Why YOU Should Listen To Reuben | A Brief History Of Reuben
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Reuben are one of, if not the most underrated British rock band of the 21st Century, a fact our Tom won't take lying down. Join him as he runs down the history of Reuben, their entire discography and why you should make 2020 the year you discover Reuben.
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Transcription:
If you’re a fan of rock music born after a certain time, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of Reuben. But it’d be a safe bet to suggest that your favourite rock bands have. Yes, Reuben quietly carved out a legacy as one of the most vital, influential bands in their all too short time as a unit, and 16 years after the release of their debut album, this legacy isn’t celebrated nearly enough.
In this rambling stream of consciousness we hope to remedy this. Read on as we take a look at who Reuben were, each of their major releases and why you should make 2020 the year you discover (or rediscover) Reuben.
One of the leaders of the Farnborough post-hardcore renaissance, Reuben formed in 1998 when school friends Jamie Lenman and Jon Pearce met through a mutual music teacher. Originally performing under the name Angel, they released 3 EPs during this time, all of which can still be downloaded from their website (which remains as a relic of mid-2000s, MySpace-esque nostalgia). Although the recordings are rough and the Nirvana reverence is evident, everything that made Reuben iconic can be found on these early releases; catchy riffs, heartfelt lyrics and Lenman’s trademark irreverent humour. Many of these embryonic tracks would be reworked as b-sides later in the band’s career.
Although building a groundswell of local support, Angel’s biggest break came in 2000 during a battle of the bands contest. Up against a panel of 12 year olds, Lenman and co. beat out the competition and won a one release deal with underground record company Badmusic. They released Pilot the following year under the new name Reuben.
But why Reuben?
The original idea for the rebrand was ‘Words From Reuben’, but the consensus was this sounded far too emo, so decided to condense it. However, the original name can be found as a song title on Pilot.
By September of that year current drummer Mark Lawton had amacibly left the band, later being replaced by Guy Davis, who would remain with the band until their 2008 indefinite hiatus. Not long after they released their biggest single to date - ‘Scared of the Police’, which would garner extensive press coverage and airplay on MTV2 (hey, remember MTV2?).
For the next couple of years the band released more singles, played hundreds of shows throughout the UK and tried to find a label to release their debut album. The latter proved more difficult than anticipated, and eventually they recorded their debut album in the summer of 2003 - an entirely self-financed enterprise. The album, entitled Racecar is Racecar Backwards would finally be released in July 2004 on the brand new label Xtra Mile Recordings.
By this point, Reuben’s burgeoning imprint on the British music scene was already being forged, and would continue to blossom despite numerous setbacks and bad luck. Rather than simply recount the story of the band from then to now, let’s take a look at each album, dissect what made it great and why you should listen to it.