Biography
In an interview with the British magazine Neu, a Pull Tiger Tail member explained the band's origin with the remark "Our parents made us do it. They all wanted to be rock stars, too." If the comment was sincere, the parents of singer-guitarist Marcus Ardere, bassist-keyboardist Davo McKenzie-McConville, and drummer Jack Hamsom began pressing their children toward musical success in late 2005, because the trio made its live debut in February 2006. The three Stratford-on-Avon natives, who had known one another since childhood and were studying at Goldsmiths College, chose to start a band while still enrolled there. They arrived at the name Pull Tiger Tail during an extended drive across the United States. Their sound blends equal measures of guitar-driven Brit-pop and arch indie pop, although the musicians themselves prefer to label it "new rave." Once the group moved to London, its sharp, energetic music and cheeky humor quickly turned the band into a sought-after club draw. Only seven months after that first stage appearance, Pull Tiger Tail issued its debut single, "Animator," on the independent Young and Lost Club Records imprint; the limited pressing sold out at once. The U.K. label B-Unique Recordings, already home to the Kaiser Chiefs and Primal Scream, then signed the group and released "Mr. 100%" in December 2006. The following year, Pull Tiger Tail joined the New Musical Express annual New Music Tour alongside the Rumble Strips, Blood Red Shoes, and the Little Ones. "Let's Lightning," the band's third single, appeared in March 2007, with the fourth single, "Hurricanes," arriving in June.