The Suzukis

In the great British tradition of bands deluged by tidal waves of hype even before their first albums hit the streets, the Suzukis started getting U.K. music press buzz almost immediately upon signing to the hip Liverpool indie Deltasonic Records (the Coral, the Zutons, etc.) in 2005, though their debut EP, Reducer, wasn't released until two years later. Though their northwest England hometown of Wigan is best known for its role in the birth of the retro Northern soul scene in the 1970s, the Suzukis come off more like the sons of Oasis and the Libertines, favoring a scrappy, guitar-based mix of rock & roll swagger and vintage punk histrionics. Teenagers when the band formed in early 2003, singer Chris Veasey, guitarist Adam Bamford, bassist Robert Warnes, and drummer Stuart Robinson attracted the ear of Deltasonic label founder Alan Wills (former drummer for '90s cult favorites Shack) when they played a party thrown by a mutual friend. After signing with the label in 2005, the Suzukis woodshedded for nearly two years, improving their songwriting and perfecting their stage presence, until Reducer was released in the summer of 2007.