Colours of One
Colours of One are a five-piece alternative rock band from the surrounding areas of Bridgend, Wales. Since the beginning of 2008 their line-up has consisted of lead vocalist Michael Simmonds, bassist Chris Dower, lead guitarist Matthew "Miff" Tuck, drummer Paul Jones and rhythm guitarist Rhys Hart.
The band's name is inspired by a lyric in Incubus' song 'Redefine'. The line is "So modify this third rock from the sun by painting myriads of pictures with the colours of one"
History
Beginnings (2003-2007)
Michael, Matthew and original bassist Ben Humphries grew up together in Tondu, near Bridgend, Wales, and after a chance encounter at a local club with drummer Paul Jones, formed a band in 2003 became known as 'Splinter', a name taken from the back of a Nintendo magazine. In late 2004 they recorded their very first self-titled EP. This EP contains the song 'High Maintenance', the only song from this period that still appears in live shows, albeit infrequently. On the back of their Splinter EP, and for the next year, the band gigged as a 4-piece throughout South Wales until late 2005 when Michael decided to vacate his position as guitarist as well as vocalist and focus entirely on vocals. A suitable replacement was quickly found in Rhys Hart, who was also a school friend and follower of the band.
'Evil i' and Kicks EP (2007-2009)
From the beginning of 2007, the name Splinter was dropped and the band were nameless during an extended writing period, from which came the self-released Kicks EP, which was recorded at Sonic One Studios, Llangennech, West Wales. In late 2007, bassist Ben left the band, to soon be replaced by Chris Dower. From the beginning of 2008 the band was re-launched under the new name of 'Evil i', a play on the common expression ‘evil eye’; on the basis that much of the band's lyrics at that time were observational in the form of social critiques; and so the band was effectively acting as an 'evil eye'. 'Eye', however, was flipped to 'i', reflecting that social criticism must be accompanied by self-criticism as each individual cannot help becoming a product of their surroundings.
The band took their energetic and adrenaline-fueled live shows all over the UK, playing in established venues such as Cardiff's Clwb Ifor Bach, The Point and the CIA and Sin City in Swansea as well as a string of shows in numerous venues across the South Wales circuit. They have also had successful outings further afield, playing to venues such as Manchester's Carling Academy, London's Islington Academy and Clapham Grand Theatre.
Throughout this busy year, the band continued to write new material to add to their next planned mini-album, which was yet to be named. In March 2009, the band decided that another name change was imminent, since they felt the name 'Evil i', whilst relevant to the lyrical material being written at the time, was misrepresentative of their sound, suggesting a more metallic and heavier sound than the band actually produced. The band eventually decided on the name Colours of One.
Colours of One and Bad News Makes Big Noise (2009-Present)
In 2009, the band set up an independent record label called Rogues Gallery Records, with the intention of allowing the band to keep control and legal ownership over all their own material and as a means to gain a wider release for their new mini-album, entitled 'Bad News Makes Big Noise'. The CD was released digitally on November 29, 2009, but after securing a distribution deal with Cargo Records in 2010, was physically released into stores across the UK and Europe on 17 May 2010. The mini-album received favourable press across numerous music sites, webzines and online music stores, and has been critically acclaimed by Classic Rock and Rocksound magazines. Tracks from the album have had considerable airplay on many radio stations all over the UK, including TotalRock in London, Ian Camfield's show on XFM and BBC Introducing in Wales with Bethan Elfyn. They have also been featured in Kerrang!'s Local Heroes section.
Colours of One have been playing extensively in South Wales and England throughout 2010, playing alongside many up-and-coming bands such as Wales' Tiger Please and [...] For Company, as well as Starseed (band) and Jurojin from London. They have also recently supported fellow Welsh musicians Attack! Attack! and Dopamine (band).
The band have recently announced plans to re-enter the studio for a follow-up CD, with the working title "Anthemusa", named after the Island of Sirens in Homer's Odyssey.
At the end of 2010, 'Bad News Makes Big Noise' was included in the BBCs "Top Welsh Albums of 2010", alongside Lostprophets, Bullet for My Valentine and Manic Street Preachers.
Members
Current
- Michael Simmonds - lead vocals
- Matthew "Miff" Tuck - guitar
- Rhys Hart - guitar
- Christian Dower - bass guitar
- Paul Jones - drums & percussion
Former
- Ben Humphreys - bass guitar
Discography
Mini-album
- "Bad News Makes Big Noise"- Released 17 May 2010
EPs
- 2004 "Splinter"
- 2008 "Kicks"