Tokyo Police Club

Last updated
Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club - History - 29 Nov 2024.jpg
Tokyo Police Club performing at History in 2024. From left to right: Josh Hook, David Monks, Greg Alsop, Graham Wright
Background information
Origin Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Genres Indie rock, post-punk revival, alternative rock
Years active2005–2024
Labels Universal Music Canada
Paper Bag
Memphis Industries
Saddle Creek
Dew Process
Mom + Pop Music
Dine Alone Records (Canada)
Past membersDavid Monks
Graham Wright
Josh Hook
Greg Alsop
Website tokyopoliceclub.com

Tokyo Police Club was an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2005, it consisted of vocalist and bassist Dave Monks, keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook, and drummer Greg Alsop. [1] The band found early success with their 2006 debut EP A Lesson in Crime, which they followed with several popular releases including the albums Elephant Shell and Champ in 2008 and 2010, respectively. During the 2010s, they released three other studio albums. Among other nominations, the band had been twice nominated for the Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year, in 2011 for Champ and in 2019 for TPC .

Contents

They disbanded at the end of November 2024 following a final tour.

History

2005–2007: Formation and early years

David Monks (born January 21, 1987), Graham Wright (born February 16, 1987), Josh Hook (born May 11, 1987), and Greg Alsop (born March 20, 1985) grew up and attended school together in Newmarket, Ontario. [1] [2] In high school, the four played in a band called Suburbia which eventually disbanded. In 2004, the group informally came together again to form Tokyo Police Club; [3] the name of the band comes from a 2000s-era online Band Name Generator. [2]

Early on, the band played some small shows in the Toronto area. Tokyo Police Club were asked to play in the Pop Montreal festival, [4] and soon after they signed with Toronto label Paper Bag Records; Monks and Alsop dropped out of college to become professional musicians. [5]

The band released its debut EP, A Lesson in Crime , in 2006 on Paper Bag Records. The recording was less than seventeen minutes long, and some of the songs were quite short. [6] That year they appeared at Edgefest and the inaugural Osheaga Festival.

The Smith EP was released in 2007. During a July show in Omaha, Nebraska, the band signed a deal with Saddle Creek Records which would release their debut LP. [7] The single "Your English Is Good" was released in July and later included on their album Elephant Shell . [8] That year the band performed at Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot, the Glastonbury Festival, and the Reading and Leeds Festival.

2008–2012: Debut record and successful follow-up

In 2008, Tokyo Police Club released their first album, Elephant Shell , [9] first via the US iTunes Store on March 25, 2008, and then on their new label Saddle Creek in April in North America, and in May in the U.K. and Continental Europe via Memphis Industries. [10] In the same year, the band played the Roskilde Festival, the Rock am Ring-Festival, and Street Scene. In the fall, they played on the last six weeks of Weezer's Troublemaker Tour along with Angels and Airwaves.

In 2010, the band played the Bonnaroo Music Festival. They also played at San Francisco's 2010 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. Their second full-length album, Champ , was released in June; it was produced by Rob Schnapf. [11] That fall the album appeared on the !Earshot National Top 50 Chart. [12]

On March 27, 2011, Tokyo Police Club performed their single "Bambi" at the 40th Juno Awards in Toronto. In June, the video for "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" was nominated as best indie video of the year by MuchMusic. The video was directed by Mike Juneau and Kyle McCreight, and produced by Jesse Ewles and Chris Cunningham. In 2011, the band also released 10 Days. 10 Covers. 10 Years. , a project in which they recorded and released a new cover song from each of the previous 10 years, from 2001 to 2010.

In December 2011, the band performed an unreleased song "Beaches" at a live show. In 2012, they joined Foster the People on the North American portion of their Torches tour along with Kimbra. While continuing to work with the band, Wright also hosted programming on CBC Radio 3.[ citation needed ]

2013–2018: Forcefield and TPC

Tokyo Police Club performing at Riot Fest in 2014. Tokyo Police Club Riot Fest 2014.jpg
Tokyo Police Club performing at Riot Fest in 2014.

