Pulled Apart By Horses Tickets

Short Biography
Sometimes it takes years for a band to hit upon a winning formula, but when Pulled Apart By Horses got together in an upstairs room of a Leeds pub back in late 2007, something clicked instantly. It's continued to click ever since, and has provided utter joy to anybody who's seen their frenetic, fun (not to mention a little bit macho - their absolute favourite word) live show. It's been an awesome, radical, ride.

Not that the members of Pulled Apart By Horses - James Brown (guitar), Tom Hudson (guitar/lead vocals), Robert Lee (bass/backing vocals) and Lee Vincent (drums) - were young, inexperienced foals; rather, they were and are thoroughbred musical stallions, with previous in several highly-rated local acts including Concentration Champ, It Takes Bridges and Mother Vulpine. That very same November evening they wrote their first song, 'The Lighthouse', which they play today as it was written then.

Three months later (February 12 2008), the live beast bolted. A "secret" gig, with invites sent out to friends via text messages. Something happened that night, and it was "a surprise to all us" admits their drummer. It wasn't just a good show, it was a thrilling, sweaty, exciting one. With nothing more than a manifesto to "play as we'd want to watch a band be like onstage", they did just that and totally rocked it. The pattern was set; playing brilliantly energetic, life-affirming live shows is just what Pulled Apart By Horses do. That's why they did over a hundred of them last year. Just casually, like.

They have a lot of fun up there, for sure, but don't think they're not serious about the music. Lions might get punched in the throat and balloons certainly contain meat, but don't take their words too literally. Lyricist Tom Hudson (a member of respected Leeds art collective Nous Vous) just happens to have a penchant for the surreal. He's also the man behind all that gnarly artwork you'll see adorning their Myspace page.

You've probably also heard about this so-called "new grunge movement" going on in Yorkshire at the moment. Pulled Apart By Horses aren't really a part of that, unless you class occasionally listening to Nirvana records as a sure-fire indication of plaid-shirted intentions. They listen to Refused, Sabbath and Shellac, too, but you wouldn't call them post-hardcore or metal either. Who needs genres though, hey? Just know they peddle big riffs with even bigger smiles. That's enough.
It certainly was for the crowd at last year's Reading and Leeds Festivals - to date, the band's defining moments - as punters passing the BBC Introducing stage stopped and stood, mouths agape, with at least 50% of the band finishing their set partially clothed, on the wrong (right?) side of the barrier. It was that kind of afternoon. The industry took note.

And then they took action. Two limited edition 7"s ('I Punched A Lion In The Throat' and 'Meat Balloon') followed at the end of last year, courtesy of Too Pure and Big Scary Monsters respectively, as did profile-raising tours with local BFFs Sky Larkin and popular Brighton beat combo Blood Red Shoes in early 2009. In between, they played a few tiny basement shows, because they're just as fun and twice as sweaty. Not to mention awesome, and totally bodacious.

In-depth Biography
Known for their energetic live shows, Pulled Apart by Horses are one of the most exciting bands to emerge from the thriving Leeds music scene. Formed in 2007, all four members had been part of various now-defunct bands. Vocalist Tom Hudson had fronted Mother Vulpine, guitarist James Brown was in It Takes Bridges, and bassist Rob Lee had been part of Concentration Champ, while drummer Lee Vincent had been a fixture on the local scene for years. Describing their sound as "back door scuzz rage pop," Pulled Apart by Horses played their first show, a secret gig that attendees were invited to by text, in the pub they used to rehearse above. They soon built up a loyal following and began to receive music press attention thanks to headline performances at local festivals Manfest and Nasty Fest IX. In 2008, the group earned a slot on the BBC Introducing... stage at the Reading/ Leeds Festival. Their self-titled debut album arrived in 2010. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi