The proportion of the world's population that haven't heard of The Graveltones is shrinking rapidly with every passing day. Where on earth did these guys spring from?
Well... picture this (preferably whilst cueing up some Gravel-tunes...)
Two boys from two towns in Australia run away to London, each in search of a channel for their immense musical talents. A chance meeting on London's famous Tin Pan Alley, where the likes of The Rolling Stones and The Sex Pistols were part of the furniture back in the day, brings them together into a music studio for an exploratory Jam session... No-one knows what happened in that room on that day, but the world, or at least most of central London certainly heard what happened next: three days later, the pair were tearing the roof off the 100 Club, and in a couple more days, phone-made videos of that first gig were circulating the cyber waves. For those lucky enough to have been taken by the ears and dragged around that room by this band, Jimmy O (guitars/vocals) and Mikey Sorbello (Drums/noises) left a lasting impression. This was a rock epiphany. The Graveltones had arrived. Three years have passed since those embryonic days, and in that relatively short period of time, the Graveltones story-so-far has unfolded in epic proportions. They are knocking on the door of 1000 live shows worldwide, with tours of the UK, Australia, Scandinavia and most of Europe embellishing the UK and London gig CV, an astonishing feat of Beatle-esque proportions. The band were soon nominated for 'Best New Band' at the 2013 Classic Rock Awards. 2014 showed no signs of any downturn in live outings with several big dates and festivals already confirmed including a repeat of their 2013 appearance at Download, Nova Rock in Austria and Jersey Live and starting the year with a headline European Tour. The later part of 2014 saw the guys non-stop tour work ethic in full swing with another hugely successful UK & European tour, including a packed out performance at DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL's Pepsi Max stage, winning the BEST BAND AWARD at Camden Rocks Festival (voted by the public) with their astonishing performance at the Jazz Cafe.
As well as success on the road, this two-piece nouveau-blues freight train have also been very busy gracing us with some stunning studio performances. The eponymous debut EP, recorded in just two days and followed shortly after by their single 'I Want Your Love', both proving to be a great success with media and fans. Following all this, the turning of the page, the coming of age, the first long player in the shape of the scarily good 'Don't Wait Down', an album eagerly awaited and rapturously received by fans and critics alike. Produced by Charlie Francis, who has been in the chair for the likes of REM, John Paul Jones and the Noisettes, the mission was to capture the raw live energy of The Graveltones' live performances and embellish that with some sweet studio icing on a very Gravely cake. Mission accomplished.
With three singles, the bouncy shuffle 'Catch Me On The Fly', Bang Bang and the raging 'Forget About The Trouble' (which comes complete with a stunning music video shot on location in East London) recorded in just eight days in the Monnow Valley studios in deepest darkest Wales. With plenty of them over the airwaves too, Team Rock Radio, Planet Rock, BBC6 & Kerrang have featured them in live shows and made singles a regular fixture on their playlists. And if you ever find yourself forced to take a flight to a faraway place, make sure to fly Virgin Airways, as the Graveltones have kindly parked 'Don't Wait Down' on the in-flight playlist as of June 2014, for your delectation.
Their studio work saw more success with 'I want your Love' featuring on a six month advertising campaign for Irish Lotto Bet's famous 'happy Reg' commercials, and also on Rimmel's 2014 commercial featuring Kate Moss. "Forget about the trouble" featured on NHL15 PS4/XBOX ONE /PC Game (released September 9th 2014) Every time a goal is scored the track is played. 'Bang Bang' & 'Lightning Bolt' will be featured in a Major Motion Picture due for release in 2015. They also managed to fit in recording a cover of John Lee Hookers 'Boom Boom' with the BOSS HOSS in Germany (due for release 2015).
British sound company KEF also began working with the guys using the band as the face of their latest advertising campaign being launched 2014. An impressive list of companies that are working with The Graveltones includes Orange Amplifiers, Yamaha Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vater Percussion, Ernie Ball Strings, Converse Shoes & Red bull.
Amongst their headline tours and major festival slots around the world the band has toured with the likes of The Rival Sons, The Boss Hoss, The Temperance Movement, Monster Truck and many more.
2015 will see the release of The Graveltones second full length studio Album entitled 'Love Lies Dying'.
And in the midst of this phantasmagorical narrative, one thing will always remain the same: these are two of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet. If you're at a show, or you spot them on the street, don't be afraid to say hello.
Words by Jimmy-James Hayward. April 2015.

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