The Chap

The electro-rock outfit known as the Chap originated in North London, where Claire Hope on keyboards and vocals joined forces with Johannes Von Weizsäcker handling guitar, vocals, and cello, alongside Panos Ghikas contributing bass, violin, guitar, and vocals, and Keith Duncan on drums. In April 2002, the group issued their initial 10-inch EP titled Fun through Lo Recordings. Their first long-player, The Horse, appeared on April 28, 2003, and was succeeded later that year on September 29 by the EP (Hats Off To) Dror Frangi. Ham marked their sophomore album, emerging on June 27, 2005, before another EP, The Chop, surfaced on June 11, 2007. Europe received the third album Mega Breakfast on May 19, 2008, with the U.K. following one week afterward. Ghostly International took on the band, putting out Mega Breakfast stateside on July 1, 2008, marking their debut official U.S. release. Hope stepped away temporarily due to pregnancy, with Berit, a keyboardist and singer formerly of Karamasov alongside Von Weizsäcker and collaborator with Omo, filling in. Following the promotional tours for Mega Breakfast, the band laid down tracks for their fourth effort, Well Done Europe, which featured a more polished and synth-driven approach and came out around the middle of 2010. Late 2011 saw the arrival of the aptly titled We Are the Best. In pursuit of new territory, 2013 brought We Are Nobody, an album free of any ironic content. The Show Must Go surfaced two years afterward, taking aim at the political climate across Europe as well as rock's potential role in driving societal shifts.