Beat Union

BEAT UNION
DISCONNECTED
(Science)

Dave Warsop (Vocals/guitar)
Luke Johnson (Drums)
Dean Ashton (Guitar)
Ade Preston (Bass)

What do you get when you fuse brilliant, inventive songwriting--bolstered by an amalgam of influences--from the Clash to vintage Elvis Costello--with the platinum production hand of Goldfinger’s John Feldmann (The Used, Good Charlotte, Story of the Year, The Matches)? If you’re the Birmingham, England-bred foursome BEAT UNION, the answer is DISCONNECTED (Science), a seamless yet diverse eleven-track debut that celebrates the past as it looks to the future with serious intent.

“We wanna be the biggest band in the world,” the men of BEAT UNION--who are already confirmed on the Hurley.com Stage for the entire 2008 Vans Warped Tour--have told the likes of U.K. publications Metal Hammer and Kerrang! And if the foursome-- consisting of childhood friends DAVE WARSOP (vocals/guitar), LUKE JOHNSON (drums), DEAN ASHTON (guitar) and ADE PRESTON (bass)--seem far more humble in person, they couldn’t make that proclamation without the necessary sonic wares.

“I believe the faster you rise, the faster you fall,” WARSOP says with a hint of modesty. “We’re just trying to build our audience.” But when it’s suggested that DISCONNECTED is quite an achievement for a new band, he simply replies, “We wanted to make a solid album--great songs with hooks and attitude.”

Launched with the explosive punch of the title track, where an infectious melody offsets lyrics of alienation, “Disconnected” is the first of many uplifting winners set into motion by BEAT UNION. And in an era where the face-to-face has been supplanted by Myspace, WARSOP’s lyrics capture his fear of being left behind with all that technology brings.

Elsewhere, the beat-driven angular guitar opus “Pressure Zone” nods its head to Gang of Four and Franz Ferdinand before embracing a Two/Tone-inspired horn break that takes the track into exhilarating heights, WARSOP explains, “We didn’t want a standard pop arrangement. We wanted to do something different.”

BEAT UNION has taken a unique path to the successful completion of its debut album, aligning with John Feldmann after a demo for the vibrant, punky, single-worthy “Can’t Stop The Radio” (which also appears on the disc in its riotous original approach and in a Sandinista!-esque dub form as a hidden track) caught the esteemed producer’s attention. “At the time we thought it was one of our best songs, so we sent it around to whoever we could think of. Then, one day we’re at rehearsal and it’s John. And he tells us that he loves the song and loves our sound and wants to hear more. It was fucking crazy.”

Crazier still, Feldmann flew BEAT UNION to L.A. at his own expense, financed the demos that led to a deal with Orange County’s burgeoning indie label Science--home to Blessthefall and Greeley Estates--and gave the band the support slot on some of Goldfinger’s West Coast dates. For these four English lads, who first cut their teeth playing in local Birmingham bands like Shooter McGavin, Shortcut To Newark and Farse, their collective efforts as BEAT UNION culminated in successful U.K. tours with Taking Back Sunday and Gym Class Heroes.

The band also pulled down a surprise feat in the summer of 2007, when the irresistibly charged “She is the Gun” fired up to #5 on the BBC Radio 1 rock chart, giving DAVE, DEAN, LUKE and ADE their first real taste of airplay. “I think it’s cool that kids are picking up on our music and digging it and maybe thinking, ‘Who the hell are the Clash? Who are the Police and the Jam and Joe Jackson and Squeeze and Elvis Costello?’” WARSOP says. “That idea, to me, is incredible.”

As for WARSOP’s devotion to Mr. Costello, the songwriter/frontman explains, “His music changed my life and made such a huge impact on my songs and songwriting. From him I learned that the songs have got to stand out and there has to be attitude and character. You’ve got to hear the singer and know who it is right away.”

With DAVE’s distinct voice and quirky delivery leading the charge for BEAT UNION’s hybrid of the aforementioned, DISCONNECTED links the splendid, keyboard-inflected mirror moves of “Heart Starts Beating” to the Police-influenced almost-ballad “All On My Own.” “At first we thought about leaving that off the album,” WARSOP says of the latter. “And we thought maybe we should keep it uptempo like the classic punk records or like Nevermind or Dookie. But then we just thought, ‘Fuck it. We cannot deny a good song.’”

And above all else, that philosophy holds the key to the surprise-laden, unflinchingly strong material that upholds DISCONNECTED. Sustaining a listener’s interest for an album’s full duration is a rare feat, but its one that Beat Union pulls off by following Feldmann’s lead and wearing its influences proudly on its sleeve. Hence “Johnny Loves Jojo,” which lyrically recalls Squeeze’s beloved “Up The Junction” but musically comes much closer to the likes of Strummer/Jones.

As the group looks forward to the worldwide release of DISCONNECTED, the quartet from the outskirts of Birmingham contemplates a summer spent touring the United States, bringing its exhilarating songs to the Hurley.com Stage on every date of the aforementioned Warped Tour. “It’s exciting but it’s a little hard to comprehend,” the BEAT UNION frontman says. “Being from the U.K., every day we’re in the States, we’re like ‘Holy shit.’ How did we get here?”

“I guess the bottom line is our songs,” WARSOP concludes after pondering the question for a moment. Then he comes back, confident and driven. “I want our songs to stand the test of time.”

DISCONNECTED. Great songs with hooks and attitude, indeed!

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elvis costello, the clash, the jam, your favorite band