Albion are an indie rock band based in York, England. The members are UK singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin, (vocals and guitar), Paul Banks, (ex Shed Seven),(guitar and keyboard), Walter (Walt) Laybourne, (drums) and Paul (Foda) Fothergill , {bass).

Formation

Albion were first formed in 2006, with an initial line-up consisting of Griffin, Walt, (an experienced session drummer) and Griffin’s former “Sugartown” band-mates and songwriting partners, Tom and James Martin on guitars and keyboard.

Whilst based in London, Griffin had previously performed live with a several different backing bands, and throughout 2005 had worked with south of England based rockers, Riccardi, playing Griffin's own songs and wide variety of covers. After splitting with Riccardi, who went on to concentrate on their own material, he showcased several new songs at his London gigs, working with various temporary backing musicians. He later returned to York and announced that he would shortly be abandoning his solo career and would be putting together his own band on a permanent basis, although the line-up and name remained shrouded in secrecy for several months.

Gigs

Before the official launch, the band had already played two gigs anonymously, the first at was a sell-out at renowned North Yorkshire music venue, The Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge [1958], and the second at Middlesbrough Town Hall to raise money for a memorial to Brian Clough. A further headlining gig at the Black Sheep Music Festival at Masham was played under the pseudonym “Rockdapussy”, showcasing a number of their original songs, all of which were received well by fans.

The band officially launched as "Albion" in Summer 2006, but their first two official gigs were cancelled, ostensibly due to illness. After a long period of inactivity, it was revealed that James and Tom Martin had left amicably due to musical differences.

New line-up

Early in 2007, Paul Banks, former guitarist and songwriter with chart topping York band Shed Seven and The Rising, joined Albion, at first on a temporary basis, and then permanently. Foda, another experienced York based musician, was added to the line-up shortly afterwards, and the band started recording in earnest. Their official website is due to be launched shortly.

Although the new members have not yet played together at any live gigs, several demos have already been recorded and showcased on their Myspace page, consisting of all original material and featuring songs by both Griffin and Banks, with a video filmed by Banks who is also a professional film maker. As a taster they have also been offering fans the chance to collect free monthly downloads of exclusive tracks that will not necessarily be featured on their official debut album, which is due out later in 2007.

References and external links

Press report December 2005 Whitby Gazette

Press report April 2006Evening Gazette

Rock On! Press report, June 2006Evening Gazette

Star's web wise, Press report February 2007Evening Gazette

Albion official Myspace page