THE HELLS, London, UK
“Do you believe in the power of rock ‘n’ roll? In the transgressive magic that can be spun from a few punk riffs, some beaten-up Marshall amps and a whole heap of energy? If so, you may not know it yet, but you already believe in The Hells. Rock on.” - i-D Magazine
“The Hells’ bone-bruising boogie is irresistible. KKKK” - Kerrang!
“It's exactly the kind of glam-gilded hit we've been craving since Boss Hog's major label debut. irresistible. KKKK " - Kerrang!
“Breathless and electrifying” – Rocksound
ALL ENQUIRIES: renroxxx@googlemail.com
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THE HELLS, 2003 biography written by Andy Capper for Vice UK Magazine (May Issue, 2003) , HOW THE HELLS GOT HIGH
" I [Andy Capper] first met my friend Philly Kev when he was living above a rock bar in Soho. we had mutual friends and a mutual interest in being scumbags se we used to hang out in his room and smoke opium that we got from (…)
We [Andy Capper and Kevin] had both read the book Lexicon Devil about the Germs and we were talking about when Darby Crash and Pat Smear formed the band, they didn't have song, or even instruments, but they would still print t-shirts and put up posters and tell everyone they were in this great band when in fact they were jut a pair of loudmouth posers.
Funniliy enough, Philly is a loudmouth poser and he'd just met a Spanish girl called Ippy who did this punk club called Teenage Schizoid. She had some good ideas about music and they looked good together so we started to tell eveyone they were in this fantastic new band called THE HELLS who were going to take over the world FOREVER! They made the logo like a pair of Ippy's lips and then made a poster that looked like the Germs' GI album cover (the blue cirle on back) only it said The Hells HI (with red circle on lack). Looking back now it seems quite sad, but at the time it was funny to think up these things.
After a couple of months of lying to everyone they knew, Philly and Ippy sat down one day and actually wrote some songs which – amazingly given the circumstances – ended up being really good. They then auditioned loads of drummers but most were idiots. Then Philly's boy The Captain left his group The Icarus Line and joind for a while and they recorded this EP which has just come out.
It's Rolling-Stonesy, balls-out, girl vocal garage rock like a lot of things these days but I love it because The Hells were never meant to exist other than to give Philly and I something to laugh about as we got high."
THE HELLS, 2005 biography written by Marc Sallis, editor of Artrocker Magazine:
US tours, festivals, European tours and hit singles. A lot has happened in the world of The Hells since the release of their self-titled debut mini-album back in 2003.
From the outset of its release, The Hells weren’t shy in promoting their album and quickly hit the road, taking in a slot at the Leeds Carling Festival and full UK tour. But the real work really kicked in with a European tour in the Fall of 2003 that also took in a trip to the CMJ Festival in New York, where they played the punk palace that is CBGBs, and included a main support slot with The Darkness at Amsterdam’s Paradiso.
But it was with the release of their debut single ‘He’s the Devil (But I Love Him So)’ at the beginning of 2004 that things really escalated for the band from London, via Spain (lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and sexy rock chick Ippy) and Philadelphia (lead guitarist and singer Kevin). With heavy support from the airwaves and a four ‘K’ review in rock bible Kerrang!, the band soon found themselves doing radio sessions for Radio 6, XFM and one of the last ever Peel Sessions (R.I.P. Messiah John Peel) for Radio 1. This was then replicated on TV with the band’s video for the single making it onto MTV2’s Most Requested Playlist Show.
And while all this was happening in the UK, the band also found out that the single had become a hit in Australia, of all places. But with festival commitments to fulfil in the US and Europe, the Southern Hemisphere had to make do with just hearing The Hells over the airwaves.
2004 continued in the same vein as 2003 for the band. Highlights included appearances at the industry renowned SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, more New York dates and another European tour, which culminated in a high profile slot at the 2004 Roskilde Festival, where The Hells played to a crowd of over 7,000 people.
It was during 2004 that the band also started to cut their first full-length album with producing legend Brian O'Shaughnessy of Primal Scream ‘Screamadelica’ fame at his studio, Bark, in North London. Having finished initial recordings with O'Shaughnessy, they decided to take a more live approach to recording by continuing work on the album with Ed Deegan at his new Gizzard Recording studio. Having served his apprenticeship with Liam Watson at legendary East London studio, Toe Rag (where The White Stripes recorded their 2003 album ‘Elephant’), Deegan set-up the studio in a similar vein to his old master’s classic recording facility.
With recording and mastering of ‘Love Sick Love’ completed in 2005, a track from the new album has already appeared on the debut release by seminal London venue, The Buffalo Bar. The compilation album, ‘Sound Issues Volume I’ (Buffalo Recordings), features ‘My Kinda Lover’, which also appeared as the lead track on a limited edition 10” single to promote the release.
