LEFT SIDE BRAIN
In the early part of 2000, frustrated at the dead scene in their Welsh hometown of Swansea, G and Ryan made the decision to relocate across the border to the brighter lights and bolder sounds of Bristol. Simultaneously, Oli joined them from his midlands hometown of Stoke-On-Trent. With a new base of operations established and guitars/drums duties filled, all that was left was the recruitment of a suitable bassist.
Nearly 9 months of morale-sapping, fruitless searching followed; a procession of unsuitable candidates all rejected. Finally, some hope was provided after answering Rich's ad 'Tall bassist seeks band'. At 6'6' and with a rumbling sound to match his proportions, he didn't disappoint.
In the remaining months of 2000, the Left Side Brain line-up was complete, rehearsals began in earnest and the first few gigs were undertaken. Even at this very early stage, the Left Side Brain live proposition was firmly in place - ripping riffs, wrecking ball drums, a super-melodic triple-vocal attack - all delivered in the kind of frenetic, vital and sweat-soaked sets that spit an audience out with a shit-eating grin on its collective face.
For the next couple of years the band committed to gigging like bastards in every corner of the U.K., honing their most explosive songs and formidably bombastic shows. LSB shared stages with like-minded bands such as Reuben, Eden Maine and Irish rockers Throat, and ended 2002 with a stint on Metal Hammer's Nu-Breed Tour.
With the material and method of delivery established, the next point of call was to get the very best songs down on tape. This led the band to Northern Ireland and into the studio of producer Neal Calderwood. Neal was clearly the man for the job, as demonstrated by his storming work with (amongst others) Throat, Therapy?'s Andy Cairns and Clutch's Neil Fallon.
'Surface Tension E.P.' was the result of the studio sessions. Released in the first quarter of 2004, this four-track E.P. reached no. 27 in the rock charts, gained national radio play, and the video for lead track 'Fallout' was playlisted on Kerrang! TV and Scuzz. National press reviews were hugely enthusiastic, with Metal Hammer featuring 'Figures' on the cover cd of issue 123 and declaring that LSB would 'tear you a new arsehole in 04!'.
The subsequent attention resulted in an album deal being forged with Bristol label Sugar Shack Records, and the logical return to Northern Ireland in June 2004. There, the band set about recording their debut album. Entitled 'Equal and Opposite', this 11-track long-player delivered a rocket-propelled grenade of tunesmithery, administered with the kind of nut-crushingly bombastic sound that LSB have made their own.
Released in November 2004, 'Equal and Opposite' garnered a wealth of ecstatic reviews from the national rock press, including Kerrang! who awarded it 4 K's ('The kind of band that gives you hope for the UK underground') and Metal Hammer scored it 8/10 ('Superb'). Second single 'Clout' was released in April, the video of which was playlisted on Scuzz and The Musician's Channel. A number of successful UK tours were undertaken to support the album and single releases.
Left Side Brain spent the second half of 2005 writing and recording their second album, 'Action Potential', which was released on 27th March 2006. Their most recent album Collider was released in 2009.
