The Bishops

An indie rock trio from Bath, England, features twin brothers Mike and Pete Bishop on vocals and guitar plus vocals and bass, joined by Scottish-born drummer Chris McConville. The Bishops first crossed paths with McConville during shifts at a bar in London’s east end. While the twins had already begun crafting 60s beat material in the vein of the Beatles and the Hollies, McConville brought a metal sensibility, particularly drawn to AC/DC. Living at a YMCA and rehearsing in its basement, the group found that McConville’s presence added weight to the Bishops’ sound, blending an early Libertines edge with a Buddy Holly inflection.

Their self-released debut ‘I Don’t Really Know What To Say’ appeared in October 2005 and stirred interest across style-focused outlets and the music press through the Bishops’ faithful recreation of that beat approach. A bidding war followed, with 1-2-3-4 Records prevailing on the strength of its roster of emerging acts. In May 2006 the band issued ‘The Only Place I Can Look Is Down’, which drew glowing notices; the NME observed: ‘Timeless melodies from the golden era of pop - who says they don’t make ’em like they used to?’. Recorded at east London’s Toe Rag Studios, a refuge for analogue devotees, the single preceded an intensive summer 2006 tour of lesser-known UK venues that ended with the September release of ‘Higher Now’, backed by the equally potent ‘In The Night’.