After a prolific period, the band was relatively quiet from late 2012 until December 2013, when the band debuted a nine-minute lyric video for "Argentina (Pts. I, II, and III)" on YouTube. [13] Both "Beaches" and "Argentina" are on their album Forcefield which was released March 24, 2014. In July the band performed at the 2014 Calgary Stampede in Calgary, Alberta. The band also recorded two songs for the Daytrotter Sessions, which were released online. [14]

In 2016, the band released their Melon Collie and the Infinite Radness project, consisting of two companions EPs titled Part One and Part Two . The two were later combined and formally released as a full length LP of the same name. The EPs celebrated a more spontaneous recording ethos, similar to their early albums. With this same celebratory nature, the band also released an expanded tenth anniversary edition of A Lesson in Crime that year.

Tokyo Police Club continued to record in 2018 in preparation for a fourth album. [15] They released TPC on October 5, 2018 and received a Juno nomination for Alternative Album of the Year. [16] A companion EP titled TPC DLX was released in October 2020, made up of tracks from the TPC recording sessions and acoustic versions of songs. [17]

2020–2024: Reissues and disbandment

In December 2020, the band announced that they would be releasing a special tenth anniversary edition of their album Champ , slated for release in March 2021. With this announcement, the band released the single "Hundred Dollar Day." [18]

In March 2023, the band announced that they would be releasing a special fifteenth anniversary edition of their debut album Elephant Shell, slated for release on 5 May 2023. [19]

On January 23, 2024, the band announced their disbandment. They performed their final four shows at History in Toronto in November 2024. [20] Prior to their final performances, the band released their final single, "Just A Scratch" / "Catch Me If You Can", on March 12 that year. [21] [22]

Television

On April 19, 2007, Tokyo Police Club made their first US TV performance on the Late Show with David Letterman . They played their single "Nature of the Experiment", along with a tambourine accompaniment by the CBS Orchestra. A year later the band made a second appearance on the Late Show, performing the lead single "Tessellate" off their debut LP Elephant Shell.

On November 16, 2008 they appeared on the television show "Desperate Housewives" in the episode "City on Fire" as "Cold Splash", a band competing in a battle-of-the-bands contest. They performed "In A Cave" from their album Elephant Shell. A month later they played "Your English is Good" on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS. On June 28, 2010, they made their third appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman , performing the single "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" off of their second album, Champ.

Members

Former members

Discography

Accolades

YearAssociationCategoryNominated WorkResultRef.
2007 MTVu Woodie Awards Best Emerging ArtistTokyo Police ClubNominated [23]
2007 MuchMusic Video Awards Best Independent Video "Cheer It On"Nominated
2008 Juno Awards Video of the Year "Cheer It On"Nominated [24]
2009 Juno Awards Group of the Year Tokyo Police ClubNominated
2011 Juno Awards Alternative Album of the Year Champ Nominated
2011 MuchMusic Video Awards Indie Video of the Year "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)"Nominated
2014 MuchMusic Video Awards Rock/Alternative Video of the Year "Hot Tonight"Nominated
Post-Production of the Year Nominated
2019 Juno Awards Alternative Album of the Year TPCNominated [24]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tragically Hip</span> Canadian rock band

The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, was a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. They released 13 studio albums, one live album, one EP, and over 50 singles over a 33-year career. Nine of their albums have reached No. 1 on the Canadian charts. They have received numerous Canadian music awards, including 17 Juno Awards. Between 1996 and 2016, the Tragically Hip were the best-selling Canadian band in Canada and the fourth best-selling Canadian artist overall in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metric (band)</span> Canadian indie rock band

Metric are a Canadian indie rock band founded in 1998 in Toronto, Ontario. The band consists of Emily Haines, James Shaw, Joshua Winstead and Joules Scott-Key. The band started in 1998 as a duo formed by Haines and Shaw with the name "Mainstream". After releasing an EP titled Mainstream EP, they changed the band's name to Metric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasabian</span> English rock band

Kasabian are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and second vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karloff left the band in 2006 and founded a new band called Black Onassis. Jay Mehler joined as touring lead guitarist in 2006, leaving for Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye in 2013, to be replaced by Tim Carter, who later became a full-time band member in 2021. Meighan left the band in July 2020, with Pizzorno stepping up as full-time lead vocalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gazette (band)</span> Japanese band

The Gazette, formerly known as Gazette, is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Kanagawa in early 2002. The band is currently signed to Sony Music Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin</span> American indie pop band

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY) is an American indie pop band from Springfield, Missouri. They are named after Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Their first full-length album, Broom, was independently released in 2005. They are now signed with Polyvinyl Record Co.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Horrors</span> English rock band

