Love Amongst Ruin

Last updated

Love Amongst Ruin
Love Amongst Ruin live in London, November 2015.jpg
Love Amongst Ruin live in London, 2015.
Background information
Origin London, England
Genres Alternative rock, hard rock
Years active2009–present
LabelsAncient B Records
Members Steve Hewitt
Donald Ross Skinner
Perry Bamonte
Past membersMagnus Lundén
Keith York
Laurie Ross
Teresa Morini
Steve Hove
Ramon Sherrington
Dave Weston

Love Amongst Ruin are an English rock supergroup, led by Steve Hewitt after his tenure as the drummer for Placebo. The band released their self-titled debut album in September 2010 and second album Lose Your Way was released in June 2015.

Contents

Band history

Beginnings and formation (2007–2009)

Upon leaving Placebo after the conclusion of their Meds tour in September 2007, [1] Steve Hewitt had a vision "to create a new band, a new album and a new sound". He immediately enlisted Lamb bassist Jon Thorne and his brother Nick Hewitt to begin writing and demoing new music at his home studio. [2] In March 2008, Julian Cope collaborator Donald Ross Skinner was brought in to oversee and co-produce the recording sessions. Between April and August 2008, the collective moved to Moles Studio in Bath for three recording sessions with producer Paul Corkett, [3] which yielded ten songs, with Hewitt predominantly performing drums and lead vocals. Mixing began in September and continued for six months before the album was mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering in April 2009. [4]

Hewitt spent the second half of 2009 securing management, publishing and record deals, in addition to finding permanent members for the band. Former Cure and Depeche Mode tour manager Daryl Bamonte became the band's manager. [5] In November, Hewitt revealed that the band and debut album would be named 'Love Amongst Ruin', [6] with the band name being "a very apt description of the place I found myself in after I was ejected from Placebo. My life, the way it had been, seemed to be in ruins but I got a lot of love from fans and friends and family". [7]

Love Amongst Ruin (2009–2011)

The band lineup was revealed in December 2009 and announced alongside Steve Hewitt (vocals/guitar) were Donald Ross Skinner (guitar), Steve Hove (guitar), Laurie Ross (keyboards & cello) and Keith York (drums). The band made their live debut at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, Netherlands on 14 January 2010, [8] with guest bassist Jonathan Noyce. [9] Bassist Magnus Lundén was added as a permanent member in time for the band's UK live debut at the Barfly in London on 11 May. [10] The band followed up with a larger gig at the Scala in June. [11] Magnus Lundén was replaced by Teresa Morini in July. [12] The band appeared on the Red Bull Stage at Sonisphere Festival on 11 August, the day after Hewitt's previous band, Placebo, had played on the main stage. [13]

Love Amongst Ruin's debut single "So Sad (Fade)" was released on 30 August on Ancient B Records, [14] followed by their self-titled debut album on 13 September. [15] The band embarked on the Heaven & Hell Tour from September through November and released their second single "Home" on 25 October. [16] 2010 was wrapped up with a gig at Birmingham Academy supporting Feeder. [17] Keith York left the band at the end of the year, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family. [18] He was replaced by Ramon Sherrington. Laurie Ross was also removed from the live lineup, but continued to record with the band in the studio.

The band began 2011 with a quartet of gigs supporting Feeder, [19] before supporting their third single, "Alone", with a short tour of France in March. Gizz Butt filled in for Steve Hove on the Recycling Party tour in May, [20] while Jon Thorne stepped in for Teresa Morini at the Fête de la Musique in Valence, France in June. [21] The band spent two days at Fisher Lane Farm in early August with producer Paul Corkett to record acoustic versions of nine tracks released on their self-titled debut album. [22] Laurie Ross returned to play cello at the sessions. [23] An acoustic version of "Bring Me Down (You Don't)" was given away by the band as a free download in advance of the release of the acoustic album on 5 December. [24]

Lose Your Way (2011–2016)

