Los Salvadores

Los Salvadores are a six piece band from south east England, signed to Ipswich-based indie label Corndog records. They currently gig across the UK and have appeared at several festivals.

Los Salvadores have released three eps: Los Salvadores, Is This a Set-up, and Pink Champagne, and an album, Attack of the Clones.

The band are known for energetic live shows and eclectic songs, often blending together a wide range of styles. Los Salvadores' songs display a variety of influences from punk to ska to drum and bass and folk music.

Current Line Up

* Gareth Arnold - vocals
* Martin Whiskin - guitarist, backing vocals
* Matthew Selfe - mandolin, banjo
* Peter Blackett - keyboardist
* Jim McLean-Johnsen Bass Guitar
* Huw Arnold - drums, backing vocals

Past members

* Patrick Jones 2004 >2005 - saxophone, backing vocals
* Luke Renton 2005 >2008 - bass

Origins

The band originally formed as a loose folk punk collective in 2004. The original members, Mafro (mandolin), Marf (guitar), Patrick Jones (saxophone) and Peter Blackett (bass, cello and keyboards), met through gigging in other bands on Kent music scene, all drifting in and out of a variety of acts covering several genres.

Los Salvadores became a more formal arrangement with the addition of singer G, bassist Luke Renton, and drummer Huw Arnold in early 2005, when the band first acquired its name.

Los Salvadores

The band's self-titled debut ep was released in summer 2005, and featured four tracks: $50, Combination Lock, Preacher Said and My Coloured Town, the only track to still feature regularly in the band's current set.

Is This a Set Up?

The band's next ep Is This a Set Up? was released towards the end of 2005. This included Young Mums, Just One More, Bad Luck and Surely It's a Set Up. This was the last recording to feature saxophone. Patrick Jones left the band at the end of 2005, moving to Switzerland to become a ski instructor.

Pink Champagne

Come summer 2006 the band released Pink Champagne, whose five tracks exhibited a more rock orientated sound than previous material. The EP included In Camera, Path in to The Sea, Your Time, Bigger Picture and No Fun in Fundamental. No Fun in Fundamental quickly became a crowd favourite turning into something of a singalong.

Attack of The Clones

In April 2007 Los Salvadores signed to Ipswich-based indie label Corndog Records, who released a limited run of the band's first full-length album, Attack of The Clones, in February 2008, which was largely well received by the underground music press. [Band website]

However, Attack of the Clones was criticised by alternative music magazine Rock Sound for poor production values and not being a true folk punk album.

The ten track album features two reworks of previously recorded songs My Coloured Town and Path into the Sea, as well as a live recording of crowd favourite The Drinking Song as a secret track.

In summer 2008 the band announced a proposed second run of the album would not be printed, concentrating instead on new material recorded in August at Outhouse Studio in Reading. Shortly before this, Luke Renton left to spend more time with his family, and was replaced by current bassist Jim McLean-Johnsen.

References

See also

* The Levellers
* The Wonder Stuff
* Corndog records

Sources

* [http://www.lossalvadores.co.uk Los Salvadores official website]