BIO

For years, punk rock musicians have unplugged their Les Pauls and abandoned their bands for a folkier, stripped-down sound and tours that require nothing more than a backpack full of clothes and an acoustic guitar. The opposite, though, is true for London's Great Cynics-a project that started with Giles Bidder, his acoustic guitar, and (occasionally) a rowdy tambourine. On Bidder's first full-length Don't Need Much, released by Kind of Like Records in the US and Household Name Records in the UK, he has turned his singer-songwriter project into a full-fledged band.

When Bidder named his project Great Cynics, he was unsure if it would ever evolve into something that involved other members. Not long after the release of his debut EP Stones I've Thrown, Bidder decided to expand Great Cynics' sound for Don't Need Much. "I got in my friend who plays drums, Bob Barrett, and he was up for it," he explains. "We practiced for the first time on January 3rd and had about ten practices before we recorded it in late January." Bidder and Barrett approached Peter Miles (Crazy Arm, The Steal) to produce the record, later asking him to perform bass and organ duties, a role Miles effectively fulfilled after only a half-hour's practice.

With Don't Need Much, Bidder and co put forth a solid and consistent effort, highlighting the joys of being young and free to live life to the fullest. On "Dave and Angela" for example, Bidder's warble rises from the wash created when Telecaster twang blends with bright swipes of acoustic guitar; Barrett's drums pound and crack behind it all with precise power. Other tracks are more intimate, including "Moorhen", which features Bidder's roller-coaster vocals soaring above (and dipping beneath) a grunting electric guitar. Nowhere does the album feel forced; nowhere does it try to be anything more than a focused, raw rock n' roll record.

This rawness is the reason why Don't Need Much doesn't seem like a departure for Great Cynics, despite the fact that Bidder is now recording and performing with a full band; behind each dusty, dingy electric guitar chord; each snare drum spark; each groan of organ is the same singer-songwriter sensibility that Bidder revealed on Stones I've Thrown. "I still think of it in the same way as when I first started," Bidder admits, "when it was just me writing songs in my bedroom and playing to a couple of friends."