Puppy (band)

Puppy is an English rock band from London, England, formed in 2014.[2] The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/guitarist Jock Norton, bass guitarist Will Michael and drummer Billy Howard Price. They are currently signed to Spinefarm Records. Puppy have performed at several music festivals held in the UK over the last few years, including Glastonbury Festival, Download Festival, Bloodstock, Slam Dunk Festival and 2000 Trees Festival.

Puppy
Puppy performing at Download Festival 2018. From left to right; Billy Howard Price, Jock Norton, Will Michael
Background information
OriginLondon, UK
Genres
Years active2014 (2014)–present
Labels
MembersJock Norton
Will Michael
Billy Howard Price[1]
Past membersMatthew Rickelton

History

2014–2015: Formation and early years

Following the demise of the band Polterghost, Norton and Price formed Puppy in late 2014 with bass player Matthew Rickelton.[3] In 2015, Puppy debuted their first single "Forever", subsequently followed by "The Great Beyond".[4] Both songs appeared as playable tracks on Guitar Hero Live.[5] Following a string of dates throughout the year supporting the likes of Demob Happy, Pity Sex and Kagoule as well as a performance at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany in September, Puppy released their self-titled debut EP in 2015.[6]

2016–2017: Vol II

Will Michael replaced Matthew Rickelton on bass duties shortly after the release of their debut EP. On 10 April 2016, Daniel P. Carter played Puppy's single "Entombed" on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show for the first time. In May 2016, Puppy announced, via their Facebook page, that they would be releasing a new EP later that year, which would include "Entombed". After an appearance at that year's Download Festival, they released their second EP, entitled Vol II, on 12 August 2016.[7] In October 2016, the band toured with Sorority Noise across the UK.[8]

The band signed to Spinefarm Records in March 2017[9] and embarked on a short European tour supporting Creeper and Milk Teeth.[10] In April that year, Puppy were nominated for "Best New Band" at The 2017 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.[11] Dates supporting CKY in May[12] and Kvelertak in October[13] preceded a small headline tour throughout the UK in late 2017. The band re-released Vol II on 29 September 2017 via Spinefarm Records.[14]

2017–present: The Goat and iii

A new single, entitled "Demons" was released in October 2017, accompanied by a music video. From March to April 2018, Puppy toured with Bristol based alt-rockers Turbowolf throughout Europe. On 1 June 2018, via their Facebook page, Puppy announced a "World Tour" with UK Hardcore band Grove Street Families, which consisted of nine dates across the UK in September 2018. Puppy performed a set at Download Festival again in June 2018[15] and spent the rest of 2018 working on their full length debut album with Royal Blood, Ghost and Pixies producer Tom Dalgety, and Creeper and Boston Manor producer Neil Kennedy. On 17 August 2018, the band announced that they would be the opening act for notorious American nu metal band King 810's headline tour of the UK in December 2018.[16] However, Puppy ultimately pulled out of the tour on 5 December, due to an "ongoing health issue" that "made travel and performance too difficult".[17]

On Sunday 26 August 2018, Daniel P Carter played Puppy's new single, "Black Hole" on Radio One. Carter and Puppy also announced that Puppy's debut album, entitled The Goat, would be released on 25 January 2019 through Spinefarm Records.[18] The following day, a music video for "Black Hole" was premiered on Revolver Magazine's website.[19] On 13 November 2018, Puppy released the 2nd single from The Goat, entitled "World Stands Still"[20]. On 15 December 2018, Marc Burrows featured Puppy in The Guardian's "One To Watch" column, describing the band as having "a knack for hitting hard – as on recent single Black Hole – in a way that is headbangingly (sic) authentic and, whisper it, commercially appealing.", adding "Puppy are that rare thing: a homegrown metal band capable of capturing the mainstream"[21].

