Biography
Welsh quartet Pretty Vicious first surfaced in 2014, armed with the high-profile tracks “Cave Song” and “Are You Ready for Me,” both steeped in raw, punk-infused, energetic rock & roll. Their growing profile soon carried them onto the U.K. festival circuit, though a stretch of failed management arrangements delayed further progress until American imprint Big Machine Label Group stepped in to issue the band’s debut album.
The four musicians, all still teenagers at the time, hailed from Merthyr Tydfil and featured vocalist/guitarist Brad Griffiths, guitarist Tom McCarthy, bass guitarist Jarvis Morgan, and drummer Elliot Jones. After posting “Cave Song” on SoundCloud and BBC Introducing in 2014, they drew early notice from BBC Radio Wales and XFM. A follow-up digital release, “It’s Always There,” earned Radio 1’s designation as Hottest Track in the World and later appeared as a limited-edition 7-inch for Record Store Day 2015.
Sticking with the classic two-guitar, bass, and drums configuration, the group invited parallels to fellow British outfits Kasabian, Royal Blood, Oasis, and Arctic Monkeys. Their snarling, overdriven riffs, pounding percussion, and sullen, detached vocals evoked the fiery guitar sounds of the ’90s, fusing Brit-pop’s breezy lyricism with punk’s disaffected edge. Momentum from these efforts secured appearances at the Isle of Wight and Glastonbury festivals alongside the Prodigy and Fleetwood Mac, plus opening slots for the Courteeners and the Vaccines.
By late 2015 the band launched a short headlining run, then returned to the studio to finish their debut EP, Cave Song, which surfaced the following year. Another single, “Blister,” arrived in 2016, after which Pretty Vicious aligned with Big Machine Label Group and teamed with producer Dan Austin for their first proper long-player. Lead single “Move” reached listeners in August 2018, followed by “These Four Walls” in early 2019 and the full-length Beauty of Youth that July.
The four musicians, all still teenagers at the time, hailed from Merthyr Tydfil and featured vocalist/guitarist Brad Griffiths, guitarist Tom McCarthy, bass guitarist Jarvis Morgan, and drummer Elliot Jones. After posting “Cave Song” on SoundCloud and BBC Introducing in 2014, they drew early notice from BBC Radio Wales and XFM. A follow-up digital release, “It’s Always There,” earned Radio 1’s designation as Hottest Track in the World and later appeared as a limited-edition 7-inch for Record Store Day 2015.
Sticking with the classic two-guitar, bass, and drums configuration, the group invited parallels to fellow British outfits Kasabian, Royal Blood, Oasis, and Arctic Monkeys. Their snarling, overdriven riffs, pounding percussion, and sullen, detached vocals evoked the fiery guitar sounds of the ’90s, fusing Brit-pop’s breezy lyricism with punk’s disaffected edge. Momentum from these efforts secured appearances at the Isle of Wight and Glastonbury festivals alongside the Prodigy and Fleetwood Mac, plus opening slots for the Courteeners and the Vaccines.
By late 2015 the band launched a short headlining run, then returned to the studio to finish their debut EP, Cave Song, which surfaced the following year. Another single, “Blister,” arrived in 2016, after which Pretty Vicious aligned with Big Machine Label Group and teamed with producer Dan Austin for their first proper long-player. Lead single “Move” reached listeners in August 2018, followed by “These Four Walls” in early 2019 and the full-length Beauty of Youth that July.
Albums
Singles
