Art Brut are an English indie rock band. Their debut album, Bang Bang Rock & Roll, was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, It's a Bit Complicated, released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Jean Dubuffet's definition of outsider art – art by prisoners, loners, the mentally ill, and other marginalized people, and made without thought to imitation or presentation – South London's Art Brut were tagged by NME as part of the "Art Wave" scene that also included bands such as The Rakes, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. The band released further albums, Art Brut vs Satan in 2009 and Brilliant! Tragic! in 2011. A fifth album, Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!", was released in 2018.
The band's sound is characterised by their straightforward guitar rock setup, as well as frontman Eddie Argos' enthusiastic sprechgesang-style vocal delivery, and his humorous, often self-reflexive lyrics about music, relationships and other personal interests.
Biography
Early years
Argos had formed The Art Goblins and moved to London in 2001 looking to form a new band. He met guitarist Chris Chinchilla at an afterparty hosted by London indie rock band Ciccone in 2002. Argos also invited Ian Catskilkin, whom he knew from the Bournemouth music scene, to join on guitars. They were joined by Freddy Feedback, Chinchilla's flatmate, on bass guitar and Mikey Breyer on drums; and rehearsed at Scar studios in Camden. The name 'Art Brut' was inspired by Argos's visit to the Musée d'Art Naïf – Max Fourny.
The band played their first gig in May 2003, at the Verge in Kentish Town. After gigging for several months, they recorded demos of "Formed a Band" and "Modern Art" with Keith Top of the Pops at Supernova Studios. The band became associated with the New Cross scene, and this version of a "Formed a Band" was released on new New Cross-based record label Angular's compilation The New Cross: An Angular Sampler, in November 2003.
Rough Trade, a long-running indie music label, offered Art Brut a deal to release "Formed a Band" as a one-off single. It was released in March 2004, backed with "Bad Weekend". It peaked at number 52 on the UK Singles Chart. The band co-headlined a UK tour promoting the single with the Fades.
Fierce Panda
Rough Trade declined to sign Art Brut up for an album, and the band signed to Fierce Panda, again for a standalone single. This was a double A-side, featuring "Modern Art" and "My Little Brother". For the vinyl release, each individual single cover was unique, being painted by attendees of the launch party. The single was released in December 2004, and charted at number 49, the highest position that a Fierce Panda single had achieved.
After the success of this, Fierce Panda signed Art Brut for their first album, to be called Bang Bang Rock & Roll. It was recorded with producer John Fortis. It features re-recorded versions of "Formed a Band", "Bad Weekend", "Modern Art", My Little Brother", three songs originally written for a concept project about the "Gatti Gang", an off-shoot of the Red Brigades: "18,000 Lira", "Rusted Guns of Milan", "Stand Down".
This album was trailed by new single "Emily Kane", which made number 41, missing the top 40 only by two sales, later attributed by Argos by a failure to properly register iTunes sales. It remains Fierce Panda's highest-charting single.
The album was released in May 2005. Art Brut played extensively in support of their album in 2005. Chinchilla left due to the pressures of touring in September 2005, and was replaced at short notice by Jasper Future, guitarist from Argos' old Bournemouth band, The Art Goblins, for Bestival. This new line-up toured Europe, including two support slots with Oasis in October 2005 – the band made the cover of the German edition of Rolling Stone magazine in September 2005.
Mute
In 2006 Art Brut signed to Mute Records (then owned by EMI) in Europe for the release of another album, with Downtown Records covering the United States. The band toured extensively in the United States in 2006, being the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 4 May 2006, and on a later leg supporting We Are Scientists.