The Strange Death Of Liberal England

Taking their title from George Dangerfield’s 1935 book about the decline of the British Liberal Party, this Portsmouth, England-based indie rock band was formed in 2005 by Adam Woolway (vocals/guitar), Andrew Wright (bass), Andrew Summerly (guitar), Kelly Jones (keyboards), and Will Charlton (drums). A self-released 3-track EP and a series of well-received live gigs in their native Portsmouth gained the band good notices. The quintet’s casual on stage instrument swapping and use of placards to communicate with their audience between songs might have been gimmicks, but they certainly got them noticed. With critics and influential UK radio disc jockeys such as Steve Lamacq falling for their quirky brand of post-rock (the quintet had originally bonded over a shared admiration for bands such as Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Do Make Say Think) a recording contract was not long in following, with UK indie Fantastic Plastic picking the band up at the end of 2006. Released in summer 2007, Forward March! was an interesting development of the post-rock genre, with some folk-infused melodies and strong vocal lines creeping into the expected lengthy instrumental work-outs.