A Silent Film | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Oxford, England, UK |
Genres | Piano rock,Alternative rock |
Years active | 2005–present |
Labels | Creative Media Investments, Xtra Mile Recordings, Bieler Bros., Silent Songs |
Website | asilentfilm |
Members | Robert Stevenson Spencer Walker |
Past members | Karl Bareham Lewis Jones Ali Hussain |
A Silent Film are an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consists of Robert Stevenson (vocals/piano/guitar) and Spencer Walker (drums). Their first album, The City That Sleeps, was released on 6 October 2008, with one reviewer describing it as "a surefire winner". One critic has said that A Silent Film's style "distinctly echoes" Coldplay, Snow Patrol and The Killers.
The band formed in 2005. Three of the five members (Robert Stevenson, Spencer Walker and Lewis Jones) had been members of another band named Shouting Myke, which formed in early 2000. In 2005 two members (Benn Clarke and Steve Meyer-Rassow) left the band and were replaced by Ali Hussain, whose older brother is noted classical conductor Leo Hussain. The newly formed band chose the name A Silent Film after lead singer Stevenson wrote a song using the melody from a song from a Charlie Chaplin film; the band agreed they liked the style and chose the name as a reference to Chaplin's many silent films. The band released their first recording in 2007, an EP titled The Projectionist. They performed on the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury in 2007.
The original UK version of the album, produced by Sam Williams, contains 11 tracks. A reviewer compared the album to the music of Coldplay and described it as "catchy and accessible". The single "You Will Leave a Mark" was number one in the Sunday Times Culture magazine's Hottest Downloads chart. It was featured as an iTunes Discovery Download and has been downloaded over 110,000 times. It was also nominated for the XFM New Music Award.
After the album's release, the band toured the UK and then Portugal where they quickly became popular. After a matter of weeks, "You Will Leave a Mark" reached the top of the Portuguese download singles charts, followed by the album soon after. The band have played and toured with OneRepublic, Scouting for Girls, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Temper Trap, Sleigh Bells, Biffy Clyro, Fitz & The Tantrums, Civil Twilight, Athlete and Blue October.