The LaFontaines

The LaFontaines are a Scottish band from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, formed in 2010.^[1] The band consists of Kerr Okan (lead vocals), Jamie Keenan (drums, vocals), John Gerard (bass, vocals), Iain Findlay (guitar), and Darren McCaughey (guitar, keyboard). Their style is a unique blend of hip hop, rock and pop. The band are named after American voice actor Don LaFontaine.^[2]

The band made their break in 2011 at T in the Park^[3] and, although their career so far has been relatively brief, they have gained a huge fan base all over the UK. They signed with the Manchester based record company LAB Records in 2013.^[4] They have won a number of awards, including the Best Live Act award at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards,^[2] and, in 2013, they won the Big Apple award along with the chance to perform in New York City as part of Scotland week.^[5] Furthermore, they have been hailed as "the best live band in Scotland" by the Sunday Mail.^[5]

Throughout their career, the band has supported the likes of Twin Atlantic, All Time Low, The Ting Tings, 3OH!3, The Blackout, N-Dubz, The Cool Kids, Professor Green, Watsky and Tinchy Stryder.^[6] The band's lyrical content is often a social commentary on today's modern culture. Their record "All She Knows", produced by Matt O' Grady, secured daytime airplay on BBC Radio 1 as well as commercial stations across the UK. It received its audio premier on the Rock Sound website, which earned the band a double page feature in the national newspapers, Sunday Mail and The Sun.^[7][8]

The LaFontaines' debut album Class was released in June 2015, reaching number 10 on the Scottish Albums Chart and number 98 on the UK Albums Chart after the first week of sales.^[9][10]

Performances

The band has performed all over the UK and Europe. Their biggest festival appearance was at T in the Park (2014) where they played in the King Tut's tent. Some of their other festival appearances across the UK are at Belladrum, Crooked Ways, Redfest and Underground Festival. They have also performed at Barrowland Ballroom (Glasgow), the Ironworks (Inverness), The Garage (Glasgow), Youth Beatz (Dumfries), the Glasshouse (Glasgow), the Stereo (Glasgow) and at 02 ABC (Glasgow). Also, in 2012 they performed at the O2 Academy Oxford (England).They joined George Watsky on the whole of his European tour in September and October 2014, including dates in Denmark, Germany, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Austria.The band has also played in New York City as part of Scotland Week.^[11] Their latest appearance was at O2 ABC Glasgow on October 31, 2014.^[12]

European Tour 2014

The LaFontaines joined the rapper George Watsky on his European tour in 2014. In more detail, their performances were:

^[13]

Singles

The LaFontaines have released four records. Their first single, "Light Up the Background" was released in June 2012, followed by their second single "All She Knows" the following year. "Under the Storm" was released in April 2014; this track was chosen as the soundtrack to T in the Park's viral announcement video.^[14] These albums are available to be purchased from iTunes, Amazon and all major digital retailers. Also to accompany their records they have a SoundCloud account which allows people to access pieces of their music. In November 2016, the band released their new single, "Release the Hounds".

VEVO

The LaFontaines have their own VEVO channel on YouTube. Their channel counts more than 1000 subscribers. Most of their videos have more than 60,000 views. Alongside this they also have a channel with all their tracks and a clip from the T in the park 2013 live concert on the BBC's website.^[15] Their most viewed songs on their BBC channel are "All She Knows" and "Under the Storm".

Discography

Albums

• Class (2015)

EPs

• All She Knows (2013)
• Under the Storm (2014)

Singles

• "Light Up the Background" (2012)
• "All She Knows" (2013)
• "Under the Storm" (2014)
• "King" (2015)
• "Junior Dragon" (2015)

Music videos

References

External links

• The LaFontaines Official Site
• The LaFontaines at iTunes.
• TheLaFontainesVEVO channel on YouTube.