Love Amongst Ruin

Love Amongst Ruin
Love Amongst Ruin live in London, 2015.
Background information
OriginLondon, England
GenresAlternative rock, hard rock
Years active2009–present
LabelsAncient B Records
MembersSteve Hewitt
Donald Ross Skinner
Perry Bamonte
Past membersMagnus Lundén
Keith York
Laurie Ross
Teresa Morini
Steve Hove
Ramon Sherrington
Dave Weston

Love Amongst Ruin are an English rock supergroup, led by Steve Hewitt after his tenure as the drummer for Placebo. The band released their self-titled debut album in September 2010 and second album Lose Your Way was released in June 2015.

Band history

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Beginnings and formation (2007–2009)

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Upon leaving Placebo after the conclusion of their Meds tour in September 2007,[1] Steve Hewitt had a vision "to create a new band, a new album and a new sound". He immediately enlisted Lamb bassist Jon Thorne and his brother Nick Hewitt to begin writing and demoing new music at his home studio.[2] In March 2008, Julian Cope collaborator Donald Ross Skinner was brought in to oversee and co-produce the recording sessions. Between April and August 2008, the collective moved to Moles Studio in Bath for three recording sessions with producer Paul Corkett,[3] which yielded ten songs, with Hewitt predominantly performing drums and lead vocals. Mixing began in September and continued for six months before the album was mastered by Brian Gardner at Bernie Grundman Mastering in April 2009.[4]

Hewitt spent the second half of 2009 securing management, publishing and record deals, in addition to finding permanent members for the band. Former Cure and Depeche Mode tour manager Daryl Bamonte became the band's manager.[5] In November, Hewitt revealed that the band and debut album would be named 'Love Amongst Ruin',[6] with the band name being "a very apt description of the place I found myself in after I was ejected from Placebo. My life, the way it had been, seemed to be in ruins but I got a lot of love from fans and friends and family".[7]

Love Amongst Ruin (2009–2011)

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The band lineup was revealed in December 2009 and announced alongside Steve Hewitt (vocals/guitar) were Donald Ross Skinner (guitar), Steve Hove (guitar), Laurie Ross (keyboards & cello) and Keith York (drums). The band made their live debut at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, Netherlands on 14 January 2010,[8] with guest bassist Jonathan Noyce.[9] Bassist Magnus Lundén was added as a permanent member in time for the band's UK live debut at the Barfly in London on 11 May.[10] The band followed up with a larger gig at the Scala in June.[11] Magnus Lundén was replaced by Teresa Morini in July.[12] The band appeared on the Red Bull Stage at Sonisphere Festival on 11 August, the day after Hewitt's previous band, Placebo, had played on the main stage.[13]

Love Amongst Ruin's debut single "So Sad (Fade)" was released on 30 August on Ancient B Records,[14] followed by their self-titled debut album on 13 September.[15] The band embarked on the Heaven & Hell Tour from September through November and released their second single "Home" on 25 October.[16] 2010 was wrapped up with a gig at Birmingham Academy supporting Feeder.[17] Keith York left the band at the end of the year, expressing a desire to spend more time with his family.[18] He was replaced by Ramon Sherrington. Laurie Ross was also removed from the live lineup, but continued to record with the band in the studio.

The band began 2011 with a quartet of gigs supporting Feeder,[19] before supporting their third single, "Alone", with a short tour of France in March. Gizz Butt filled in for Steve Hove on the Recycling Party tour in May,[20] while Jon Thorne stepped in for Teresa Morini at the Fête de la Musique in Valence, France in June.[21] The band spent two days at Fisher Lane Farm in early August with producer Paul Corkett to record acoustic versions of nine tracks released on their self-titled debut album.[22] Laurie Ross returned to play cello at the sessions.[23] An acoustic version of "Bring Me Down (You Don't)" was given away by the band as a free download in advance of the release of the acoustic album on 5 December.[24]

Lose Your Way (2011–2016)