In January 2011, Hewitt revealed he had begun writing the band's second album and that the band would commence recording after completing the supporting tour for their self-titled debut album. [25] In June, Hewitt stated that "We're about nine tracks in. We're hoping to start recording in September. I've demoed most of the drums but we'll see when September comes who's going to play what. I've got to get my oar in and have a go, it'd be silly not to". [26] The writing process for the album was completed in March 2012 and was recorded by Hewitt and Donald Ross Skinner, with Dan Austin producing. [27] In May 2012 it was announced that Teresa Morini had left the band to join the Cirque du Soleil touring show Amaluna. [28] Her replacement was former-Cure guitarist Perry Bamonte. [29] On 5 July, the band made available a free download of their cover of "Rise" by Public Image Ltd via their Facebook page. [30] In early September, founding guitarist Steve Hove left the band, causing a 10 September comeback show at the London Barfly to be cancelled. [28] Dave Weston was announced as Hove's replacement in mid-November and the band commenced rehearsals. [31] [32] Despite announcements in January 2013 and February 2014 that news would be forthcoming, the band remained inactive while Hewitt worked with Six by Seven, Polaroid Kiss and produced records for Lys and Spiral 69. [33] [34] [35]

On 13 March 2015, the band posted a short video clip on Vimeo, featuring new song "Lose Your Way". [36] On 9 April, Q Magazine made "Swan Killer" their Track of the Day and the band announced the album title as Lose Your Way , with a release date of 29 June 2015. [37] [38] The album was preceded by the "Lose Your Way" EP on 11 May, [39] with the title track peaking at number one on the Deutsche Alternative Singles Chart. [40] The album was followed by the "Modern War Song" and "So Close" EPs on 24 July and 6 November. [41] [42] The album's supporting tour began on 24 November at the London Barfly and featured Gizz Butt (guitar) and Ravi Kesavaram (drums) as touring musicians alongside permanent members Hewitt, Skinner and Bamonte. [43] By April 2021, the album had gone silver. [44]

On 24 March 2016, the band revealed they were recording new material. [45] Five months later, it was announced that Lose Your Way (Acoustic) (an album of acoustic versions of songs initially released on Lose Your Way) would be released on 2 September 2016. [46] [47] On 19 August 2016, a new song, "Amy's Prayer", featuring guest vocals from Amber Kingi, was made available for free via the band's web store. [48] An EP, "Way To Your Heart", was released on 9 December 2016. [49]

Return (2022–)

On 5 November 2021, it was announced that Love Amongst Ruin would support Paul Draper on his UK tour in February and March 2022. [50] Reduced in length due to a family bereavement suffered by Paui Draper, [51] the tour was performed acoustically by Steve Hewitt and Gizz Butt. [52] Further acoustic gigs took place in Dover and Machynlleth in April 2022. [53] [54]

Musical style and influences

Love Amongst Ruin describe themselves as "a multi-faceted rock band that promises the crunch of a stone age queen, the crossover appeal of a parkful of linkins and the melodicism of the hardiest fighter of foos". [55] They also cite having New Order, Depeche Mode, Kasabian, Can, The Cure and Metallica elements to their sound. [56]

Band members

Timeline

Love Amongst Ruin

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

EPs

Other albums

Free downloads

Music videos

YearVideoDirectorLink
2010"So Sad (Fade)"(unlisted) YouTube
"Home"(unlisted) YouTube
2011"Alone"(unlisted) YouTube
2015"Lose Your Way"Eni Brandner YouTube
"Modern War Song"Eni Brandner YouTube
"So Close"Eni Brandner YouTube

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Black Crowes</span> American rock band

The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the following year. Their follow-up, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, reached the top of the Billboard 200 in 1992. The albums Amorica (1994), Three Snakes and One Charm (1996), By Your Side (1999), and Lions (2001) followed, with each showing moderate popularity but failing to capture the chart successes of the band's first two albums. After a hiatus from 2002 to 2005, the band regrouped and toured for several years before releasing Warpaint in 2008, which reached number 5 on the Billboard chart.

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

Placebo is a British alternative rock band, formed in London in 1994 by vocalist–guitarist Brian Molko and bassist–guitarist Stefan Olsdal. Drummer Robert Schultzberg joined in late 1994, but left in 1996 shortly after the release of the band's eponymous debut album due to conflicts with Molko, and was replaced the same year by Steve Hewitt. Molko was born in Belgium and Olsdal and Schultzberg in Sweden; remaining members Molko and Olsdal both grew up in Luxembourg before separately relocating to London and are both British citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayside (band)</span> American punk rock band

Bayside is an American punk rock band from the Bayside, Queens neighborhood of New York City, formed in 2000 by lead vocalist Anthony Raneri. The group also consists of lead guitarist Jack O'Shea, bassist Nick Ghanbarian, and drummer Chris Guglielmo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senses Fail</span> American rock band

Senses Fail is an American rock band formed in Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 2001. Founded by vocalist Buddy Nielsen, drummer Dan Trapp, guitarists Garrett Zablocki and Dave Miller, and bassist James Gill ; the band has seen many lineup changes, with Nielsen being the only consistent member.

