Biography
Come on Gang emerged from Edinburgh, Scotland, through the arresting contrast between Sarah Tanat Jones’s vocals and the group’s aggressive post-punk guitar lines over a steady, driving rhythm. Tanat Jones, who also plays drums, channels the unfiltered pop energy of rock figures such as Karen O and Chrissie Hynde while performing alongside Mikey Morrison on guitar and Trev Courtney on bass; the resulting lively post-wave sound recalls the Strokes. The three musicians formed the band in April 2007 during Courtney and Tanat Jones’s time at Edinburgh College of Art. After placing an advertisement for a guitarist and recruiting Morrison, they rapidly established themselves as a sought-after party act, prompting comparisons with Franz Ferdinand, the celebrated Glasgow art-school band. Their first release, the two-track single Wheels, appeared in 2008 on the British indie label Euphonios; paired with their magnetic live shows, it drew widespread press attention. Following an acoustic BBC session, the trio began performing overseas. In December of that year they issued their next single, the Straight to Video Records split Start the Sound/I Don’t Have the Heart for This with Kid Canaveral. In 2009 Come on Gang played at South by Southwest in the United States, and that spring they unveiled their debut full-length album, Fortune Favours the Brave. The record confirmed that Tanat Jones’s delicate vocals set against forceful guitars and percussion constituted more than a fleeting Scottish art-school novelty.