Rooster (band)

Rooster were an English hard rock band from London. Formed in 2003, the group featured vocalist Nick Atkinson, guitarist Luke Potashnick, bassist Ben Smyth and drummer Dave Neale. Signed to Brightside Recordings, the band released their debut album Rooster in 2005. The group's second album Circles and Satellites followed in 2006, before the band broke up in 2007.

Rooster
Origin	Eastbourne, England
Genres	Hard rock pop rock indie rock
Years active	2003–2007
Labels	Brightside Sony BMG
Associated acts	50.Grind The Temperance Movement
Past members	Nick Atkinson Luke Potashnick Ben Smyth Dave Neale

Often considered a pop rock or teen pop band in a similar vein to Busted, Rooster were more influenced by hard rock acts such as Led Zeppelin and Cream. Atkinson and Potashnick led the majority of songwriting on the first album, with Smyth and Neale contributing more to the second. Rooster was a commercial success, reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart.

History

2003–05: Early years and debut album

After his previous band 50.Grind broke up, singer Nick Atkinson formed Rooster with childhood friend Luke Potashnick on guitar.[1] The pair began writing songs together, before enlisting drummer Dave Neale (who had previously toured with Potashnick) and then bassist Ben Smyth (after advertising the role in the music press) to complete the lineup of the band in late 2003.[2] The name Rooster was chosen based on that of a horse on which Atkinson won £250 in a bet.[1]

Rooster signed with Hugh Goldsmith's Sony BMG sub-label Brightside Recordings and recorded their debut album with producers including Steve Robson, Pete Woodroffe and Charlie Grant.[3] The band released their first single "Come Get Some" on 11 October 2004,[4] which reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.[5] Also in 2004, the group became the first to broadcast a live performance over the 3G mobile phone network.[1] "Staring at the Sun" followed on 10 January 2005,[6] which peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]

Two weeks after "Staring at the Sun", Rooster's self-titled debut album was released on 24 January 2005.[6][7] The album reached number 3 on the UK Albums Chart, behind Push the Button by The Chemical Brothers and Hot Fuss by The Killers,[8] and as of July 2006 had sold over 500,000 copies,[9] approximately half of which were in the UK.[10] "You're So Right for Me" and "Deep and Meaningless" were released as the final two singles from the album, reaching 14 and 29 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.[5] Rooster toured in promotion of the album, reportedly playing a total of over 150 shows in 2005.[9][10]

2005–07: Second album and breakup

After promotion of their self-titled debut album, Rooster recorded the follow-up with producer Matt Wallace in Los Angeles, California.[9] The resulting album, Circles and Satellites, was originally released in Japan in June 2006, where it reached the top ten of the Oricon Albums Chart.[11] The lead single from the album, "Home", was released in July and reached number 33 on the UK Singles Chart.[5] Circles and Satellites was subsequently delayed,[1] after a planned release on 24 July,[12] eventually being released in the UK on 2 October.[13] It reached number 192 on the chart.[8]

The band toured extensively in promotion of the release, with regular support band GetAmped joined on each date by various local acts nominated by fans.[13] "Good to Be Here", which was also featured on the soundtrack to the film Stormbreaker, was released as the second single from the album, but failed to chart.[1]

In 2007, Rooster announced on their Myspace page that they had broken up.[1] Since the group's disbandment, Atkinson has played in the band The Ya Ya Boys and written songs for artists such as Boyzone and Gabrielle Aplin,[14][15] while Potashnick has joined The Temperance Movement and performed with artists including Olly Murs and One Direction.[16][17]

Band members

• Nick Atkinson – vocals
• Luke Potashnick – guitar
• Ben Smyth – bass, backing vocals
• Dave Neale – drums

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak positions
		UK [8]	IRL [18]	JPN [11]
Rooster	Released: 24 January 2005 Label: Brightside Format: CD	3	26	130
Circles and Satellites	Released: 21 June 2006 Label: Brightside Format: CD	192	—	10

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions					Album
		UK [5]	UK Rock [19]	AUS [20]	IRL [18]	NZ [21]
"Come Get Some"	2004	7	1	38	46	22	Rooster
"Staring at the Sun"	2005	5	—	—	33	—
"You're So Right for Me"		14	—	—	39	—
"Deep and Meaningless"		29	—	—	—	—
"Home"	2006	33	—	—	—	—	Circles and Satellites
"Good to Be Here"		—	—	—	—	—

Video albums

Title	Album details	Charts
		JPN [11]
Debut Live in Japan at Budokan	Released: 9 November 2005 Label: Brightside Format: DVD	173

References

1. O'Brien, Jon. "Rooster Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
2. "Cock rock rehatched". The Age. 28 August 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
3. Rooster (Media notes). Rooster. Brightside Recordings. 2005.CS1 maint: others (link)
4. "Rooster - Come Get Some (Brightside/BMG)". Manchester Evening News. 12 October 2004. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
5. UK Singles Chart peak positions for Rooster singles:
   • "Come Get Some": "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 17 October 2004 - 23 October 2004". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
   • "Staring at the Sun": "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 16 January 2005 - 22 January 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
   • "You're So Right for Me": "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 01 May 2005 - 07 May 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
   • "Deep and Meaningless": "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 17 July 2005 - 23 July 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
   • "Home": "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 16 July 2006 - 22 July 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
6. Williams, Lowri (10 January 2005). "Rooster Take A Swipe At Busted". Gigwise. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
7. "Rooster - Rooster". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
8. UK Albums Chart peak positions for Rooster albums:
   • Rooster: "Official Albums Chart Top 100: 30 January 2005 – 05 February 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
   • Circles and Satellites: "The Rabble Army – RZA". Chart Log UK. zobbel.de. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
9. Jackson, Emma (28 September 2006). "Review: Rooster". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
10. Ferguson, Tom (29 July 2006). "Rooster Crows". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
11. "ルースターのランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
12. "My favourite pub". The Guardian. 25 June 2006. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
13. Diver, Mike (24 August 2006). "Rooster want band recommendations. First person to suggest Anal C*nt wins nothing..." Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
14. "The Ya Ya Boys". Flecking Records. 21 July 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
15. "Nick Atkinson Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
16. Grand-Pierre, Ken (31 March 2015). "Luke Potashnick of The Temperance Movement". QRO Magazine. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
17. "Luke Potashnick Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
18. "Discography Rooster". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
19. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40: 17 October 2004 - 23 October 2004". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
20. "Discography Rooster". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
21. "Discography Rooster". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 August 2015.