The Long Blondes

Dorian Cox (guitar), Reenie Delaney (bass), Emma Chaplin (guitar/vocals), Kate Jackson (vocals), and Screech Louder (drums) comprise the glamorous new wave-tinged stylings of the Long Blondes. The Sheffield, England five-piece came together in 2005 and issued its debut, "Autonomy Boy"/"Long Blonde," a split 7" with the Boyfriends shortly thereafter. A handful of independent singles for Angular Records and Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation followed into 2006, as did the NME Philip Hall Radar Award, which has previously been presented to Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs. A record deal with Rough Trade was cemented in April, and two months later, the Long Blondes' campy yet cheeky "Weekend Without Makeup" made the U.K. Top 30. Their debut album, Someone to Drive You Home, arrived in November 2006. After an extended European tour, they entered the studio with DJ/producer Erol Alkan and started working on their second album in London. Couples was released in April of 2008.