After a fairly quiet 2011 that saw only the self-release of the "Darren"/"The Wu-Tang Clan" single, the band returned with a new album in spring of 2012. Europe was released by Fortuna Pop in the U.K. and Slumberland in the U.S. They spent the next year touring before heading back into the studio to record their third album. We Come from the Same Place was released in October of 2014. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi