Biography
¡Forward, Russia! draws its angst-ridden post-punk sound from the combined efforts of Tom Woodhead on vocals and synth, Rob Canning on bass, Katie Nicholls on drums, and Whiskas on guitar. Previously members of Black Helicopters, Canning and Woodhead linked up with the Nicholls siblings in Leeds, England, during 2004, forming the indie-rock quartet and simultaneously launching their own imprint, Dance to the Radio. The group maintained a nonstop U.K. touring schedule throughout its debut year and issued its first recording—a split single with This Et Al—in spring 2005. “Nine” disappeared from stores inside a single week, after which BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq began spotlighting the band’s frantic energy on his 6 Music program. August brought “Thirteen/Fourteen,” which matched that earlier momentum, yet only the pairing of “Twelve” with the reissue of “Nine” carried ¡Forward, Russia! into the U.K. Top 40 in early 2006. That spring the quartet joined the Automatic, the Long Blondes, Howling Bells, and Boy Kill Boy on the NME New Music Tour. The band’s first album, Give Me a Wall, appeared in May, followed by its U.S. release on Mute in September. For the follow-up, Life Processes, the musicians moved to Cooking Vinyl and recruited producer Matt Bayles, whose prior credits include work with Mastodon and Pearl Jam. The resulting record displayed a heavier and more expansive sound than Give Me a Wall, surfacing first in Japan and the U.K. during spring 2008 before reaching American listeners via Mute that summer.
Albums