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I LIKE TRAINS

Hailing from Leeds, I LIKE TRAINS weave brooding widescreen songs from sparse piano and guitar, baritone vocals, uplifting choral passages and reverberant orchestral crescendos. They draw their inspiration from historical failings and a pessimistic world view. For fans of Sigur Ros, Low, Interpol and Nick Cave.

Guy Bannister – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Alistair Bowis – Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Simon Fogal – Drums
David Martin – Guitars, Lead Vocals

On 1st October 2007 iLiKETRAiNS graced us with their magnificent debut album, ‘Elegies To Lessons Learnt’.

Continuing their trademark obsession with past characters and events, ‘Elegies To Lessons Learnt’ charts a series of tragic episodes in history. Where ‘Progress, Reform’ concerned itself with a number of individual stories, the new album is more global in scope. It attempts to illustrate how history repeats itself, and how the human race fails to learn from its mistakes ‘Elegies To Lessons Learnt’ takes on the Great Fire of London, ‘25 Sins’, an ill- fated round the world yachtsman, ‘The Deception’, the only British prime minister ever to be assassinated ‘Spencer Perceval’, and the Salem Witch Trials ‘We Go Hunting’. Other songs cover massacre, the ‘iron curtain’, the plague and madness.

Morose indeed, and conveyed with such supreme, spine-tingling, rousing melody and compelling instrumentation that this album will win hearts and minds all over the world.

Recorded in an old chapel in Leeds, the album was mixed with the help of Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, Hope Of The States), and self-produced. The first single to be taken fromt the album, ‘The Deception’, (10.09.07), tells how proud determination and courageous spirit can fog the natural instinct of survival, with disastrous consequences. The tale is told through the eyes of an ill-fated round the world yachtsman. It is accompanied by a self-directed video featuring a voiceover from ‘60s radio presenter and shipping forecaster Peter Jefferson.

Their stunning mini-album ‘Progress Reform’ ( Fierce Panda) that truly captured the media’s attention and propelled them into cult status. They have been covered widely in publications ranging from the NME to the Financial Times, The Sun and Daily Mail to art magazine Aesthetica and the peculiar magazine that is Bizarre; and on radio, from Radio One to The BBC’s Politics Programme. An extensive network of RAiLCARD HOLDERS help spread these compelling history lessons across the UK, overseas into Europe and now America. They have performed at major European festivals and made personal appearances at regional railway events; they have been mentioned in the House of Commons and given talks at universities.

Since signing to Beggars Banquet, the US release of ‘Progress Reform’ and a sell out debut show at SXSW festival – the band have gone from strength to strength. In March 2007 they released the colossal, limited edition single ‘Spencer Perceval’ which like all their previous singles sold out in two weeks. This nine and half minute epic pushed them further along their own unrivaled path and was once again well received by radio despite its length, gaining two full plays at Radio One amongst others.

Beggars Banquet folded, but the band continued to tour and evolve, gaining popularity at a steady rate, particularly in Europe. They’ve just finished a European tour with Sisters of Mercy, have several festival appearances booked for 2009, and a new album is in the making.

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