During a European tour supporting Monster Magnet in January 2019, Puppy's debut album, The Goat, was released.[22] Metal Hammer gave the album 4 stars out of 5, stating; "For a debut album this is a mightily impressive and quirky little record"[23]. NME stated that The Goat "contains more hooks than a pirate convention".[24] Bristol in Stereo said that the album is "a refreshing take on metal with a tongue-in-cheek attitude".[25] Puppy performed at 2019's Reading and Leeds Festivals, and were recently nominated in the "Best UK Breakthrough Band" category at the 2019 Heavy Music Awards. In September 2019, Puppy announced a co-headline tour throughout Europe and the UK with Norwegian Stoner Rock band Bokassa. The tour lasted from late November until mid December 2019.

On 25 October, after weeks of cryptic messages posted on the band's social media channels, Puppy dropped their 3rd extended play, entitled iii.[26] The EP was recorded over the summer of 2019 at Holy Mountain Studios in London. This recording featured a more stripped down production than on The Goat, as the band "recorded quickly and essentially live to capture chemistry, spirit (and) a more frayed and brutal set of sonics."[27] They also announced a release show for the EP, which took place in Hackney on 31 October, where they played iii in its entirety.[27]

On 18 November, it was confirmed that Puppy were due to return to play at Download Festival in 2020.[28] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was cancelled.[29] Puppy released a music video, via their official YouTube channel, for the song "Powder Blue" on 17 April.[30] On 21 July, the band released a music video for 'fan favourite' track, "Serotonin", containing various visual stimuli, which, according to drummer Billy Price, intentionally displays "so many textual and visual interpretations of the song that it becomes almost uninterpretable", adding "We have never been more easily interconnected, and yet communication has never felt this hard. In a sense, this is what the song ‘Serotonin’ is about".[31]

Musical Style

Puppy's music has been categorised by critics as heavy metal,[32] occult rock[33] and alternative metal.[34] They are described by Spinefarm Records as combining "the left-field melodic turns of Weezer, the hazy fuzz of Smashing Pumpkins and the straight-to-the bone sonics of the Big Four of Thrash".[35] The band themselves have stated that their goal, musically, "was to aim for somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and Black Sabbath".[36] Additionally, Metal Hammer has compared the band's musical style to "Ghost waltzing with Deftones", "Mixing flashy, glam rock guitar flourishes that turn into huge hulking metal riffs with the kind of chin-stroking, elegant indie pop that Weezer have made a career from".[37] Revolver Magazine characterised their debut album, The Goat, as "a frothy, fist-raising cocktail blending various chunks of Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Metallica, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr., topped with infectious choruses and infused with heavenly harmonies."[38]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details
The Goat

Extended Plays

Title Album details
Puppy
  • Released: 25 September 2015
  • Label: Best Fit Recordings
  • Format: DL, EP
Vol II
  • Released: 12 August 2016[40]
  • Re-Released: 29 September 2017[41]
  • Label: Spinefarm
  • Format: DL, EP, CD (Re-Release)
iii

Official music videos
  • Arabella (2016)
  • Beast (2017)
  • Entombed (2017)
  • Demons (2017)
  • Black Hole (2018)
  • World Stands Still (2018)
  • Bathe In Blood (2019)
  • Poor Me (2019)
  • Powder Blue (2020)
  • Serotonin (2020)

