Biography
TV Priest surfaced from England as a forceful post-punk unit devoted to loud, propulsive rock whose bodily impact mirrors the sharp social and political observations threaded through their words. Frontman Charlie Drinkwater favors a spoken delivery over conventional melody, laying out skeptical, image-driven lines about present-day life atop the quartet’s turbulent yet danceable backing. The group first surfaced in 2020 through two assertive independent singles, “House of York” and “Runner Up,” then sharpened their approach on the debut album Uppers, released in 2021. Once that record appeared, external conditions kept the musicians homebound, so their next effort, My Other People in 2022, opened onto a wider emotional spectrum while preserving their core drive.
Four longtime companions from Hackney Wick in East London launched TV Priest in 2019. Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater and guitarist Alex Sprogis had both worked as graphic artists; bassist and keyboardist Nic Bueth operated his own independent studio; and drummer Ed Kelland had previously collaborated with Sprogis in Torches. Having stayed close since their teenage years, the four chose to resume making music together and began writing and rehearsing new material. In November 2019 they played their first show under the TV Priest name in a room they called “an industrial freezer,” sharing the space with a washing machine and several deep fat fryers.
The following year they issued their opening track, the anti-monarchy outburst “House of York,” and hoped to tour, yet COVID-19 restrictions blocked all live plans. Undeterred, they released a second song, “Runner Up,” and started work on a full-length record. A contract with the independent label and management company Hand in Hive set Uppers for November 2020, but attention from the American indie powerhouse Sub Pop altered the timeline. Sub Pop took over release duties, and Uppers reached stores in February 2021. The album earned strong notices, yet pandemic conditions still barred live promotion, stranding the band at home during its early success. Fresh songwriting gradually turned less confrontational and more inward-looking while retaining the group’s jagged hallmarks. As live music resumed, Sub Pop issued the second album, the emotionally expansive My Other People, in June 2022.
Four longtime companions from Hackney Wick in East London launched TV Priest in 2019. Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater and guitarist Alex Sprogis had both worked as graphic artists; bassist and keyboardist Nic Bueth operated his own independent studio; and drummer Ed Kelland had previously collaborated with Sprogis in Torches. Having stayed close since their teenage years, the four chose to resume making music together and began writing and rehearsing new material. In November 2019 they played their first show under the TV Priest name in a room they called “an industrial freezer,” sharing the space with a washing machine and several deep fat fryers.
The following year they issued their opening track, the anti-monarchy outburst “House of York,” and hoped to tour, yet COVID-19 restrictions blocked all live plans. Undeterred, they released a second song, “Runner Up,” and started work on a full-length record. A contract with the independent label and management company Hand in Hive set Uppers for November 2020, but attention from the American indie powerhouse Sub Pop altered the timeline. Sub Pop took over release duties, and Uppers reached stores in February 2021. The album earned strong notices, yet pandemic conditions still barred live promotion, stranding the band at home during its early success. Fresh songwriting gradually turned less confrontational and more inward-looking while retaining the group’s jagged hallmarks. As live music resumed, Sub Pop issued the second album, the emotionally expansive My Other People, in June 2022.
Albums
Singles