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In January 2011, Hewitt revealed he had begun writing the band's second album and that the band would commence recording after completing the supporting tour for their self-titled debut album.[25] In June, Hewitt stated that "We're about nine tracks in. We're hoping to start recording in September. I've demoed most of the drums but we'll see when September comes who's going to play what. I've got to get my oar in and have a go, it'd be silly not to".[26] The writing process for the album was completed in March 2012 and was recorded by Hewitt and Donald Ross Skinner, with Dan Austin producing.[27] In May 2012 it was announced that Teresa Morini had left the band to join the Cirque du Soleil touring show Amaluna.[28] Her replacement was former-Cure guitarist Perry Bamonte.[29] On 5 July, the band made available a free download of their cover of "Rise" by Public Image Ltd via their Facebook page.[30] In early September, founding guitarist Steve Hove left the band, causing a 10 September comeback show at the London Barfly to be cancelled.[28] Dave Weston was announced as Hove's replacement in mid-November and the band commenced rehearsals.[31][32] Despite announcements in January 2013 and February 2014 that news would be forthcoming, the band remained inactive while Hewitt worked with Six by Seven, Polaroid Kiss and produced records for Lys and Spiral 69.[33][34][35]

On 13 March 2015, the band posted a short video clip on Vimeo, featuring new song "Lose Your Way".[36] On 9 April, Q Magazine made "Swan Killer" their Track of the Day and the band announced the album title as Lose Your Way, with a release date of 29 June 2015.[37][38] The album was preceded by the "Lose Your Way" EP on 11 May,[39] with the title track peaking at number one on the Deutsche Alternative Singles Chart.[40] The album was followed by the "Modern War Song" and "So Close" EPs on 24 July and 6 November.[41][42] The album's supporting tour began on 24 November at the London Barfly and featured Gizz Butt (guitar) and Ravi Kesavaram (drums) as touring musicians alongside permanent members Hewitt, Skinner and Bamonte.[43] By April 2021, the album had gone silver.[44]

On 24 March 2016, the band revealed they were recording new material.[45] Five months later, it was announced that Lose Your Way (Acoustic) (an album of acoustic versions of songs initially released on Lose Your Way) would be released on 2 September 2016.[46][47] On 19 August 2016, a new song, "Amy's Prayer", featuring guest vocals from Amber Kingi, was made available for free via the band's web store.[48] An EP, "Way To Your Heart", was released on 9 December 2016.[49]

Return (2022–)

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On 5 November 2021, it was announced that Love Amongst Ruin would support Paul Draper on his UK tour in February and March 2022.[50] Reduced in length due to a family bereavement suffered by Paui Draper,[51] the tour was performed acoustically by Steve Hewitt and Gizz Butt.[52] Further acoustic gigs took place in Dover and Machynlleth in April 2022.[53][54]

Musical style and influences

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Love Amongst Ruin describe themselves as "a multi-faceted rock band that promises the crunch of a stone age queen, the crossover appeal of a parkful of linkins and the melodicism of the hardiest fighter of foos".[55] They also cite having New Order, Depeche Mode, Kasabian, Can, The Cure and Metallica elements to their sound.[56]

Band members

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Timeline

Discography

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Studio albums

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Singles

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  • 2010: "So Sad (Fade)" (30 August 2010)
  • 2010: "Home" (25 October 2010)
  • 2011: "Alone" (28 February 2011)

EPs

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  • 2010: Home (Remixes) (25 October 2010)
  • 2015: Lose Your Way (11 May 2015)
  • 2015: Modern War Song (24 July 2015)
  • 2015: So Close (6 November 2015)
  • 2016: Way to Your Heart (9 December 2016)

Other albums

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  • 2011: Acoustic (5 December 2011)
  • 2016: Lose Your Way (Acoustic) (2 September 2016)

Free downloads

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Music videos

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Year Video Director Link
2010 "So Sad (Fade)" (unlisted) YouTube
"Home" (unlisted) YouTube
2011 "Alone" (unlisted) YouTube
2015 "Lose Your Way" Eni Brandner YouTube
"Modern War Song" Eni Brandner YouTube
"So Close" Eni Brandner YouTube

