The Ordinary Boys

The Ordinary Boys

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	2002
Headquarters	Worthing , England, United Kingdom
Products	Music albums, singles

The Ordinary Boys represent a pop ensemble hailing from Worthing, West Sussex, with musical influences rooted in punk rock and Britpop. Initially known as Next in Line, their current name is inspired by a track from Morrissey. The founding members, who disbanded in 2008, comprised Preston (vocals, rhythm guitar), William Brown (lead guitar), James Gregory (bass), and Simon Goldring (drums). They made a comeback in October 2015, releasing a self-titled album under their own label Treat Yourself, followed by a 25-date tour across the UK.

Achievements

In 2004, The Ordinary Boys launched their first album Over the Counter Culture, which included the single "Maybe Someday". The album’s title track was featured on the soundtrack for the video game Burnout 3: Takedown. To support the release, they toured alongside the Kaiser Chiefs.

Their sophomore album, Brassbound, arrived in 2005 and featured the track "Boys Will Be Boys". The song gained additional popularity in 2006 following Preston’s participation in Celebrity Big Brother UK. Despite internal disagreements regarding Preston’s heightened media presence, the single was reissued and climbed to number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK Download Chart. That same year, Simon Goldring took over drumming duties from original drummer Charlie Stanley.

Following singles such as "Nine2Five" and "Lonely at the Top" also secured spots within the top 10. October 2006 saw the release of their third album, How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted in Ten Easy Steps, which marked a stylistic transition towards a more mainstream pop sound incorporating synthesizers and sampling. Its final single, "I Luv U", became their fourth consecutive top 10 hit.

"Boys Will Be Boys" was featured in the film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Additionally, the band was mentioned in episode "Smoke and Mirrors" from series two of The IT Crowd.

Their touring history includes performances in Japan and supporting prominent artists such as Morrissey, Paul Weller, and The Who. Television appearances included spots on Later... with Jools Holland and one of the concluding episodes of Top of the Pops.

Disbandment and reunions

In early 2008, Preston publicly announced via The Ordinary Boys' website that the group had disbanded. Their last live show took place at the Ben and Jerry's Summer Sundae festival on Clapham Common on 27 July 2008. Following this, Preston pursued solo songwriting projects and established a career crafting songs for performers including Olly Murs, Kylie Minogue, Enrique Iglesias, John Newman, Lucy Spraggan, and James Flannigan.

The band reunited in December 2011 for an intimate UK tour focusing on smaller venues. Preston expressed his intention to "give this band the decent burial that they didn't get in 2008". Due to personal conflicts, Brown and Gregory were unavailable, prompting three new musicians to join Preston and Goldring. This ensemble recorded "Run This Town," which was featured during live shows. Gregory made a guest appearance at the Islington Academy, joining them on "Maybe Someday".

On 13 December 2013, The Ordinary Boys performed a one-off concert at London's Hoxton Bar and Grill in Shoreditch, with Gregory returning on bass alongside Alex Kershaw from Exeter’s band The Computers on guitar. Later that month, on 28 December, Preston declared an official reunion featuring Louis Jones from Spectrals as lead guitarist and original drummer Charlie Stanley replacing Goldring. This lineup played a sold-out show at Birthdays in Dalston on 19 August 2014 ahead of their UK tour scheduled for November.

Subsequent Albums and Singles

In July 2015, The Ordinary Boys revealed plans for their fourth studio album, titled The Ordinary Boys. This record was launched on 2 October under their independent label, Treat Yourself. The release included the single "Four Letter Word," which was distributed on both 7-inch vinyl and CD formats. Additionally, the track "I'm Leaving You (and I'm Taking You With Me)" appeared on a split 7-inch release alongside the American group Mixtapes. The album reached a peak position of #27 on the charts, remaining there for a single week.

In March 2021, The Ordinary Boys teamed up with Mini Murphy to produce a tribute honoring Murphy's late father, Ranking Roger, who passed away in March 2019. The collaboration resulted in a double-A side single titled "Legacy" / "Jump and Skank," which was made available digitally as well as on vinyl and CD through United Sound Records/Proper.

Albums

Title	Details	Highest Chart Positions			Certifications
		UK	UK Indie	SCO
Over the Counter Culture	Released: 5 August 2004 Label: B-Unique/Warner Music	19	—	18	BPI: Silver
Brassbound	Released: 20 June 2005 Label: B-Unique/Warner Music	11	—	14	BPI: Gold
How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted in Ten Easy Steps	Released: 23 October 2006 Label: B-Unique/Polydor	15	—	22	BPI: Silver
The Ordinary Boys	Released: 2 October 2015 Label: Treat Yourself Records	—	38	—

Singles

Year	Title	Peak Chart Positions					Album
		UK	UK Download	EU Digital Tracks	IRE	SCO
2004	"Maybe Someday"	—	—	—	—	—	Over the Counter Culture
	"Week In, Week Out"	36	—	—	—	36
	"Talk, Talk, Talk"	17	—	—	—	24
	"Seaside"	27	—	—	—	30