The Ripps

Hailing from the United Kingdom, this high-octane trio called the Ripps first drew notice from the British music press in 2006 thanks to their impudent stance and catchy, vigorous numbers. Coventry, a West Midlands town best known for launching the Specials, served as the birthplace of the group, assembled by guitarist and frontman Patch Lagunas alongside brother Raul Lagunas, who handled bass and backing vocals; their Chilean émigré parents had escaped Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship rather than remain under fascist control, an experience widely seen as shaping the band’s defiant spirit. Drummer and backing vocalist Rachel Butt, a former schoolmate of the Lagunas brothers, completed the lineup, after which the Ripps quickly built a following and earned critical praise for their frenzied performances and material that alternated between sharp-edged protest and humorous agitation. Catskill Records issued their debut single, “Vandal,” in autumn 2006, with the full-length Long Live the Ripps arriving the following spring.