Capdown
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | Milton Keynes , England |
| Products | Punk rock music, ska punk music |
| Website | www |
Capdown is a punk rock group originating from Milton Keynes, England. Initially performing under the name Soap, their politically charged moniker is a fusion of the words Capitalist Downfall. Their sound merges elements of ska, punk, hardcore, dub, drum and bass, and reggae, earning them acclaim through self-released material and relentless touring.
Career
The band members had been collaborating since they were 14 years old. Starting out as Soap, they submitted a demo of the Time For Change EP to the independent label Household Name Records in 1998. This led to a record deal and a rebranding as Capdown, an abbreviation of Capitalist Downfall. The EP was officially released in 1999.
In May 2000, Capdown’s first full-length album, Civil Disobedients, was launched by Household Name Records. The record combined hardcore punk with ska and dub influences. It played a significant role in igniting an underground punk movement and was ranked number 76 in the NME’s list of the top 100 albums of the decade. That year, the band performed nearly 250 live shows.
Early in 2001, Capdown toured alongside American acts such as Less Than Jake and took part in the Deconstruction touring festival with bands like Pennywise and Lagwagon.
Their sophomore album, Pound for the Sound, arrived in September 2001 and garnered favorable reviews from publications including Kerrang!. In 2002, they supported tours with Bad Religion and Hundred Reasons. Additionally, they were featured in the BBC documentary Brassic Beats, which explored the British ska punk scene.
By 2003, Capdown had signed with Fierce Panda Records and released two EPs: Act Your Rage and New Revolutionaries. The former achieved a peak position of number 80 on the UK Singles Chart. As of November 2004, combined sales of their albums Civil Disobedients and Pound for the Sound surpassed 30,000 units. The band earned praise for their energetic live performances and appeared at the first Slam Dunk Festival in 2006.
The lineup at this stage consisted of Jake Sims-Fielding (vocals, saxophone), Robin "Boob" Goold (bass), Keith Minter (guitar, vocals), Tim Macdonald (drums), and Andrew "Eddie" Hunt (keyboards/samples).
Their final studio album, Wind Up Toys, was released on 5 February 2007 via Fierce Panda Records.
Following a concluding UK tour that ended on 9 November 2007 in Milton Keynes, Capdown disbanded. Their ultimate performance took place on 7 June 2008 at the Pitz club in Milton Keynes after a warm-up show on 5 June at the Peel venue in Kingston upon Thames.
In 2010, the band reunited exclusively to perform at the Slam Dunk Festival held in London and Leeds. They also appeared at notable events such as the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool on 6 August 2011, the Hevy Music Festival in Kent during August 2011, and the Reading and Leeds Festival later that same month. In December 2014, Capdown toured alongside Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and The Skints as part of the Jägermeister Music Tour.
Between May 2012 and September 2021, Capdown made multiple returns to perform at various editions of the Slam Dunk Festival.
Other ventures
Following Capdown's initial disbandment, Goold and Macdonald collaborated with Simon Wells from Snuff/Southport to establish The Maccalites. Additionally, Goold, Minter, and Macdonald contribute to the rock ensemble This Contrast Kills.
Beginning in 2012, Robin Goold and Tim Macdonald partnered with Ben Hyman, David Lloyd (1000 Hz), and Rob Blay to form The GetGone. Their output includes the 5-track EP Stories and Ruses released in 2013 and their first full-length album One Thousand Ways To Live, which came out in April 2016. Both projects were produced by Keith Minter of Capdown.
Starting from 2013, Tim Macdonald has been the drummer for UK Hardcore group Menshevik, alongside Steve Pitcher (Vanilla Pod), Dan Hawcroft (Whizzwood), and Robert Dempsey (Mustard City Rockers).
Albums
| Year | Album title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Civil Disobedients | Household Name |
| 2001 | Pound for the Sound | Household Name |
| 2007 | Wind Up Toys | Fierce Panda |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Act Your Rage | Fierce Panda |
| 2003 | New Revolutionaries | Gravity DIP |
| 2006 | Keeping Up Appearances | Fierce Panda |
| 2007 | Surviving the Death of a Genre | Fierce Panda |
| 2007 | No Matter What | Fierce Panda |
Music videos
- Act Your Rage (2003)
- New Revolutionaries (2003)
Additional releases
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Time for Change EP | Household Name | |
| 2000 | Split EP | Household Name | Split release with Link 80 |
| 2001 | Christmas Fisting EP | Household Name | Shared EP with Hard Skin and Southport |
| 2003 | Live in Brighton | Punker Bunker | Live DVD; split with Rude Bones |
| 2005 | Live in M.K. | Gravity DIP | Live recording album |
| 2007 | Live EP | Fierce Panda | Live EP included with select editions of Wind Up Toys and later offered as a complimentary download |
Critical response
In 2021, Louder featured Capdown in a 'best of' compilation, recognizing the band for having "initiated a movement within the UK" and emphasizing their capacity for wider acclaim.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Musical groups established in 1997
- Musical groups disestablished in 2007
- Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom
- Third-wave ska groups
- Entertainers from Milton Keynes
- English ska musical groups
- Fierce Panda Records artists
- British political music groups
- Post–third-wave ska groups
- 1997 establishments in England