The Horrors are an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005 by lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spurgeon. Their music has been classified as garage rock, garage punk, gothic rock, shoegaze and post-punk revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianas Trench (band)</span> Canadian pop rock band

Marianas Trench is a Canadian pop rock band from Vancouver. They have released six studio albums: Fix Me (2006), Masterpiece Theatre (2009), Ever After (2011), Astoria (2015), Phantoms (2019), and Haven (2024). The band has been nominated for seven Juno Awards and won Group of the Year in 2013. They have received praise for their showmanship, vocal harmonies, and genre-blending music. Their albums Masterpiece Theatre and Ever After have reached double-platinum status, while their singles "Haven't Had Enough", "Desperate Measures", "Fallout", "Stutter", and "All to Myself" are certified 3× platinum in Canada.

<i>Smith</i> (EP) 2007 EP by Tokyo Police Club

Smith EP is a four-track EP that was released by Canadian indie group Tokyo Police Club on October 23, 2007 in Canada and November 6, 2007 in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Born Ruffians</span> Canadian indie rock band

Born Ruffians are a Canadian indie rock band based in Toronto. Officially founded in 2004 in the Georgian Bay town of Midland, Ontario, the band is composed of frontman Luke Lalonde, bassist Mitch DeRosier, drummer Steve Hamelin, and keyboardist Maddy Wilde. During the 2010s, they were also joined by Andy Lloyd (guitar/keyboards) and Adam Hindle (drums). Born Ruffians released their debut album Red, Yellow & Blue in 2008, and have since released eight albums in total, including the latest albums being Juice and Squeeze, released in 2020; and Pulp released in 2021.

<i>Elephant Shell</i> 2008 studio album by Tokyo Police Club

Elephant Shell is the debut studio album by Canadian indie rock band Tokyo Police Club. It was released in the United States, Canada and Australia on April 22, 2008, by Saddle Creek Records, and in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe on May 5, 2008. "In a Cave", "Juno", and "Tessellate" have been posted on the band's official MySpace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ra Ra Riot</span> American indie rock band

Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller and drummer Kenny Bernard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scandal (Japanese band)</span> Japanese rock band

Scandal is an all-female Japanese rock band formed in Osaka in 2006. Although all four members have provided lead vocals, their primary roles are Haruna on vocals and rhythm guitar, Mami on lead guitar, Tomomi on bass guitar, and Rina on drums. With numerous overseas performances and anime theme songs, Scandal has built a considerable international fanbase. The band has been voted by fans across the world into the top ten of the "Most-Requested Artists" category of the J-Melo Awards every year since 2010, taking first place in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkells</span> Canadian rock band

Arkells is a Canadian rock band, formed in Hamilton, Ontario. In 2006, they signed with Dine Alone Records, and have since signed with Universal Music Canada. They have released nine albums: Jackson Square (2008), Michigan Left (2011), High Noon (2014), Morning Report (2016), Rally Cry (2018), Blink Once (2021), Blink Twice (2022), Laundry Pile (2023) and Disco Loadout, Volume 1 (2024). The band has been nominated for over 15 Juno Awards; winning Rock Album of the Year for High Noon and Rally Cry, and six times for Group of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollerado</span> Canadian indie rock band

Hollerado is a Canadian indie rock band from Ottawa, Ontario. Formed in 2007, the band consisted of Menno Versteeg, Nixon Boyd, Dean Baxter and Jake Boyd. Hollerado went on to release four studio albums, before disbanding in 2019. They were nominated for awards such as the Juno Award that included Best New Group Award at the 2011 Juno Awards.

Jon Drew is a Canadian record producer and recording engineer based in Toronto, Ontario. He has produced the albums of Polaris Music Prize winning band Fucked Up and Juno Award nominated Tokyo Police Club. He has also worked on the albums of Canadian bands the Stars, Attack in Black, July Talk, Single Mothers, Metz, Diemonds and Arkells.

