This is an archive of the band profile for Bad Friend.

Lewis Rollinson - Guitar/Vocals
Max Coleman - Guitar/Keys/Vocals
Henry Chatham - Bass
Matthew Hancock - Drums

During the height of April showers and in the eye of the storm, two lightning bolts struck simultaneously within a 13ft radius in the grim Northern setting of Leeds, UK. One of these lightning bolts hit the rain laden window of a lost and confused young man's lonesome abode... the other? In the mind of said young man, sparking what was to become a tour de force of audible energy unlike anything that had gone before.

Bad Friend began initially as a self-depreciating pseudonym for the songs of Lewis Rollinson. These songs were composed, arranged and recorded in the comfort of his own bedroom, telling tales of 'off-the-rails' teenagers and their woeful mothers, terrifyingly forward mistresses and the fine line between friendship and romance. The conflicted thoughts and emotions of Bad Friend's lyrics are also reflected within the music; a sonic collage of funk rhythms, jazz chords, electronic blips and hip hop beats. This concoction oozes stylistic dissonance from its every pore yet the music still has its feet placed firmly in the indie/alternative genre.

A firm staple of the Bad Friend sound is their distinctive guitar style: an intriguing blend of Nile Roger's feel for groove, Johnny Marr's knack for heavenly melodies along with the uncontainable aggression of a plugged-in Neil Young. While this guitar style was always present in Rollinson's home recordings (self-proclaiming Bad Friend to be a 'funky Radiohead') it wasn't until Bad Friend became a fully formed band that their razor sharp guitars really began to come to the forefront as well as shape the arrangements around them.

With the help of lead guitarist Max Coleman, bassist Henry Chatham and drummer Matthew Hancock, Lewis' ideas were unbound from the chains of Soundcloud and were given life in an entirely new setting. The energy given by these newly found musicians was exactly what was needed to take Bad Friend to the stage, with the band now making waves on the Leeds live music scene. Bad Friend's raucous intensity and habit for 'rocking out' is taking the funky grooves of the original songs to new levels, making them increasingly more difficult not to shake a leg to and providing audience members with a live music experience to remember.

Despite their newfound focus on live music, Bad Friend hasn't stopped churning out new songs for their ever-growing fanbase to listen to. The band have recently released a new (full band) studio recording of 'Blush', a live favourite that journeys between funk rock, angelic jangle pop and dark and dirty grunge within its 2 minute blast. Accompanying this is the reverb drenched, jazz chord ballad 'You Always Get Me Started' tugging at the heart strings with forlorn and hopelessly frustrated vocals while providing the listener with a much welcomed sobering tone after the relentless rush of 'Blush'.

Both of these tracks will be featured on the upcoming 'Mixtape' EP, a collection of songs inspired by the raw sounds and culture of hip hop. With this to look forward to as well as a wealth of exhilarating Bad Friend live shows to attend, the New Year really looks bright for the band. Blink and you'll miss the chance to say you were on the bandwagon first because these guys really are going somewhere... the top, that's where! Tell your friends, good and bad, this may be the illest band you've ever discuvvad... Peace.

Bad Friend.

'You're not a bad friend after all' - Dom Robinson.