With the British music scene in a long-term state of decay, what better than a new and exciting brand of pop/rock to act as a breath of fresh air and blow away the cobwebs on your aging CD player? “The Latch” is a song-writing partnership between guitarist of the year Simon J. Pinto and former Steps performer Lee Latchford-Evans, which, over the last couple of years, has blossomed into one of the best new bands in the country, fusing exciting “old school” rock inspirations with a potentially chart-topping commercial edge that has led to the success of bands such Green Day, Avril Lavigne, The Satin Dolls and many other bands.
This inspirational fusion of strong powerful pop melodies driven by catchy rock grooves proves that they’re still riches galore to be discovered in Britain’s withering music scene. Simon J. Pinto and Lee Latchford Evans came together through a chance meeting at a recording session and instantly hit it off. Then began a friendship that spawned a writing partnership, which transformed into ‘The Latch’. Their creative commercial rock music isn’t just about getting a hit but more about passion, musical excellence and a zeal to entertain thousands once again. Capturing their unique individual style, the Latch push boundaries through their exciting stage performances and credible musical ability.
Originally of Steps fame, Lee Latchford-Evans went on to sell over 25,000,000 (25 million!) CDs. Lee has toured the world on a major label and his previous project were world renowned – even to the point where they supported Britney Spears on tour across the USA, sold 20,000 seater stadiums and millions of pounds worth of merchandise. Lee has been quietly working away at this project for several years, along with several film appearances this year, one of which is also using music from “The Latch” as part of their soundtrack. The film in question “Ten Dead Men”, was a product of UK independent genre specialists “Modern Life”. The film was shown at Cannes Film Festival and is guaranteed a five-million-copy-distribution worldwide. Lee started to write his own material whilst in Steps, and, having his material performed on the "Buzz" album and the live touring shows, and subsequent DVD's from those shows. Lee also co-wrote tracks for other projects, most notably a popular children's programme who released the song on an album worldwide. Lee went through a period of working with various producers writing material and finding what stimulated him musically.
He found his passion for music was not best directed through the pop culture he had come from, but found real inspiration in commercial rock, the music he listened to most and found his aptitude leaning towards. Lee is learning guitar and piano which are both becoming vital tools for helping him get more involved in production and consider the whole soundscape of the music he wants to produce. Lee has also starred in the West End Production of ‘Grease’ and in 2007 added to his acting CV by completing two feature films, “Cash and Curry” and “Ten Dead Men”. Lee has been asked to do a lot of television celebrity appearances including Channel 4’s ‘The Games’, Sky televisions ‘Fear Factor’, ‘The Match’, and winning Bravo’s competitive SAS style show ‘Commando VIP’, amongst many others.
Simon J. Pinto has had a long and prosperous career in music on a number of levels, with some of his compositions being used in TV programmes including ITV Gillette Sport, and various programmes on the Discovery Channel. Other notable appearances include his playing guitar on Top Of The Pops for American songstress Mariah Carey, as well as his other work with acts such as Modern Romance, Angel Witch, Peter Andre and various other acts. Simon was also named Guitarist Of The Year by Guitarist magazine at the NEC Birmingham, and awarded a top Peavey guitar in recognition for his gift with music. Other notable achievements include working with Brian May (of Queen!), Human League, T’Pau, Russell Watson, Irish pop act “Ms. Lynch” (the solo project of sisters Keavy & Adele Lynch, formerly of B*Witched, and brother to Shane from Boyzone).
Simon has been working behind the scenes in the music world for years. Working on various projects in a variety of genres, covering recording rock and pop acts, live touring shows and bands and as a player and writer for television and film soundtrack work. Better known to musicians in the session world, he has earned high acclaim for his creative and enthusiastic approach to music and especially guitar playing. Simon started playing drums at the tender age of six, joining in with his brother and sister playing as a cabaret act for his parents dance band. At the age of ten he made his first broadcast on Capital Radio, making subsequent appearances on Radio One, Radio Two and then ITV and BBC programmes over the next few years. At the age of fifteen he began getting more and more calls from bands and artists to record and play around the local and London music scene, slowly building up a name and reputation for himself. As more and more recordings had drums sequenced, Simon made the jump to guitar and found a natural home for his exhaustive energy and heart felt expression. His percussive quirky fast yet melodic approach to guitar made him an instant hit with studios and his outrageous stage persona got him noted by bands and crowds alike.
Completing the band are Martin "Magic" Johnson on Drums (who loves to be heard saying "I hit things for a living") and Steve Rickwood on Bass. Martin is endorsed by Sonor Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Agner Drumsticks, Aquarian Heads, RIMS Tom Mounts, Fischer Amps, Baskey Ruggluggs, Protection Racket and Marrell/Big Foot Kick Beaters. And as well as touring/recording with MANY different artists, he has also worked with his fair share of celebrities in his time, including B*Witched twins Adele & Keavy Lynch's new act "Ms. Lynch". Other notable achievements include supporting P!NK in Budapest with The Tarantinos where the official audience was over 300,000 people.
The band will be releasing their debut album in mid 2009 and are working towards creating the basis for a huge nationwide fanbase. Over the last three years the band have been slowly gelling as a fantastic live act and have played gigs at a number of renowned music venues including the Academy venues, Liverpool’s The Cavern, The Bridgehouse, The Hard Rock Café venues, Dublin Castle, The Marquee Club and a number of festivals and mini-fests ranging from 500 to 15,000 in capacity. With the band being well backed and with a swelling promotional budget and fanbase, the future indeed looks rosy for The Latch, who are hell-bent on bringing this project to the forefront of the British music scene, setting optimistic, but realistic targets to that end. The band are preparing for studio sessions with a fantastic and renowned producer as they prepare to give the UK an album to drool over in 2009