<i>Champ</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Tokyo Police Club

Champ is the second studio album by Tokyo Police Club that was released on June 8, 2010. Champ is the band's second studio album, after the release of Elephant Shell in 2008. Tokyo Police Club released the album's first single, "Breakneck Speed" for free download on their website on March 26, 2010. The next singles released off the album were "Wait Up " followed by "Gone".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Champs</span> American pop-punk band

State Champs is an American pop-punk band from Albany, New York, formed in 2010. They are currently signed to Pure Noise Records and have released three EPs and five full-length albums. Their 2013 debut album The Finer Things debuted at number 2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. They released an acoustic EP titled The Acoustic Things in October 2014 and their second studio album Around the World and Back one year later, in October 2015. In May 2017, they released a deluxe version of the album. Their third album, Living Proof, was released in 2018. In May 2022, the band released their fourth studio album, Kings of the New Age. In November 2024, their self-titled fifth album was released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beaches (band)</span> Canadian rock band

The Beaches are a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 2013 by Jordan Miller, Kylie Miller, Leandra Earl, and Eliza Enman-McDaniel (drums). The band released two EPs titled The Beaches (2013) and Heights (2014) before signing to Universal Records. In 2017, they released their debut album Late Show, which led to the band winning the 2018 Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year.

<i>TPC</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Tokyo Police Club

TPC is the fourth and final studio album by Canadian indie rock group Tokyo Police Club, released by Dine Alone Records on October 5, 2018. The album reunites the band with their early, spontaneous style as well as with Champ producer Rob Schnapf. The album was well-received by fans and critics and was nominated for the 2019 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. Two companion records were released in 2020: a self-released collection of demos as well as the Dine Alone-released EP TPC DLX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo Police Club discography</span>

The following is the discography of Tokyo Police Club. They regularly released music since their formation in 2005 up until their disbandment in 2024. In addition to their five studio albums, they had put out a number of other original releases as well as reissues, demo albums, and live albums.

References

  1. 1 2 "Tokyo Police Club". SPIN.com. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  2. 1 2 Sakthi, Yugan. "Tokyo Police Club visits Grog". The Observer. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  3. ↑ critic, Greg Kot, Tribune music (5 October 2007). "Tokyo Police Club says sayonara to a lark". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-01-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "an Interview with Tokyo Police Club". Brooklynvegan.com. 2007-05-17. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  5. ↑ "Tokyo Police Club performs in The Current studios | The Current from". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 2011-02-23.
  6. ↑ "Article at UKULA". Ukula.com.
  7. ↑ Paul Thompson and Amy Phillips (July 20, 2007). "Tokyo Police Club Sign to Saddle Creek". Archived from the original on 2008-01-03.
  8. ↑ "Pitchfork Article". Pitchforkmedia.com.
  9. ↑ "A Completely Biased Ranking of the 60 Best Canadian Indie Rock Songs of the 00s Part II". Vice, Cam Lindsay Apr 10 2017
  10. ↑ "Tokyo Police Club Elephant Shell". Pitchforkmedia.com.
  11. ↑ "Tokyo Police Club Reminisce About Coachella, Prep for New Album". Spinner . April 28, 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  12. ↑ "The National Top 50 For the Week Ending: Tuesday, October 26, 2010". !Earshot.
  13. ↑ "Tokyo Police Club Return With An Epic Lyric Video for Argentina, Parts I, II, III". December 11, 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  14. ↑ "Daytrotter Sessions". Daytrotter.com.
  15. ↑ Kress, Bryan (July 9, 2018). "Tokyo Police Club Announce New Album 'TPC,' Reveal First Single: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Juno Awards 2019 Alternative Album of the Year Nominees".
  17. ↑ "TPC DLX EP, by Tokyo Police Club". Tokyo Police Club. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  18. ↑ "Tokyo Police Club Announce Champ 10th Anniversary Edition". pastemagazine.com. 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  19. ↑ @memphisind (March 28, 2023). "Delighted to announce the 15 year anniversary reissue of @TokyoPoliceClub's classic LP 'Elephant Shell' on tricolour in colour vinyl on 5 May" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ Jones, Abby (January 23, 2024). "Tokyo Police Club Are Breaking Up". Consequence . Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  21. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (2024-03-12). "Tokyo Police Club Announce Farewell Tour Dates and Share Final Songs: Listen". Pitchfork . Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  22. ↑ DeVille, Chris (2024-03-12). "Tokyo Police Club Release Farewell Single, Announce Tour Dates". Stereogum . Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  23. ↑ "2007 mtvU Woodie Awards Nominations". Stereogum. 2007-09-19. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  24. 1 2 "Past Nominees + Winners". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.