Alex Gold - vox/guitar/songs Maz Manzini - vox/guitar/songs Alex Kew - vox/guitar/songs Alex Valentine - The Bass Samuel Terrific - The Drums High Wycombe – Population 92,295 + 5 lads on a guitar-charged melodic quest. Five lads who quite rightly refuse to succumb to small town nothingness, five lads with an unbreakable passion for music: Ladies and gentlemen: Introducing THE WUTARS. ‘I would like to leave this city, this old town don’t smell too pretty’- Noel Gallagher Dec ’94 It’s no wonder that some of the most important bands in Britain have established their greatness after rebelling and fighting against the frustration and banality of home-town living. The Smiths, Oasis and more recently Arctic Monkeys are all examples of young men taking the rough by the scruff of the neck and shaking it till there was nothing left in their way. This time round Alex Gold, Maz Manzini, Alex Kew, Alex Valentine, and Samuel Terrific are the gang of brothers doing the shaking. The band formed back in 2005 with a shared belief that there was something better in this world for them, if they wanted it badly enough. For the Wutars, band rehearsals and general rock‘n’roll naughtiness were born and bred in their communal squat in High Wycombe. A steady fanbase started to form inside the four walls of the towns’ student union and the band were also to be found playing ‘shindig gigs’ in friends houses. Gigs (sometimes legal, sometimes not legal enough) were hosted at the squat but most importantly, Alex’s songbook started to run out of pages. Ah yes, the songs. The band will tell you that to define their sound would ultimately destroy its existence and undermine the point of it being produced. Well, I’m not in the band and all I’ll say is that it’s British rock‘n’roll – it’s the bite of The Jam, it’s the grace of The La’s, the power of The Who, it’s melodic and rhythmic, retro yet NOW, charming and commanding, unique yet familiar. With a band like the Wutars you quickly run out of superlatives. ‘In the City there’s a thousand things I wanna say to you’ – Paul Weller, April 1977 Enter London. The band had by now recorded their first rough demos, and under local and loyal management, started to land gigs in London, with Islington Academy playing host to their first gig in the capital. Proceedings took a deserved turn for the better in May 2006 when French music promoter Veronica Morato offered the band a residency at the pub where The Libertines regularly honed their talents - the now indie-iconic Filthy MacNasty’s. So enthralled by the band’s charisma and tunes was she, Veronica offered to manage the band full-time; the band duly acquiesced. Over the last few years the band have stormed some of London’s most famous rock’n’roll venues, such as The Water Rats, 100 Club, Camden Underworld & Proud and The Metro Club. Combined with great front-man presence courtesy of Alex, a coolness-personified leather-jacket clad armoury and a tightness and camaraderie that we remember those four chaps from Liverpool once having, its no wonder the Wutars have witnessed packed nights at their London shows. Supporters of the band most notably include Sex Pistols legend Glen Matlock and Rodney Bingenheimer from KROQ radio, Los Angeles. The band are also impressively supported by the Joe Strummer foundation for new music (Strummerville), and their track ‘Oh La La La’ appeared on the recent ‘Strummerville Summer Sessions 2009’ album. Outside London, the band have also played to rapturous crowds – and brought with them coaches full of the Wu-hardcore – in Bruges and Stockholm. Over the last couple of years The Wutars have also shared the bill with Glen Matlock, Brakes, Towers of London, Simple Kid and Drew McConnell from Babyshambles. Alex is to be found most weeks at Filthy’s continuing to plug the pedigree of his band with his ‘awustic’ solo gigs. The band’s best songs are the ones which ultimately show-off their melodic yet wry strengths and tendencies. These include ‘Waste My Days Away’, ‘Oh La La La’, ‘Different Story’ & ‘Gamlastan’. Played live, they conjure up an optimism and delight simply not seen in bands anymore. ‘What’s ‘Good for me’ is not pretty and what’s the use of missing ambition?’- Alex Gold Jul 2009. In July 2009 the band recorded their first EP - ‘EP1’, no fluff about it – in St. Albans, the first release on their own Very Decent Music label. And the result? An EP which begs them to record a full-length album, an audio equivalent of you and your best mates stealing back the expenses you had stolen from you by fat MPs and the realisation that music is all that you need and all that’s important, period. Provided this band continue to do what they do, the sooner they’ll be heading towards the heights they so utterly deserve. The fans sense it and they believe it. Five cheers for the Wutars. Nathan Harrison