The Pictures

There are at least two bands named The Pictures: 1) An alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia, fronted by You Am I lead guitarist Davey Lane. 2) An unsigned five piece band from London, UK. 1) Nobody can blend melody and riffage quite like The Pictures. It's in their blood, second nature or something. All three members are pure musicians, and each has a firm grounding in rock 'n' roll. Davey Lane joined You Am I when he was still a 19 year old kid, making his recorded debut on 2001's Dress Me Slowly. Luke Thomas chased the major label dream for several years as part of FMR-signed act Lavish before hooking up with Davey in late 2001, while latecomer Johnny T, who replaced long-serving drummer Brett Wolfenden just prior to the recording of the 2004 EP Singin' It Just To See, also provided the stick work for fellow-Melbournians Daughterboy Jao's debut album Simple Matters which was recently released by Virgin/EMI Records. As The Pictures they bring those credentials together, sharing an undeniably rare chemistry that resonates strongly throughout Pieces of Eight, a debut that only this incarnation of the band could have created. It's been a rollercoaster ride since Davey formed The Pictures. Blowing other bands off stage as the support act, getting praised royally by several well-respected onlookers, mixing tracks at Abbey Road and sound tracking a Pepsi commercial are just some of the high points they've experienced. But to reach those highs there have been many challenges to overcome - You Am I commitments, band break-ups, line-up changes, UK record labels dissolving into thin air; you name it, it's probably held The Pictures up at one point or another. Through it all, though, The Pictures have kept on spitting out the killer rock 'n' roll, as cuts like "Ground Control', "Somethin' I Don't Know" and "See Ya Home Tonight" will readily attest. The culmination of years of experience, frustration, exhilaration and inspiration, it is undoubtedly one of the best local rock releases of the year. Recorded in March 2005 at Sing Sing and Newmarket Studios with producer Greg Wales (Snout, Even, The Cops), Pieces of Eight sounds freshly inspired as Davey, Luke and Johnny merge their acute ears for pop melody with those pure bred rock 'n' roll hearts. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.