Say hello to The Lodger

The Lodger was born in Ben Siddal's Leeds bedsit flat in 2004. Encouraged by local label Dance To The Radio, Ben recruited friends for bass and drum duties, tuned-up with live shows around town and debuted in early 2005 with a track on a Dance To The Radio compilation. The band quickly followed-up with their excellent debut single "Many Thanks For Your Honest Opinion," the "Watching" 7" on Double Dragon, and a track for the hotly-tipped Wrath label's split 7" series.

2006 was when the band got their act together -- a permanent line-up of Ben, Joe and Katie was established and the band went out on the road in the UK with kindred Yorkshire spirits The Research in February. London indie label Angular Records released the band's ace third single "Let Her Go" shortly afterwards. This single won the BBC 6music's Rebel Playlist and started to pick up airplay worldwide. In the summer the band decamped to Alan Smyth's tiny little Sheffield recording studio to record songs for their debut album. Thirteen tracks were recorded in a week in September -- with the addition of "Getting Special" the result was the group's debut album Grown-Ups.

Grown-Ups turned a lot of heads when released in June 2007. Garnering comparisons to heavyweights like The Housemartins, The Smiths and The Wedding Present, it displayed a band steeped in pop history, especially the classicist guitar pop so beloved of English bands. Band leader Ben Siddall's songs are elegant gems of melodic construction; catchy, sure, but also full of clever turns of phrase and rhythmic hooks that add depth and elevate them into the realm of the truly special. Tunes like "Let Her Go" and "Simply Left Behind" are destined to enter the canon of classic 3 minute pop right alongside The Lodger's heroes.

Spending the second half of 2007 touring the UK, Europe and the US gave the band ample opportunity to write and hone their next set of tunes, and eager to get them down on wax they again joined Alan Smyth in Sheffield in December 2007. The results can be heard on Life Is Sweet, the band's excellent sophomore album. As great as Grown-Ups is, Life Is Sweet ups the ante even further. Led by the effervescent Sound of Young Scotland beat-pop of single "The Good Old Days", Life Is Sweet is filled with gorgeous melodies and some of the catchiest tunes you'll ever have stuck in your ear.

The rest of 2008 looks to be mighty exciting for The Lodger, with a full touring schedule taking in Europe, Japan, Scandinavia and the US; expect to hear an awful lot about Life Is Sweet and The Lodger this summer.