References

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  1. ^ "Placebo's Drummer Leaves The Band | News". Ultimate-guitar.com. 26 December 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  2. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – Official Facebook Fan site – The Story – Part I". Community.livejournal.com. 14 August 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  3. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – The Story – Part II". Community.livejournal.com. 4 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  4. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – The Story – Part III". Community.livejournal.com. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  5. ^ "Un nouveau single pour Love Amongst Ruin". Picturesofcure.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – The Story – Part IV". Community.livejournal.com. 6 November 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  7. ^ "The Music Freak interview with Steve Hewitt". MusicVita. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  8. ^ "EuroSonic Festival – EuroSonic Noorderslag 2010 | lineup". Virtual Festivals. Archived from the original on 15 August 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Jonathan Noyce". Jethrotull.com. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  10. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin at Barfly on Tue 11th May". Barflyclub.com. 6 September 2010. Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Review: Love Amongst Ruin @ The Scala | Latest Clubbing News". Skiddle.com. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  12. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin: So Sad!". Shakenstir. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  13. ^ "Stage Times". Sonisphere Festival UK. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – So Sad (fade)". 28 August 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  15. ^ Garland, Katy. "Love Amongst Ruin Debut Album Review". MusicVita. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  16. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin: Placebo Man Announces New Single, Video & UK Tour". AltSounds. 10 October 2010. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  17. ^ "The Kerrang! Xmas Party at O2 Academy in Birmingham 9 Dec 2010". GB: Livebrum.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  18. ^ King, Phil. "Steve Hewitt: (Love Amongst Ruin) Still Running, Still Strong". Mudkiss.com. Archived from the original on 6 September 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  19. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin support Feeder on UK Tour". Musicrooms.net. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  20. ^ "Due to a previous..." Facebook. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  21. ^ "Getting ready for Fete De La Musique... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  22. ^ "Recording session August 1/2 2011". Facebook. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  23. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin added 11 new photos to... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  24. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – Bring Me Down (you don't) by Love Amongst Ruin". SoundCloud. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  25. ^ "Q&A: Love Amongst Ruin". Thecmuwebsite.com. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  26. ^ "Steve Hewitt: I was 'absolutely s****ing my pants' about fronting new band | Rhythm". MusicRadar.com. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  27. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin". St Pauls Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  28. ^ a b "Love Amongst Ruin". Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  29. ^ "Working hard, rehearsing hard. We can... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  30. ^ "So here it is, a..." Facebook. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  31. ^ "The Band Is Complete… |". Loveamongstruin.com. 13 November 2012. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  32. ^ "The band is complete, rehearsals have... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook.com. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  33. ^ "Happy New Year everyone, hope you had a... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  34. ^ "Paola Rotasso – Tijdlijnfoto's". Facebook. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  35. ^ "in December 2013 a certain Mr Hewitt and... – Peteur Von Funkenstein". Facebook. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  36. ^ "Lose Your Way – Teaser on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  37. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – Swan Killer". Q Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  38. ^ "Interview: Steve Hewitt (Love Amongst Ruin)". Gigslutz. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  39. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin | 'Lose Your Way' EP is out now on iTunes". Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  40. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  41. ^ "Modern War Song – EP by Love Amongst Ruin". iTunes. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  42. ^ "So Close – Single by Love Amongst Ruin on iTunes". iTunes. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
  43. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – Du 14/12/2015 19:30 au 15/12/2015 01:00". Archived from the original on 12 October 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  44. ^ "We went silver!!! Thank you so, so much, to every single person who has purchased a copy of this album! Honestly cannot believe it made a silver! 🤘". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  45. ^ "Hi all, we're currently in the studio... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  46. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin – Timeline". Facebook. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  47. ^ "Lose Your Way (Acoustic) by Love Amongst Ruin on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  48. ^ "Exklusiver Download: Love Amongst Ruin verschenken neuen Song "Amy's Prayer"". www.sonic-seducer.de. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  49. ^ "Hey Everyone, here is a teaser for our... – Love Amongst Ruin". Facebook. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  50. ^ "Feb–March 2022 UK Tour Tickets Now On General Sale!". Paul Draper. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  51. ^ "Rescheduled Tour Announcement". Paul Draper. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  52. ^ Thorley, Andy (26 March 2022). "Paul Draper, Steve Hewitt's Love Amongst Ruin @ Institute 3, Birmingham 25/03/2022". Maximum Volume Music. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  53. ^ "See you tonight Dover!!! Who's coming?! 🤘". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  54. ^ "Come see us Saturday in The Red Lion in Machynlleth!". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  55. ^ "Introducing : Love Amongst Ruin". Lights Go Out – A punk fanzine from the UK. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  56. ^ "Love Amongst Ruin". Chuff Media. 21 September 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
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