RPA & The United Nations of Sound | |
---|---|
Genres | Alternative rock |
Years active | 2010-2011 |
Labels | Parlophone |
Members | Richard Ashcroft (vocals and acoustic guitar) Steve Wyreman (guitar) Dwayne "DW" Wright (bass) Qyu Jackson (drums - live) Rico Petrillo (keyboards and samples - live) |
Past members | Derrick Wright (drums - studio) Reggie Dozer (sound engineering - studio) Benjamin Wright (string arrangements - studio) |
Website | richardashcroft.co.uk |
RPA & The United Nations of Sound were a British alternative rock band formed by vocalist Richard Ashcroft, former lead singer of The Verve. Ashcroft announced the formation of the band (which is a pseudonym more than a real band) and presented the video of the first single, "Are You Ready?", on 18 January 2010 in an exclusive premiere on the NME website. [1] "Are You Ready?" was released only in the UK on 1 April 2010 in a limited edition 12" vinyl. On 9 April 2010 the band released a fanclub-only track, "Third Eye (Colombus Circle)". In the first two weeks of June, Ashcroft and his musicians completed a European tour (Ancona, Paris, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Manchester and London), [2] then they played in Tokyo and Osaka on 7–8 August 2010 during the Summer Sonic Festival 2010 [3] and also in Melbourne and Sydney respectively on 30 July and 31 July. The band played in Australia also during the Splendour in the Grass Festival in late July. [4] The band's debut album as Ashcroft's backing lineup, entitled "United Nations of Sound", was released on 19 July 2010. [5] "Born Again", the first proper single, was officially released the same day of the album as a digital download. [6]
After two months of silence, on 15 October Ashcroft released through his website a second fanclub-only track, "Here We Go Again". On the same day the song "Are You Ready?" was released as a single also in the United States as a digital download. [7]
The album United Nations of Sound was released in the United States on 22 March 2011 under the name "Richard Ashcroft" through the record company Razor & Tie. [8] The lead single "Are You Ready?" is featured over the closing credits of the film The Adjustment Bureau , along with the new song "Future's Bright", written and performed specifically for the film's opening by Ashcroft and ten-time Oscar-nominated composer Thomas Newman. [9]
For the US release of "Are You Ready?", Ashcroft and Big Life Management commissioned Giorgio Testi for the promo – created out of live footage from a show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. The video premiered on 7 February on the official website of Pulse Films, the production company. [10]