<i>Placebo</i> (Placebo album) 1996 studio album by Placebo

Placebo is the debut studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo. It was released on 17 June 1996 by record label Virgin. It is the only album recorded with drummer Robert Schultzberg before his departure from the group.

Six by Seven are an English indie rock band, formed in 1992 in Nottingham. The classic lineup of the band featured singer/guitarist Chris Olley, guitarist Sam Hempton, drummer Chris Davis, bassist Paul Douglas and keyboard player James Flower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefan Olsdal</span> Musical artist

Bo Stefan Alexander Olsdal is a Swedish-Luxembourgish musician, best known as the bassist/guitarist of the alternative rock band Placebo, he is also part of the electronic band Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal and launched the electronic/dance remix at Hotel Persona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Hewitt</span> Musical artist

Steven James Hewitt is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is the frontman of his own band, Love Amongst Ruin. Hewitt is best known for his tenure as the drummer for Placebo between September 1996 and October 2007. He plays drums and guitar left-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Weepies</span> American singer-songwriters

The Weepies were an American indie pop-folk band consisting of singer-songwriters Steve Tannen and Deb Talan. Their music has been described as "subtly intoxicating folk-pop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Forrest (musician)</span> American drummer

Steve Forrest is an American drummer from Modesto, California, best known for his work with the British alternative rock band Placebo, which he left in 2015. Before joining Placebo, Forrest was drummer for the ambient rock band Evaline. He announced his intention to leave Evaline in January 2007, but remained with the band throughout their 2007 United States tour. During that tour, Evaline opened for Placebo, and Forrest came to be acquainted with them. In 2008 he took the vacant seat of Steve Hewitt. Unlike Placebo's previous two drummers, Forrest plays right-handed, not left. His first set with Placebo for "Live at Angkor Wat" in Cambodia, was his most memorable gig. Forrest was Placebo's drummer for two consecutive album tours, the Battle For The Sun tour and the Loud Like Love tour. He also contributed backing vocals live and in the studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Favorite Enemies</span> Canadian alternative rock band

Your Favorite Enemies is a Canadian alternative rock band that was formed in Varennes, Quebec, in 2006 by Alex Henry Foster (vocals), Jeff Beaulieu (guitar), Sef Lemelin (guitar), Ben Lemelin (bass), Miss Isabel, and Charles "Moose" Allicie (drums). The band is now based in Drummondville, in a former Catholic church that they have transformed into a studio. The members of the band have remained the same since the beginning.

New Empire was an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 2005. The band members were Jeremy Fowler, Kale Kneale, Kyle Lane, Nate Cairns, Sam Walker and Peter Gillies.

<i>Love Amongst Ruin</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Love Amongst Ruin

Love Amongst Ruin is the self-titled debut studio album by Love Amongst Ruin. It was released on 13 September 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Sad (Fade)</span> 2010 single by Love Amongst Ruin

"So Sad (Fade)" is the debut single by British rock band Love Amongst Ruin. The single was released on 30 August 2010 on Ancient B Records.

"Bring Me Down (You Don't)" is a song by British rock band Love Amongst Ruin, written by singer and guitarist Steve Hewitt. The song has frequently been performed live by the band.

Donald Skinner is a guitarist, songwriter and producer primarily known for his work with Julian Cope. Skinner is commonly known by the name Donald Ross Skinner with the addition of the middle name of Ross attributed to him by Cope after Glenn Ross Campbell, the pedal steel player from The Misunderstood. He is currently a guitarist for Love Amongst Ruin and DC Fontana.

<i>Acoustic</i> (Love Amongst Ruin album) 2011 studio album by Love Amongst Ruin

Acoustic is an album by British rock band Love Amongst Ruin and features acoustic versions of eight tracks released on the band's debut album. It was released on 5 December 2011.

Paul Corkett is a British record producer, engineer and arranger.

<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 four 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.

<i>Lose Your Way</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Love Amongst Ruin

Lose Your Way is the second studio album by the British rock band Love Amongst Ruin. It was released by Ancient B Records on 29 June 2015 and has been described as "an album from an artist over the hump, head high to the future and all engines gunning".

