| Beat Union | |
 | |
| Background Information | |
| A.K.A. | Shortcut to Newark |
| Origin | Birmingham, United Kingdom Bromsgrove, United Kingdom Redditch, United Kingdom |
| Genre | Pop Punk |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Label(s) | Science |
| Associated Acts | Shooter McGavin |
| Website | http://www.beatunion.co.uk/ |
| Members | |
| Dave Warsop Luke Johnson Dean Ashton Ade Preston | |
| Former Members | |
| Mark Andrews | |
Beat Union are a pop-punk band from Birmingham, Bromsgrove and Redditch, United Kingdom. They were formerly known as Shortcut to Newark.[1] The group has garnered comparisons to Elvis Costello and The Jam, as well as pop punk groups like Green Day.[2][3]
History[]
In 2006 the band toured the UK with Bedouin Soundclash and Zox.[4]
Their debut full-length album, Disconnected, was released on Science Records in April 2008.[5] It was produced with the help of John Feldmann, producer and frontman of Goldfinger.[6] Rolling Stone named their song "She Is the Gun" Song of the Day on July 17, 2008.[7] The song also received rotation on BBC Radio 1, where it rose to #5 on the station's airplay charts.[8]
After releasing the album, the group toured with Goldfinger and then played the 2008 Warped Tour in the U.S.[9] A U.S. fall tour was announced with Flogging Molly, followed by UK dates with Less Than Jake.[10]
Current lineup[]
- Dave Warsop - lead vocals, guitar (Ex Shortcut To Newark[11] / Shooter McGavin[12])
- Luke Johnson (aka Luke van der Luke) - drums (Ex Shortcut To Newark / Shooter McGavin / Amen[13])
- Dean Ashton - guitar, backup vocals (Ex Shortcut To Newark / Shooter McGavin)
- Ade Preston - bass, backup vocals (Ex Farse)
Discography[]
- As Shortcut to Newark
- Heads in Hands Heads in Half EP (Boss Tuneage, 2003)
- Gearing Up for Getting Down (Suckapunch Records, 2006)
- As Beat Union
- Disconnected (Science Records, 2008)
References[]
- ↑ Shortcut to Newark
- ↑ Review of Disconnected. Allmusic
- ↑ Review of Disconnected. Alternative Press, June 2008.
- ↑ Bedouin Soundclash, Beat Union, & Zox. BBC, August, 25, 2006.
- ↑ Beat Union Get Disconnected. Chart Attack, April 14, 2008.
- ↑ Review of Disconnected. Aversion.com.
- ↑ Song of the Day. Rolling Stone online (mirror at Yahoo!), July 17, 2008.
- ↑ For this album, Beat Union has hired music video director Daniel Chesnut to do videos for tracks: "Calling" and "Pressure Zone".Beat Union travel the world for summer festivals and fall dates with Flogging Molly and Less Than Jake. Cleveland Leader, August 5, 2008.
- ↑ Beat Union at Allmusic
- ↑ Beat Union to Flog Molly This Fall. Antimusic, August 6, 2008.
- ↑ Shortcut To Newark Official Myspace
- ↑ Shooter McGavin Official Myspace
- ↑ Amen Fansite propAMENda.com Biography
External links[]
- Official band site
- Official Myspace page
- Science Records band page
- Beat Union Take To The States Feature article. PlugInMusic.com