GoodBooks’ evolution began when Max and Leo started doing Beatles covers in their attic when they were 8 and Max’s mum used to teach Chris at primary school. It took till 2001 for the band to take shape when at Sevenoaks School in Kent, Max and Leo came together with Chris and JP to form The Fingerprints. The Fingerprints set about their musical career by self-recording two albums; Cards on the Table, Clothes on the Floor and Miranda. Tracks such as “Tangerine” appeared on local radio stations such as BBC Radio Kent and KMFM. The band also started gigging locally in the South-East during this time, with regular gigs at the Tunbridge Wells Forum helping them to develop a modest regional fanbase, even performing in front of 8,000 people on one eventful Christmas. The Fingerprints disbanded in late 2004 when their then-bassist left. The band decided to continue as a four piece and on the day of their first rehearsal “Walk With Me” was created. The band continued to write more songs but this time they had a maturer more electronic-influenced sounds. The sessions created tracks from the Valves and Robots EP such as “Passchendaele” and “Isabella” which not only became fan favourites but impressed influential members of the industry and in late 2005 the band signed a deal for a one-off single with indie label Transgressive Records. The following months saw GoodBooks establishing their place within the UK alternative scene on a wider scale with gigs all over the country, notably supporting Art Brut and a gig with The Magic Numbers in Sweden. “Walk With Me” was rerecorded and was released as the band’s debut single on Transgressive on 3 April 2006 on 7” vinyl and cassette only (one of only a very small number of cassette singles released that year). The video was shown on MTV2 and NME awarded it Runner-Up in its track of the week section, proclaiming GoodBooks “the best new band in Britain”. The band were approached by Columbia Records at the start of 2006 and signed a deal in May, releasing the singles “Turn it Back” and “Leni” in the second half of 2006 as well as making important and well-received performances at the Carling Reading and Leeds Festivals and the Truck Festival and their debut album, Control, was released on 30 July 2007 in the UK. The band maintained a Myspace page with updates on their progress. This page reported that their second album, working title “Cry Of The Hunters” was completed and would be released in Summer 2009. NME claimed that this would occur on the 4th of May, although the album has yet to be released. GoodBooks disbanded after Glastonbury 2009, where they played their last set on the John Peel Stage on 28 June 2009. Band Members: Max Cooke - vocals, guitar |Chris Porter - vocals, bass |JP Duncan - keys |Leo von Bülow-Quirk - drums |
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