References

  1. "Placebo's Drummer Leaves The Band | News". Ultimate-guitar.com. 26 December 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  2. "Love Amongst Ruin – Official Facebook Fan site – The Story – Part I". Community.livejournal.com. 14 August 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  3. "Love Amongst Ruin – The Story – Part II". Community.livejournal.com. 4 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  4. "Love Amongst Ruin – The Story – Part III". Community.livejournal.com. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  5. "Un nouveau single pour Love Amongst Ruin". Picturesofcure.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  6. "Love Amongst Ruin – The Story – Part IV". Community.livejournal.com. 6 November 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  7. "The Music Freak interview with Steve Hewitt". MusicVita. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  8. "EuroSonic Festival – EuroSonic Noorderslag 2010 | lineup". Virtual Festivals. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  9. "Jonathan Noyce". Jethrotull.com. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  10. "Love Amongst Ruin at Barfly on Tue 11th May". Barflyclub.com. 6 September 2010. Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  11. "Review: Love Amongst Ruin @ The Scala | Latest Clubbing News". Skiddle.com. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  12. "Love Amongst Ruin: So Sad!". Shakenstir. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  13. "Stage Times". Sonisphere Festival UK. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  14. "Love Amongst Ruin – So Sad (fade)". 28 August 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  15. Garland, Katy. "Love Amongst Ruin Debut Album Review". MusicVita. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  16. "Love Amongst Ruin: Placebo Man Announces New Single, Video & UK Tour". AltSounds. 10 October 2010. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  17. "The Kerrang! Xmas Party at O2 Academy in Birmingham 9 Dec 2010". GB: Livebrum.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  18. King, Phil. "Steve Hewitt: (Love Amongst Ruin) Still Running, Still Strong". Mudkiss.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  19. "Love Amongst Ruin support Feeder on UK Tour". Musicrooms.net. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  20. "Due to a previous..." Facebook. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  21. "Getting ready for Fete De La Musique... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  22. "Recording session August 1/2 2011". Facebook. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  23. "Love Amongst Ruin added 11 new photos to... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  24. "Love Amongst Ruin – Bring Me Down (you don't) by Love Amongst Ruin". SoundCloud. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  25. "Q&A: Love Amongst Ruin". Thecmuwebsite.com. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  26. "Steve Hewitt: I was 'absolutely s****ing my pants' about fronting new band | Rhythm". MusicRadar.com. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  27. "Love Amongst Ruin". St Pauls Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  28. 1 2 "Love Amongst Ruin". Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  29. "Working hard, rehearsing hard. We can... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  30. "So here it is, a..." Facebook. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  31. "The Band Is Complete… |". Loveamongstruin.com. 13 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  32. "The band is complete, rehearsals have... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  33. "Happy New Year everyone, hope you had a... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  34. "Paola Rotasso – Tijdlijnfoto's". Facebook. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  35. "in December 2013 a certain Mr Hewitt and... – Peteur Von Funkenstein". Facebook. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  36. "Lose Your Way – Teaser on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  37. "Love Amongst Ruin – Swan Killer". Q Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  38. "Interview: Steve Hewitt (Love Amongst Ruin)". Gigslutz. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  39. "Love Amongst Ruin | 'Lose Your Way' EP is out now on iTunes". Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  40. "Love Amongst Ruin". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  41. "Modern War Song – EP by Love Amongst Ruin". iTunes. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  42. "So Close – Single by Love Amongst Ruin on iTunes". iTunes. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  43. "Love Amongst Ruin – Du 14/12/2015 19:30 au 15/12/2015 01:00". Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  44. "We went silver!!! Thank you so, so much, to every single person who has purchased a copy of this album! Honestly cannot believe it made a silver! 🤘". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  45. "Hi all, we're currently in the studio... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  46. "Love Amongst Ruin – Timeline". Facebook. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  47. "Lose Your Way (Acoustic) by Love Amongst Ruin on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  48. "Exklusiver Download: Love Amongst Ruin verschenken neuen Song "Amy's Prayer"". www.sonic-seducer.de. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  49. "Hey Everyone, here is a teaser for our... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  50. "Feb–March 2022 UK Tour Tickets Now On General Sale!". Paul Draper. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  51. "Rescheduled Tour Announcement". Paul Draper. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  52. Thorley, Andy (26 March 2022). "Paul Draper, Steve Hewitt's Love Amongst Ruin @ Institute 3, Birmingham 25/03/2022". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  53. "See you tonight Dover!!! Who's coming?! 🤘". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  54. "Come see us Saturday in The Red Lion in Machynlleth!". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  55. "Introducing : Love Amongst Ruin". Lights Go Out – A punk fanzine from the UK. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  56. "Love Amongst Ruin". Chuff Media. 21 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2012.