Public Service Broadcasting

Combining music, spoken word, and visuals, London-based duo Public Service Broadcasting were formed in 2010 when multi-instrumentalist and songwriter known as J. Willgoose, Esq. recruited equally regally named drummer Wrigglesworth, following a string of eclectic but, ultimately, unfruitful musical outings that had been going on and off since the late '90s. Inspired by listening to archive material from BBC Radio 4, Willgoose began to delve deeper, searching for both audio clips and film footage from throughout the 20th century that he could possibly complement with indie/electronic music and vice-versa. Public Service Broadcasting's first release, EP One, appeared in August 2010 and was the perfect introduction to the pair's concept, featuring "New Dimensions in Sound," which sampled an infomercial for a record player alongside vibrant indie rock that built into a crescendo of distorted guitar. PSB began to make a name for themselves on the live circuit with an unmistakable set that featured an old walnut-veneered 1960s television which they lovingly described as the band's "frontman." A year after EP One, the duo released the single "Roygbiv" and then The War Room, another EP, this time focusing on World War II and, in particular, The Blitz. Sampling propaganda films, sirens, and a film about the invention of the Spitfire on a track of the same name, the EP created further buzz and radio play for Public Service Broadcasting as they prepared their debut album Inform - Educate - Entertain, which was released in May 2013 on their own label, Test Card. By now the guitar, banjo, and electronics of J. Willgoose, Esq. and intricate drumming from the jazz-trained Wrigglesworth was developing into a well-rounded, well-oiled machine. One of the album's highlights, "Everest" was based around The Conquest of Everest, a 1953 film documenting Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's first successful ascent of the mountain, including the fitting line "two very small men/cutting steps in the roof of the world." Public Service Broadcasting went on to tour the album and play a host of festivals in the summer of 2013, as well as secure a support slot with the Rolling Stones in London's Hyde Park.