The Lodger (band)

History

The Lodger formed in 2004, after Leeds label Dance to the Radio offered to put out a single on the basis of demos that Ben Siddall recorded in his bedsit, the band name inspired by his accommodation. The initial line-up was Siddall on guitar and vocals with Lisa Harker on bass and Katie James on drums. After 3 sold-out limited 7"s ("Many Thanks For Your Honest Opinion" on Dance to the Radio, "Watching" on Double Dragon, and "Let Her Go" on Angular Records) and touring around the UK and Europe with bands such as The Long Blondes and The Research, the group released their debut album Grown-Ups, produced by Alan Smyth and James Ford, in June 2007 on Angular Records in the UK, Slumberland Records in the US, Fabtone in Japan and Speak N Spell in Australia. By this time Harker and James had left the band, to be replaced by Joe Margetts and Bruce Renshaw.

Critical acclaim for the album followed, drawing comparisons with Orange Juice, The Wedding Present, and Heavenly,and it was rated at number 4 in This Is Fake DIY's Albums of 2007. The band have featured heavily on the elbo.ws charts since the release along with heavy rotation on US college radio and other stations worldwide. The album was voted as 62nd best of 2007 on www.amazon.com and 95th in Woxy.com's Top 97 of '07. The Lodger recently completed their first tour of the USA in late 2007 and then entered the studio to record their 2nd album in November. The 2nd album is titled Life Is Sweet and was released in May 2008, again to a positive critical reaction.

The Guardian described the band early on in their career: "Imagine a more bitter and twisted Housemartins, or early James".

Band members

Albums

Singles

Compilation appearances