So with artwork for the new album, ‘Love Sick Love’, almost complete be prepared for the return of The Hells.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
THE HELLS, The Hells (EP), Artrocker, 2003 ///// THE HELLS, He's The Devil But I Love Him So/Time Killer (single), Artrocker, 2003 ///// THE HELLS, He's The Devil But I Love Him So (single), Artrocker, 2004 ///// THE HELLS, My Kinda Lover (10" with Jetscreamer and Archie Bronson Outfit, 2005) ///// THE HELLS, Love Sick Love (33"), El Beasto, 2006
SELECTED GIG HISTORY
26/11/2002
Metro LONDON, UK
03/12/2002
Buffalo Bar, LONDON, UK
11/12/2002
Freebutt , BRIGHTON, UK
13/12/2002
The Garage, LONDON, UK
02/04/2003
Zodiac, OXFORD, UK
03/04/2003
Night and Day ,MANCHESTER, UK
16/04/2003
The Garage, LONDON, UK
19/04/2003
Metro, LONDON, UK
10/05/2003
The Octopad, LONDON, UK
12/05/2003
The Unerworld, LONDON, UK
13/05/2003
Buffalo Bar, LONDON, UK
17/05/2003
Metro, LONDON, UK
30/05/2003
Barfly, LONDON, UK
11/06/2003
The Garage, LONDON, UK
24/06/2003
Buffalo Bar, LONDON, UK
26/06/2003
The Underworld, LONDON, UK
27/06/2003
The Eye, LONDON, UK
03/07/2003
BILBAO ACCION ROCK FESTIVAL, Bilbao, Spain
10/07/2003
Moles, BATH, UK
11/07/2003
Rescue Rooms, NOTTINGHAM, UK
12/07/2003
Joseph's Well, LEEDS, UK
13/07/2003
Freebutt , BRIGHTON, UK
22/08/2003
READING AND LEEDS CARLING FESTIVAL, Leeds, UK
09/09/2003
Buffalo Bar, LONDON, UK
26/09/2003
Union, CARDIFF, UK
27/09/2003
Buffalo Bar, LONDON, UK
28/09/2003
The Eye, LONDON, UK
02/10/2003
Half Moon, CORK, IRELAND
03/10/2003
Spirit Store, DUNDALK, IRELAND
04/10/2003
Highstool, LIMERICK, IRELAND
05/10/2003
Whelans, DUBLIN, IRELAND
23/10/2003
The Hook, Brooklyn, NEW YORK, USA
25/10/2003
CMJ FESTIVAL – CB’s Lounge, NEW YORK, USA
26/10/2003
Pontiac, PHILADELPHIA, USA
27/10/2003
Sin-E, NEW YORK, USA
08/11/2003
London Calling Festival – Paradiso, AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND
10/11/2003
Le Ragtime, TOULOUSE, FRANCE
12/11/2003
Moby Dick, MADRID, SPAIN
13/11/2003
Rock Club, ORENSE, SPAIN
15/11/2003
Mardi Gras, LA CORUÑA, SPAIN
17/11/2003
Subsonic, MONTPELLIER, FRANCE
18/11/2003
Le Local, BORDEAUX, FRANCE
19/11/2003
Nouveau Casino, PARIS, FRANCE
13/12/2003
The Garage, LONDON, UK
31/12/2003
Buffalo Bar, LONDON, UK
13/01/2004
Metro, LONDON, UK
07/02/2004
The Well, LUTON, UK
12/02/2004
Rust, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
14/02/2004
Voxhall, AARHUS, DENMARK
20/02/2004
Infinity, LONDON, UK
18/03/2004
Red's Scoot Inn, AUSTIN, TX, USA
19/03/2004
SXSW FESTIVAL – Jackalope, AUSTIN, TX, USA
22/03/2004
Silk City, PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA
23/03/2004
Lit, NEW YORK, NY, USA
24/03/2004
CBGBs, NEW YORK, NY, USA
25/03/2004
The Khyber, PHILADEPPHIA, PA, USA
25/05/2004
The Garage, LONDON, UK
01/07/2004
Hafenklang, HAMBURG, GERMANY
02/07/2004
ROSKILDE FESTIVAL - Odeon stage, ROSKILDE, DENMARK
03/07/2004
Golden Gate, BERLIN, GERMANY
01/10/2004
BERLIN POP KOMM FESTIVAL – Zentral, BERLIN, GERMANY
02/10/2005
Ryan's, LONDON, UK
07/10/2005
Barreiro Rocks Festival, LISBON, PORTUGAL
28/10/2005
Festival Artículo 20, Avilés, ASTURIAS, SPAIN
02/11/2006
The Barn, SALISBURY , UK
28/04/2006
Ágora, LA CORUÑA, SPAIN
02/06/2006
PRIMAVERA SOUND FESTIVAL, BARCELONA, SPAIN
03/06/2006
VAMPIRELLA, Zaragoza, SPAIN
05/06/2006
MARDI GRAS, La Coruña, SPAIN
06/06/2006
LOUIE LOUIE, Gijón, SPAIN
07/06/2006
GAZTESZENA, San Sebastián, SPAIN,
08/06/2006
LOS PICOS, Liérganes, SPAIN
09/06/2006
MUSICALIA, Alicante, SPAIN
10/06/2006
LA GRAMOLA, Orihuela, SPAIN
11/06/2006
RICOAMOR, Castellón, SPAIN
12/08/2006
White Hart, LONDON, UK
26/08/2006
BESTIALC FESTIVAL, Alcora, CASTELLON, SPAIN
14/10/2006
Buffalo Bar, LONDON, UK
