LIT FM
STORY
The earliest form of what became Lit FM came into being in West London in 2011. A collective of Music and Philosophy undergraduate student friends began playing music in a basement – complete with dangerously hot pipes by the 50 pound drum kit, Yamaha portasound keyboard with a giant hole in the side, and a washing machine supporting an amplifier – often whirring along with the music.
It then slowly grew as Matt and Castle, the 2 remaining members from the band’s inception, began to sculpt songs together in the basement after the jams stopped, and carved the first of the Lit FM repertoire. This music was first played as a set by the busking duo on Queen's Walk, Southbank, where Matt and Castle used the basic ideas and structures composed to improvise with, achieving a balance of freedom and grounding which came to define their sound and Philosophy over the coming years.
By the summer of 2014 the band had played a handful of gigs in pubs and small venues across London, and the true breakthrough moment came when Matt and Castle were selected to represent London in the European Street Performance Festival in Lisbon as a duo for a week – whilst the remainder of the collective played their 2 most important gigs to date at The White Lion, Streatham (which became their second home), and now-extinct Charlie Wright’s.
By 2016 the band were gigging regularly all over London and the UK, with a growing reputation as large, upbeat, colourful and eclectic band who always had a message with the songs they wrote – a mixture of positivity, earnestness and tasteful musicality defining their philosophy. They were regular performers at key London live music venues such as Paper Dress Vintage, Off The Cuff and The Railway Tavern, also holding residencies with Bloom Jungle/Dub event at Dog Star Brixton, The White Lion, and Styx, Tottenham Hale.
And, by 2017 things were even bigger. By now the band had an unchanging 9 piece lineup, had their first E.P out, and their first single ‘Stars Above’ was spreading throughout London and the world. They were regular performers at Hootananny, The Magic Garden and Fox and Firkin, as well as having played halfway up The Shard and starred as second headliners on the second stage of Lambeth County Show to 5,000 people, ending in time to watch their heroes, Incognito. The summer of 2017 saw them tour France and Italy and play 5 UK festivals –the material which they played eventually becoming their debut album – ‘Souleil’, released in 2018.
They held their launch party at The Magic Garden, which was one of the most inspirational factors in their development - a young Castle being inspired to pursue music seriously after visiting the venue on a number of occasions. It was a hot June evening, and the venue was packed. The support, Seven Suns, blew the room apart, and by the time they took the stage everything was in perfect motion for the celebration of the band’s biggest achievement to date – an album formed by friendship, by individual journeys as young adults from all over the world in London, by the love of music, the love of poetry and philosophy, and the necessity for self-expression contained within any artist.
It then slowly grew as Matt and Castle, the 2 remaining members from the band’s inception, began to sculpt songs together in the basement after the jams stopped, and carved the first of the Lit FM repertoire. This music was first played as a set by the busking duo on Queen's Walk, Southbank, where Matt and Castle used the basic ideas and structures composed to improvise with, achieving a balance of freedom and grounding which came to define their sound and Philosophy over the coming years.
By the summer of 2014 the band had played a handful of gigs in pubs and small venues across London, and the true breakthrough moment came when Matt and Castle were selected to represent London in the European Street Performance Festival in Lisbon as a duo for a week – whilst the remainder of the collective played their 2 most important gigs to date at The White Lion, Streatham (which became their second home), and now-extinct Charlie Wright’s.
By 2016 the band were gigging regularly all over London and the UK, with a growing reputation as large, upbeat, colourful and eclectic band who always had a message with the songs they wrote – a mixture of positivity, earnestness and tasteful musicality defining their philosophy. They were regular performers at key London live music venues such as Paper Dress Vintage, Off The Cuff and The Railway Tavern, also holding residencies with Bloom Jungle/Dub event at Dog Star Brixton, The White Lion, and Styx, Tottenham Hale.
And, by 2017 things were even bigger. By now the band had an unchanging 9 piece lineup, had their first E.P out, and their first single ‘Stars Above’ was spreading throughout London and the world. They were regular performers at Hootananny, The Magic Garden and Fox and Firkin, as well as having played halfway up The Shard and starred as second headliners on the second stage of Lambeth County Show to 5,000 people, ending in time to watch their heroes, Incognito. The summer of 2017 saw them tour France and Italy and play 5 UK festivals –the material which they played eventually becoming their debut album – ‘Souleil’, released in 2018.
They held their launch party at The Magic Garden, which was one of the most inspirational factors in their development - a young Castle being inspired to pursue music seriously after visiting the venue on a number of occasions. It was a hot June evening, and the venue was packed. The support, Seven Suns, blew the room apart, and by the time they took the stage everything was in perfect motion for the celebration of the band’s biggest achievement to date – an album formed by friendship, by individual journeys as young adults from all over the world in London, by the love of music, the love of poetry and philosophy, and the necessity for self-expression contained within any artist.
Latest Lineup
Karolina Micor I Vocals Richard Castle I Tenor Sax Jonah Little I Alto Sax Oliver Presman I Trumpet Matt Carrol I Guitar James Quinn I Keyboards Luigi Rignanese I Bass Vincent Cudet I Drums |
Collaborations
Ikraam Qureshi Claudia Baca Z eb edee Ben Harrison Alex Shaw George Jefford David Fernandez |
Genres
Funk/Jazz Acid Jazz Soul Disco Hip Hop |