Biography
The Rifles, an indie band from Britain, built a following in the mid-2000s through their lively garage rock and roll, which fused the Jam’s characteristic swagger with a lighthearted quality shared by peers such as the Kooks. Their initial breakthrough arrived via the 2005 single “Local Boy,” after which the first two albums climbed to number two on the U.K. indie charts, with Great Escape standing as the decade’s high point in 2009. While later rock releases continued, among them None the Wiser in 2014, the group also turned to acoustic settings for two EPs and a 2017 unplugged album captured at Abbey Road.
Joel Stoker on vocals, Lucas Crowther on guitar, Rob Pyne on bass, and Grant Marsh on drums formed the lineup in London during 2003. A stage debut followed the next year, prompting early support from NME and BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe, who soon endorsed their youthful rock and roll energy. The May 2005 release “When I’m Alone” connected modestly with an expanding audience, yet “Local Boy” delivered their first U.K. Top 40 placement that autumn. Additional 2006 hits, among them the Strokes-like “Repeat Offender” and “She’s Got Standards,” further raised their profile. Ian Broudie, whose résumé includes the Coral, the Subways, and I Am Kloot, produced the July 2006 debut album No Love Lost. Club dates and appearances at that summer’s V Festival in Chelmsford and Staffordshire ensued. Offered as a free download, the 2007 single “Talking” ushered in a partnership with 679 Recordings, which issued the follow-up Great Escape that reached number two on the U.K. indie charts in 2009. Marsh and Pyne soon exited and were succeeded by Lee Burgess and Kenton Shinn, both previously of Garda. Acoustic 1, featuring re-recorded catalog tracks plus new material, appeared in 2010; Freedom Run, the third album, followed in 2011. Acoustic 2 arrived in 2012 as a PledgeMusic campaign launched to fund a fourth album. Marsh and Pyne rejoined before sessions began, restoring the original quartet to complete None the Wiser, released by Cooking Vinyl in 2014. For the ambitious double album Big Life in 2016, the band enlisted producer Charles Rees, noted for his work with Paul Weller. They returned to the acoustic approach for The Rifles Unplugged Album, again recorded at Abbey Road in 2017. Live at the Roundhouse, captured at the London venue, surfaced in 2020, while Love Your Neighbour ended an eight-year studio-album hiatus in 2024.
Joel Stoker on vocals, Lucas Crowther on guitar, Rob Pyne on bass, and Grant Marsh on drums formed the lineup in London during 2003. A stage debut followed the next year, prompting early support from NME and BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe, who soon endorsed their youthful rock and roll energy. The May 2005 release “When I’m Alone” connected modestly with an expanding audience, yet “Local Boy” delivered their first U.K. Top 40 placement that autumn. Additional 2006 hits, among them the Strokes-like “Repeat Offender” and “She’s Got Standards,” further raised their profile. Ian Broudie, whose résumé includes the Coral, the Subways, and I Am Kloot, produced the July 2006 debut album No Love Lost. Club dates and appearances at that summer’s V Festival in Chelmsford and Staffordshire ensued. Offered as a free download, the 2007 single “Talking” ushered in a partnership with 679 Recordings, which issued the follow-up Great Escape that reached number two on the U.K. indie charts in 2009. Marsh and Pyne soon exited and were succeeded by Lee Burgess and Kenton Shinn, both previously of Garda. Acoustic 1, featuring re-recorded catalog tracks plus new material, appeared in 2010; Freedom Run, the third album, followed in 2011. Acoustic 2 arrived in 2012 as a PledgeMusic campaign launched to fund a fourth album. Marsh and Pyne rejoined before sessions began, restoring the original quartet to complete None the Wiser, released by Cooking Vinyl in 2014. For the ambitious double album Big Life in 2016, the band enlisted producer Charles Rees, noted for his work with Paul Weller. They returned to the acoustic approach for The Rifles Unplugged Album, again recorded at Abbey Road in 2017. Live at the Roundhouse, captured at the London venue, surfaced in 2020, while Love Your Neighbour ended an eight-year studio-album hiatus in 2024.