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Despite their relatively short tenure within rock'n'roll The Rifles exude the self-contained air of a band that have been inspired by the street-level perceptions that characterize one of British pop's most vital bloodlines from The Kinks to The Smiths to The Streets. That's not all. Fuelled by a bleak London wit and a cinematic vision which takes in everything from 'Nil By Mouth' to 'The Warriors' ('We're gonna come on stage to the theme music!' beams Luke) their adrenalised assault is, well, double barreled.
Luke and singer Joel Stoker - imagine a young Paul Weller scripted by Mike Leigh - spent their days gravitating between Walthamstow (Joel and bassist Rob Pyne) and Kentish Town (Luke) before meeting like-minded Grant Marsh. A native of Chingford and resident DJ at his own club night 'Slash', ran in the shadow of Christ Church Spitalfields. The die was cast.
'Seeing Oasis at Knebworth,' explains affable Rifles guitarist Luke Crowther, an immaculate dandy accessorized by shades and an ivory silk scarf. '...was a life changing moment, the inspiration and excitement it created, they seemed to have the power to draw the audience in with the emotional resonance that I hadn't experienced before. From that moment on we knew we had to start a band.'
The intensity burns bright in the world of The Rifles as Joel enthuses 'From that point on we were The Rifles.the name just seemed to fit. We wanted something direct.'
Fully formed, the band played the first Rifles gig at the Bull & Gate in January 2004 to a capacity crowd. News spread of these savvy young urbanites with NME quickly describing The Rifles as 'the first band with a London postcode worth tattooing on your heart for ages' and Zane Lowe enthusing over their debut single on Radio One. The band soon began to build an army of likeminded fans, keen to immerse themselves in their tales of London life and witness their incendiary live performances in smokey pubs on dark winter nights.
Just a few weeks after their latest single 'Local Boy' crashed into the top 40, The Rifles are in the studio recording their debut album in the trusty hands of production legend Ian Broudie (Subways, Zutons, Coral). Inspired by life in the City, rumours abound that we could be looking at an album to rival other capital classics - like The Specials - 'Two Tone' rewritten for the noughties or The Streets 'Original Pirate Material'' delivered over guitars.
With their sharp vocals, wry lyricism and pithy melodies The Rifles evoke a mood, a feeling and a place we all want to be and return to again.
The Rifles: their aim is true.
Paul Moody - November 2005
7th November 2011
The Rifles have followed in the footsteps of fellow British rockers Elbow and launched their own....
4th April 2008
British rockers THE RIFLES have been forced to cancel two London shows - after learning the venue....
17th September 2011
Split Festival will take place across September 17th and 18th at Ashbrooke Sports Club in Sunderland. The festival is....
![]() | The Rifles - Sweetest Thing Video2011 |
![]() | The Rifles, Sweetest Thing Video And Information2011 The Rifles' new single, Sweetest Thing, will be released on January 16th 2012. It is the second single from their third album Freedom... |
![]() | The Rifles, The General - VideoWarner Bros., 2009 |
![]() | The Rifles, No Love Lost, Album Audio Streams And Information2006 They’ve seen their musical heroes converted into fans (Graham Coxon, Madness, Terry Hall), had two chart hits and in the process won the hearts and.... |
![]() | The Rifles, She's Got Standards, Video Streams And Information2006 The Rifles released their first single themselves on a tiny budget straight out of Walthamstow but by the time their last single “Repeated Offender”.... |
More The Rifles Video and Audio
4th October 2011
The Rifles return after a couple of years out and with their third studio album 'Freedom Run'; since their debut...
25th March 2009
Review of The Rifles live at Leeds Refectory on 22nd March 09. The Rifles have a tea leaf problem....
16th February 2009
Review of The Rifles single 'Fall To Sorrow'. Heading out on a tour of the UK in March, London boys The...
18th July 2006
Just when as a listener you have settled into a comfortable zone where you understand that The Rifles are simply the...
14th March 2006
Sadly the best bits of both appear to have been thrown away. Instead of the fantastic pop sense of humour, all we get...
4th July 2006
Contact Music had to run very fast and got very tired finding that wave all so that we could bring you this interview. ....
22nd August 2011
With just two weeks to go until the Early Bird ticket deadline, festival goers are urged to get....
These are the best links to The Rifles Sites on the web: