The Automatic Automatic

Scattered somewhere throughout the academic corridors of Great Britain, like pieces of a trashed GMTV set, are four very confused admissions tutors. Faced with the choice of spending years getting drunk and in debt as students, or drunk and famous as rockstars, the four boys who would be The Automatic really only ever had one option.

"The plan," says Iwan Griffiths, "was take a year out, see how the band goes and when it came to September, decide whether to go or not."

"I got a form but they said I had to send a written letter," considers Alex Pennie, "and I didn't bother doing that. I guess they've got the gist by now."

To all the people he might have cured in an alternative career as a psychotherapist, Pennie apologies. But it's rock'n'roll's gain. In The Automatic, Pennie plays keyboards, jumps around like a gibbon, shrieks alien backing vocals behind Rob's solid leads and "when in doubt just bangs a cow bell." The first record he ever bought was "probably 'Now 35', but that's not very cool, is it?"

Pennie became the final piece of the puzzle after a Teen Spirit under-18s show in Cardiff a couple of years ago when he saw an early version of a band then called White Rabbit, and he thought they were "pretty cool."

There was Rob Hawkins, the latest in the fine tradition of the singing bass player. Now, he says the best thing about being in The Automatic is "never being bored, ever," but back then was having to contend with choosing his A-Levels, and settling on a second guitarist for the band. "It always turns into a fight."

The first guitarist was always going to be James Frost, a wide-eyed emo-boy and axe hero in waiting who, if we wasn't a hotly-tipped rock guitarist, would be a pro-golfer. He would rather be chased by a Mummy than a Skeleton because it would have poor eyesight. "I'm not a good runner," he says, but I reckon a Mummy would be a lot worse."

Completing the line-up was drummer Iwan Griffiths, who harbors dreams of opening a beach bar in Hawaii, is satisfied in The Automatic because he "gets free beer in exchange for playing with his mates", let alone royalties. He reckons Frankenstein was "a pussy."

Having signed to B-Unique, a  stint of intensive recording in Liverpool, Cardiff and Lincoln produced 'Not Accepted Anywhere',  the band's Steve Harris and Richard Jackson-produced debut album.  
 
First, the burnt-on-your  earlobes blast of debut single 'Recover' announced The Automatic's arrival  before next single 'Raoul' crashed into the Top 40. Then, in summer 2006,  'Monster' planted its mammoth footprint into the top 5 and things went crazy  in Automatic World.
 
'Monster' became the soundtrack  to 2006, being sung from the terraces to the playground, soundtracking  Panorama (!) and making The Automatic one of the must see acts over the  summer. Each festival appearance was a show stealer – T In The Park,  Reading and the Leeds festivals saw thousands of frenzied fans inside  The Automatic's tent, with just as many outside trying to get in to catch a  glimpse of their new heroes. On top of all this, sales of  the album  “Not Accepted Anywhere” - which had leapt to the top of the charts on  release –  reached gold status and had become one of the true debut  success stories of 2006.
 
The new year of 2007 found the  band headlining the legendary NME Awards Tour across the UK selling out their biggest venues to date  and by now they had captured the attention of the USA  and beyond. Following electric performances at the SXSW festival in Austin  Texas the band hit New York where they ripped apart an industry packed  showcase at Piano’s Bar on the lower east side cementing their reputation as  the most exciting new UK band on the block. Summer 2007 and the band were  out on tour across the USA as part of the 2007 Warped tour, burning  in the crazy summer heat of middle America and finishing up with a headline  tour that took them into Canada and back to New York for a  sellout show at the Bowery Ballroom.  
 
In August 2007 the band returned  to the UK for their final  show at Get Loaded in the Park on Clapham Common before returning home to  Cardiff. It  was soon after this return that Alex Pennie and the band parted ways and  Paul Mullen, ex frontman of Newcastle based  Yourcodenameis:Milo,  joined.

So it’s 2008 and with the album  demoed and written, the band are encamped in Los Angeles with producer Don Gilmore  recording the as yet untitled follow up to “Not Accepted Anywhere”. With the  first tour dates announced and a single scheduled for May/June 2008 you can  be certain to hear more from The Automatic very soon. Keep checking back for  updates or even better click at the top of the site and sign up for email  updates.  

The Band

theautomaticonline@yahoo.co.uk

Management

Martin Bowen - Probation Management

martinbowen@btconnect.com

Booking Agent

Mike Greek/Becky Wedlake

Creative Artists Agency

Tel: +44 (0) 208 323 8016