Area 11 (band)
| Area 11 | |
|---|---|
|
Members from left to right: Leo Taylor, Alex Parvis, Sparkles*, & Jonathan Kogan. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Nottingham, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, metalcore, neo-progressive rock, pop punk |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Cooking Vinyl, Smihilism Records, Breaking the Boredom |
| Associated acts | My Vitriol, Beckii Cruel, Ghost Cassette, Teasing Demons, Last Constellation, Bloodguard, Superpowerless, Enter Shikari |
| Website | http://www.area11.band/ |
| Members |
Tom Clarke (Sparkles*) Alex Parvis (Parv) Jonathan Kogan (Kogie) Leo Taylor |
| Past members |
Luke Owens Tim Yearsley |
Area 11 is an rock band from Nottingham, England. The band currently consists of four members; Thomas "Sparkles*" Clarke, Alex Parvis, Jonathan Kogan and Leo Taylor. To date, they have released a number of singles, three EPs, and two studio albums.[1]
They describe their sound as being Modern rock, as they draw influences from western rock, while incorporating elements from other genres and cultures.[1]
Biography
Area 11 consists of Sparkles*, Alex Parvis, Jonathan Kogan, and Leo Taylor. They formed on 8 October 2010 in Nottingham during what was described by band frontman Sparkles* as a "disastrous jam session".[2] Founding members Sparkles*, Luke, and Alex then discovered their shared love of anime whilst watching Code Geass episode 22 "Blood Stained Euphy", from which they wrote their first song, Euphemia.
The name "Area 11" is a reference to the anime Code Geass, as Japan is referred to as Area 11 in the series, with its citizens referred to as Elevens, a name which has come to collectively describe Area 11 fans. In fact, some of Area 11's songs are based on various anime, including Code Geass, Death Note, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Naruto, Elfen Lied, Bakuman, Fullmetal Alchemist due to the bands strong fondness of the genre at the time of recording their earlier records. Towards the end of recording their debut album, All the Lights in the Sky, the band decided that they had done all they wanted in terms of writing songs about anime, and stopped writing songs about the animation genre, wanting to explore original new ideas and concepts.[3]
The band has been commissioned to produce music for companies such as YouTube broadcasting group The Yogscast and Namco Bandai Games. Significantly for Namco Bandai Games they produced "GO!! Fighting Action Power" as the credits theme for their Bravoman web-series on ShiftyLook, and later "Wonder Wars" as the theme song for the Wonder Momo anime series.[4]
Area 11's music has already permeated alternative and popular culture, which is reflected their chart success and loyal fanbase of over 100,000 worldwide. They have toured the UK on multiple occasions to capacity audiences.[1]
Musical style
The band's songs are based around Western rock and pop traditions. The band's sound is heavy with minimal synthesizers and and electronic effects that they call modern rock.[1][5] In their earlier records, Area 11's sound commonly blended heavy metal guitar riffs with a wider more prominent range of synthesizers and electronic effects,[1] which they sometimes referred to as gaijin rock.[6] However, they have also been described as alternative rock,[7] metalcore,[7] pop punk[7] and neo-progressive rock.[7]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [8] |
UK Rock |
UK Indie |
UK Breakers |
US Heatseekers |
US Indie | ||||||||
| 2013 | All the Lights in the Sky | 75 | 10 | 10 | 2 [9] |
11 | 42 | ||||||
| 2016 | Modern Synthesis
|
27 [10] |
2 | 9 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||||
Extended plays
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Blackline |
|
| Underline |
|
| Let It Resonate |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [9][11] |
UK Indie |
UK Breakers [12] | ||
| 2012 | "Knightmare/Frame" | – | – | – |
| 2013 | "Shi No Barado" (featuring Beckii Cruel) | 115 | 12 | 1 |
| "GO!! Fighting Action Power" | – | – | 12 | |
| "Heaven-Piercing Giga Drill" | – | – | – | |
| 2014 | "Homunculus" | – | – | – |
| 2015 | "Override [B]" | – | – | – |
| "Versus" | – | – | – | |
| 2016 | "Watchmaker" | – | – | – |
| "The Contract" | – | – | – | |
Members
Timeline
Current members
- Tom 'Sparkles*' Clarke - lead vocals, keytar, keyboard (2010–Present), acoustic Guitar (2013–Present)
- Alex 'Parv' Parvis - rhythm guitar (2010-2012), lead Guitar (2012-Present)
- Jonathan 'Kogie' Kogan - bass, saxophone, tambourine (2011–Present), backing Vocals (2012–Present)
- Leo Taylor - drums (2010–Present)
Past members
- Luke Owens – lead guitar, backing vocals (2010-2012)
- Tim Yearsley - bass guitar (2010-2011)
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Bio – Area 11". www.area11.band. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ↑ MCM, Interview. "Interview with Area 11 Lead Singer Sparkles*". Retrieved 14 January 2013.
- ↑ "Area 11 – Exclusive Interview – New Album, New Tour, New Direction". The LauraKBuzz Network. 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2016-05-07.
- ↑ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-01-29/wonder-momo-game-spawns-web-anime-by-graphinica-and-new-game
- ↑ "Area 11 – Exclusive Interview – New Album, New Tour, New Direction". The LauraKBuzz Network. 2015-04-29. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
- ↑ "MCM Buzz - Interview with Sparkles*".
- 1 2 3 4 "AllMusic - Area 11".
- ↑ "Area 11 - Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- 1 2 "2013 Top 40 Independent Albums Breakers Archive - 9th February 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/blink-182-score-first-uk-number-1-album-we-re-so-excited-and-thankful-__15609/
- ↑ http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/130511cluk.txt
- ↑ "2013 Top 40 Independent Singles Breakers Archive - 11th May 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 May 2013.