BEN MCLEES   |  HUNTER BARR  |   GEOFF COURTS |  ADRIAN GIDDINGS  |  AUSTIN DAVEY  |  DAN VICKERS  

 

 

 

THIS IS RADIO SILENCE started as the side project of former Earth Loop Recall frontman/SonVer guitarist Ben McLees in 2006.  

 

The first TIRS output was an eponymous 6-track EP in June 2006, a short-run CD-R sent out exclusively to anyone who emailed with interest to own a copy.

 

When a new line-up of Earth Loop Recall formed in 2007 with TIRS recordings featuring in live sets, it appeared that TIRS was to be a short-lived experiment. However, when ELR imploded at the start of 2008, Ben set about working under the TIRS name in earnest.

 

In August 2008, the double A-side single 'The Heart Grows Fonder'/'T.M.N.T.Y.' was released for one week only on Line Out Records, before being deleted. (The single was reissued later, with both tracks featured on the CD edition of the 'Now There's Nothing' album)

 

The first full length album 'Now There's Nothing' was released at the start of 2010, followed by the first solo TIRS live shows later in the year.  Ben was joined by Sam Astley (guitar), Geoff Courts (bass) and Dan Vickers (drums) as This Is Radio Silence grew from solo project into a full band.

 

TIRS started 2011 with a memorable show supporting Chameleons Vox at Islington Academy, after which Dan left to concentrate on other projects.

 

Later in the year, a 3-piece show (Ben, Geoff and Djevara drummer Malcolm Gayner) played an infamous set at Kent festival Malcfest, dubbed 'the loudest in the festival's history' by organisers.

 

In 2012, TIRS recruited Black Light Ascension/Andrew King keyboardist Hunter Barr, before releasing second album 'Soon, Much Of This Will Have Been Destroyed' in December. The album included 9 tracks, two of which featured lead vocals by Sam ('Two For Joy' and 'Events/Setbacks/Annoyances').

 

With all members of the band busy touring with various other bands/artists throughout 2013 (Naevus featured Ben, Sam & Hunter; Ben & Sam were also both members of Evi Vine's band at this time), TIRS only appeared live three time. Evi Vine drummer Steven Hill joining the band in autumn to play a brace of 4-piece shows for which Ben switched to bass (Geoff was on tour in Europe at the time with Djevara). These two shows were the first to feature live visuals/projections by Adrian Giddings, who had worked previously with Ben McLees in Temp0rary. They were also the last gigs Sam Astley played with the band, as he left TIRS shortly afterwards to concentrate on his frontman duties with Penny Orchids.

 

2014 continued in similar vein to 2013 until August, when a new line-up was announced with Austin Davey joining as new guitarist and original drummer Dan Vickers rejoining TIRS after a stint with London band We Keep The City Running.

 

Double EP 'The Crux/Remixes' was also released in August 2014, featuring the strongest material released by TIRS to date alongside remixes by Slate Pipe Banjo Draggers, Temp0rary and Oblivion Guest.

 

2015 saw the new 6-piece play a string of London shows throughout the sumer, including memorable gigs at Electrowerkz (Islington) and Off The Cuff (Herne Hill).

 

TIRS were inactive throughout 2016 & 2017- however there were four releases from TIRS side project DISCONNECTS, extensive European touring from Djevara and the 8th Naevus album 'Curses' (belatedly released in February 2018) was co-written, recorded and produced by Ben McLees over an 18 month period.

 

Austin became guitarist with alternative group Northern Light Exposure at the start of 2018, working on an EP produced by Killing Joke bassist Youth during the course of the year. Ben left Naevus in the summer to focus exclusively on TIRS, ending a 6-year stint in the group.

 

In late 2018, TIRS announced the forthcoming release of their first new material in over 4 years, with the lead single to be 'Fallen Men', one of several new McLees/Barr joint compositions due to be released over the course of 2019.

 

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A S S O C I A T E D  P R O J E C T S /  B A N D S  /  A R T I S T S:

 

 

EARTH LOOP RECALL   |   NAEVUS   |    BLACK LIGHT ASCENSION   |   DJEVARA   |   SOUR GRAPE PROJECT   |   TEMP0RARY   | ANTIVALIUM  |   DISCONNECTS    |   KNIFELADDER   |    OBLIVION GUEST   |   THE STUNS   | NORTHERN LIGHT EXPOSURE    |   MOMENTO MORI