Absolute Captain

Absolute Captain are: Michael on vocals and lead guitar, James on bass guitar and Alex on the drums. Formed initially by James and Michael jamming together at weekends when still in school, Michael met Alex in the laundry room of Liverpool University's Carnatic Halls, where Alex spake unto Michael the life altering words; "Cool shirt man", referring to his Joe Bonamassa T-shirt. Within the week, the band was together, and after two practices, The Captain played their first gig in the illustrious and cavernous (and now sadly defunct) Bier Keller on Dale Street. Initially performing under the name "The Lids" which was later changed to avoid confusion with another local group already using the name, the band came out to a rapturous welcome. The band's name originated from a disreputable night in Liverpool's Magnet club (where Freddie Mercury first met Brian May and Roger Taylor some 40 years previously), in which Jimbo proclaimed Michael (also known as Sheddy) 'an absolute captain', after singlehandedly drinking all the sloe gin behind the bar. The band gigged around Liverpool's clubs and bars, playing with wall soaking intensity every night, all the while developing original material for an EP. After eventually scraping enough money, the band entered Parr Street Studios in the spring of 2012 to record four songs. It was done live in the studio to save time and the result was our debut EP: 7 Hours (named for the time it took to record), released in January 2013. The band set up their own near sell out EP launch to promote the album at the venerable Zanzibar club, joined onstage for an encore by friend and singer/songwriter Alexandra Jayne. The band continued to hone their craft and began to occasionally play outside their home city. In April 2013, Absolute Captain recorded their debut full length album, titled 'Juvenilia', with producer Kyle Western at Western Recording Co. Studios on Seel Street. Deciding to not to rush release the album so soon after '7 Hours', the band began to plan how to promote and release the album themselves without any help from a label. That month the band played the world famous Cavern Club for the first time, having reached second place in the final of the citywide Battle Of The Bands organised by Liverpool University's Band Society, a group in which Absolute Captain has been heavily involved with, it having introduced Alex to the band and having helped the band and many contemporaries succeed within the Liverpool music scene. Word began to spread of Absolute Captain's high energy, maximum crowd participation live shows, and of their 'avalanche of riffs' sound that is unique within the Liverpool music scene. The band played almost every club in Liverpool at least twice; The Picket, Korova, The Zanzibar, as well as the famous Band Society nights held around the city, turning into an established live act with an increasingly strong local following. In May 2014, after a social network promotional campaign, Absolute Captain announced that their debut album would be digitally released on May 31st, supported by a launch gig at St. Luke's Church in Liverpool, known affectionally as 'the Bombed Out Church'; a Grade II listed building that was heavily damaged by Luftwaffe bombs during World War Two and has remained as a monument to the Blitz and a bastion of local arts and culture. Listen to our EP '7 Hours' and our full length album 'Juvenilia' on Bandcamp, iTunes, Bandpage, Spotify or Youtube, listed at the top of this page. DEBUT ALBUM 'JUVENILIA' OUT NOW