The Early Years

The trio known as the Early Years hails from London, England, and consists of David Malkinson handling vocals and guitar, Roger Mackin on guitar, and Phil Raines behind the drums. Malkinson assembled the group in 2004 after a spontaneous solo performance prompted him to enlist his friends Mackin and Raines, relying solely on an amplifier, electric guitar, and various effect pedals. Soon after, Steve Lamacq of BBC Radio 1 received a copy of their demo. The band's expansive space rock sound, inspired by the droning feedback from acts like the Verve, Spiritualized, Can, and the Velvet Underground, earned praise from both Lamacq and John Kennedy of XFM. September 2006 marked their arrival in the U.K., with November bringing tour dates alongside iLIKETRAINS. American audiences received the self-titled debut album from the trio in January 2007, followed by the release of their second Beggars Banquet effort, The Great Awakening EP, in April of that year.