Kubb

Essentially driven by the songwriting of frontman Harry Collier, the four-piece pop/rock outfit Kubb drew immediate parallels to Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, and Muse upon issuing its debut album Mother in 2005. Collier, born in Liverpool, relocated with his family to his mother’s birthplace of Tobago at the age of four. There he cultivated a deep interest in music and mastered several instruments, among them the clarinet and classical guitar. Returning to England, specifically Cornwall, at seventeen, he performed with multiple groups before relocating to London around the time One Little Indian sought to sign his existing band. While employed as a waiter at a North London organic café, Collier was asked to perform “Happy Birthday” for Rollo Armstrong—Dido’s brother and a Faithless member—who, struck by the voice, extended an invitation to his Highbury studio. There Collier encountered Rollo’s former schoolmate Ben Langmaid, who maintained a studio in the same building, along with Jeff Patterson. The three began composing material that would anchor Mother, although both Langmaid and Patterson declined to join a band. Collier instead enlisted former Reef drummer Dominic Greensmith, introduced through longtime touring associate guitarist Adj Buffone after an NME advertisement, and keyboardist John Tilley, thereby founding Kubb. Following its signing to Mercury Records, the group delivered Mother, titled after Collier’s reflections on the divine feminine within religion and the Earth itself. Produced by Youth, the architect of Embrace’s return, the record spawned the singles “Somebody Else,” “Remain,” and “Wicked Soul,” the last of which later served as the soundtrack for a Kate Moss Rimmel commercial, as well as the band’s biggest success, “Grow,” which peaked at number 18 in 2006. That same year Buffone revealed his departure from the lineup via the band’s MySpace page. Collier subsequently contributed vocals to two tracks on Faithless’ fifth album To All New Arrivals—the Top 30 single “Bombs” and the title song.