Polytechnic
Five piece guitar band from Manchester, UK.
The band's roots were in Devonians Dylan Giles and Yuri Caul's early experimental duo The Conversation - both men played guitar and indulged in on-stage squalls of feedback. Songs were long, slow and largely instrumental and the band cited influences including krautrock pioneers CAN and Neu!
That all changed with the arrival of drummer Tim Warren, who breezily dismissed The Conversation's early drones as 'heroin music' and helped Giles unlock his inner pop songwriter. With Caul switching to bass, the band instantly became more conventional, shortening their songs and centring on Giles' killer guitar hooks and high-pitched vocals.
Guitarist Denny Hilton was added, followed by keyboardist Peet Earnshaw, on a Bosman from The Generalissimos. Early demos including the song 'PEP' caused music industry frenzy and Steve Lamacq didn't help any by proclaiming them his new favourite band. Celebrity support slots followed, including gigs with The Breeders and The Strokes.
They were also sent on tour with Doves and Keane, although the latter in particular caused friction within the band, as Polytechnic were uncomfortable about being with such mainstream arena pop acts.
The group became popular and influential in Manchester (The Answering Machine in particular were indebted to the Polytechnic sound) and after a slew of singles, their debut album 'Down Til Dawn' was released.
The band decided to go on hiatus after the release of the album, with guitarist Hilton leaving altogether. Giles, Caul and Earnshaw have, in the meantime, started a new project called Driver Drive Faster.
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