You and What Army
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Telford , England |
| Products | Music recordings, live performances |
You and What Army was a British quartet specializing in electronic rock, originating in 2007 from Telford, England. From 2008 onward, the members consisted of David Brown handling vocals, synthesizers, sampling, and turntables; Kieran Charles Smith on vocals and guitar; Jamie Hancox playing bass and providing backing vocals; and Zak Hammond on drums and percussion. Previous lineups included Joseph Allen (guitar), Darren Smith (bass), and Thomas Bridgwater (drums). Their musical approach combined rock elements with influences drawn from heavy metal and various electronic genres.
History
Established in 2007, the band extensively gigged throughout late 2008 at numerous bars and clubs, securing second place in Rocksound magazine’s poll for Best Live Unsigned Band. In January 2009, they recorded their first EP titled Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, which was produced and mastered by Brown in his personal studio, with its release occurring on 5 June 2009. After this launch, they toured during the summer months and acted as support for Hadouken on their UK tour.
By early 2010, You and What Army had achieved third place in Rock Sound magazine’s ranking of top unsigned artists. That year saw the release of their second EP, The End of the Beginning, which debuted on 26 March 2010. They performed at several prominent UK festivals including Download Festival, T in the Park, Sonisphere, Underage Festival, and Hevy Music Festival. Additionally, they toured alongside Kids in Glass Houses and Boys Like Girls, sharing stages with acts such as Hadouken!, Chase and Status, Tempa T, My Passion, Goldie Lookin Chain, Dave McPherson, and Silent Descent.
In 2010, the band won the Red Bull Bedroom Jam competition. The following year, they headlined smaller venues and made return appearances at Download Festival, Sonisphere Festival, Camden Crawl, and Main Stage Osfest.
Their self-titled EP was released both digitally and physically in 2012; the MP3 version was made available for free on NoiseTrade. That same year, they performed once more at Download Festival and unveiled a music video for "Into Your Eyes" that incorporated live footage from the event.
Although preparations were underway for their debut album, these plans were discontinued when the band announced an indefinite hiatus on 10 July 2014, resulting in all album releases being cancelled.
David Brown continues to run the YouTube channel 'Boyinaband', where he produces music tutorials, comedic sketches, and content related to the band before shifting his focus towards vlogging and personal projects. He has also developed a production career focusing on rap, electronic, and metal music styles.
Kieran Smith previously performed under the name 12 Story Fall prior to releasing music under his own name. In October 2020, his work addressed personal issues such as child loss through his songwriting, while he also joined alt-pop group Bad Money as a guitarist.
Musical style
You and What Army’s sound is an amalgamation of genres including rock, rap, metal, djent, alongside electronic styles such as rave, drum and bass, gabber, trance, and electro house. Their early material did not feature clean vocals; however, after adding guitarist/vocalist Kieran Smith to the lineup, clean singing was incorporated alongside frontman Dave Brown’s rapping and screaming techniques. This blend of vocal approaches is evident on their second EP The End Of The Beginning. The self-titled EP showcases djent influences on tracks like "Lucidity" and "Take the World by Storm," which Brown describes as "really heavy," contrasted with a slower liquid drum and bass number ("Visionary") that features both Brown and Smith performing vocals.
Red Bull Bedroom Jam
In 2010, the group participated in the 'Red Bull Bedroom Jam' digital contest, which offered the opportunity to perform at five prominent festivals and to support a well-known band on a UK tour. Their initial entry was a live bedroom performance streamed online. Subsequently, You and What Army appeared on Red Bull stages at Download Festival, T in the Park, Sonisphere, Underage Festival, and Hevy Festival. For the final stage, judges Andy Copping, Beckie Sugden, Charlie Simpson (Fightstar), and Darren Taylor (Rocksound editor) chose them to face two other acts in a public online vote, which they ultimately won.
After securing the win, the band spent two weeks in October recording a four-track EP at Red Bull's London studio, with production handled by John Mitchell at Outhouse Studios. This EP was distributed as a cover-mount with Rocksound magazine on 2 February and included a CD-ROM showcasing their journey through the competition. Additionally, the band supported Kids in Glass Houses and Boys Like Girls during the 'Dirt' tour in November. That issue of Rock Sound also featured an extensive article dedicated to You and What Army.
Band members
Current
- Dave Brown – lead vocals, synthesizers, sampling, turntables (2007–2014)
- Kieran Charles Smith – vocals, guitar (2008–2014)
- Jamie Hancox – bass guitar, backing vocals (2008–2014)
- Zak Hammond – drums, percussion (2008–2014)
Former
- Joseph Allen – guitar (2007–2008)
- Darren Smith – bass guitar (2007–2008)
- Tom Bridgwater – drums, percussion (2007–2008)
- Jamie Patterson – drums, percussion (2008)
Timeline
Discography
| Year | Album information |
|---|---|
| 2009 |
|
| 2010 |
|
| 2011 |
|
| 2012 |
|