References
  1. Loftin, Steven (20 February 2019). "Scene outsiders Puppy are redefining what it means to be in a metal band in 2019". The Line of Best Fit.
  2. "Here's Puppy's New Mini-Album aka the Best Thing That'll Happen To You Today". Vice.
  3. "Band Profile for PUPPY – boa-2017 | Bloodstock". Bloodstock.
  4. "Puppy- Artist Biography". AllMusic.
  5. "Listen to the sounds of Puppy". Southern Daily Echo. 3 August 2018.
  6. "Puppy – The Goat". Clash.
  7. Hill, Stephen (20 June 2016). "Puppy: Metal's favourite new misfits". Loudersound.com.
  8. "Sorority Noise // UK & European Tour Dates with Puppy and Turnover". Topshelfrecords.com.
  9. "Puppy sign to Spinefarm Records". Upsetmagazine.com.
  10. "Punktastic – Milk Teeth". Upsetmagazine.com.
  11. Hammer, Scott Munro2017-04-05T17:00:00 940Z Metal. "Metal Hammer Golden Gods returns for 2017". Loudersound.com.
  12. "metalrecusants.com – "PUPPY talk band origins, touring and 80s cartoons"". Metalrecusants.com. 10 August 2017.
  13. "Kvelertak announce UK shows with Puppy". Punktastic.com.
  14. "| PUPPY TO RE-RELEASE 'VOL II' EP ON CD & VINYL WITH SPECIAL TREAT FOR LUCKY FANS! + UK TOUR DATES". Spinefarmrecords.com.
  15. "Puppy". Download Festival.
  16. Watts, Matt (19 August 2018). "NEWS: King 810 announce UK tour for November/December 2018!". Deadpress.com.
  17. "Puppy on Instagram: "Hey guys, hope you're all well. We regret to announce that we've had to pull out of this tour with King810 due to an ongoing health issue…"". Instagram.com.
  18. "BBC Radio 1 – Radio 1's Rock Show with Daniel P Carter, Live from Reading". BBC.
  19. "HEAR RISING U.K. TRIO PUPPY EVOKE HELMET, NIRVANA ON NEW SONG "BLACK HOLE"". Revolvermag.com. 27 August 2018.
  20. "| PUPPY RELEASE NEW SINGLE/ VIDEO "WORLD STANDS STILL" FROM DEBUT ALBUM, THE GOAT". Spinefarmrecords.com.
  21. Burrows, Marc (15 December 2018). "One to watch: Puppy". Theguardian.com.
  22. Epstein, Dan (25 January 2019). "Puppy: How Rising U.K. Trio Is Shaking Up Hard Rock". Revolver (magazine).
  23. Hammer, Stephen Hill 2019-01-22T10:35:46Z Metal. "Review: Puppy's debut album The Goat is where Weezer meets Ghost". Loudersound.com.
  24. McMahon, James (25 January 2019). ""We aim for somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and Black Sabbath": an interview with Puppy". Nme.com.
  25. Riordan-Jones, Ffion (21 April 2019). "PUPPY // LIVE REVIEW". Bristol in Stereo.
  26. "Puppy have released a new EP, 'iii'". Upsetmagazine.com.
  27. "| PUPPY DROP NEW EP, iii". Spinefarmrecords.com.
  28. "37 more bands confirmed for Download Festival 2020". Planet Rock.
  29. "DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL WILL NO LONGER BE TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR". downloadfestival.co.uk.
  30. "Puppy Debut "Powder Blue" Video". theprp.com.
  31. "PUPPY RELEASE NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR FAN-FAVOURITE TRACK, 'SEROTONIN', TAKEN FROM THEIR CURRENT EP, III". spinefarmrecords.com.
  32. Hill, Stephen. "Puppy: Metal's favourite new misfits". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  33. Bulleid, Joshua. "Puppy – The Goat". Heavyblogisheavy.com. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  34. Krovatin, Chris (13 March 2019). "Puppy: Ready To Confuse The Hell Out of America". Kerrang!.
  35. "| Puppy Announce New Album "The Goat," Premiere New Song + Video "Black Hole" at Revolver". Spinefarmrecords.com.
  36. ""We aim for somewhere between Teenage Fanclub and Black Sabbath": an interview with Puppy". Nme.com. 25 January 2019.
  37. "Puppy: Metal's favourite new misfits". Loudersound.com. June 2016.
  38. "Puppy: How Rising U.K. Trio Is Shaking Up Hard Rock With Sabbath-Meets-Nirvana Sound". Revolvermag.com. 25 January 2019.
  39. "The Goat". Store.spinefarmrecords.com.
  40. "Here's Puppy's New Mini-Album aka the Best Thing That'll Happen To You Today". Vice.com. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  41. "PUPPY TO RE-RELEASE 'VOL II' EP ON CD & VINYL WITH SPECIAL TREAT FOR LUCKY FANS! + UK TOUR DATES". Spinefarmrecords.com. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  42. "PUPPY DROP NEW EP, III". Spinefarmrecords.com. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
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