The motley group of characters who comprise this UK art-punk outfit came together in London in summer 2003. Lead vocalist Eddie Argos (b. Kevin Macklin, Weymouth, Dorset, England) had previously played with a part-time band called the Art Goblins in his home-town of Bournemouth, before relocating to London in a more serious attempt to break into the music scene. Argos was joined over the next few months by Chris Chinchilla (guitar), Ian Catskilkin (b. Ian Wilson; guitar), Freddy Feedback (bass) and Mikey B (drums). The newly named Art Brut, after the 40s art movement founded by Jean Dubuffet, played a number of gigs in the usual independent London venues and recorded the Brutlegs demo. This contained an early version of a track called "Formed A Band", a catchy and ludicrously self-mocking exposition of the band's ambitions. "Formed A Band" was later released on an Angular Records compilation album, through which means it came to the attention of Rough Trade Records. Released as a single in March 2004, "Formed A Band" received notable coverage in the music press on both sides of the Atlantic and even reached the lower regions of the UK charts.
A number of compilation appearances preceded the release of the band's second official single, the double a-side "Modern Art"/"My Little Brother". This Fierce Panda release broke into the UK Top 50 in December and was followed by the band's debut album, Bang Bang Rock & Roll. The cheeky brilliance of tracks such as "Emily Kane" and "Moving To L.A." proved that "Formed A Band" was no one-off. This witty, melodic and enjoyable album was deservedly championed as one of the year's best releases.
Chinchilla left Art Brut at the end of 2005 and was replaced by former Art Goblins member Jasper Future. The new line-up recorded a split 7-inch single with US band We Are Scientists before completing the It's A Bit Complicated, the band's debut album for Mute Records.
