It was a shared passion for making and performing music that brought Sam, Matt, Alice, John, Robin and Adam together in spring 2007.
Songwriting brothers Matt and Sam Taylor had been honing their trade since they were in their early teens, playing their first gig in a smoky Sheffield bar when Sam was just 14. From the very start they maintained the same ethos of playing only original material.
In spring 2007, with nearly a decade’s worth of songs sitting on dusty shelves, they decided to get together with Sam’s school friend, vocalist Alice Faraday and their long-time bass player Robin Baker, to set about putting all their efforts into making an album. John Redgrave, who had performed with the band in the past, was brought in to add to the songs his unique brand of guitar playing. On a night out in Sheffield, Robin spotted local gigster Adam Crofts playing drums in a pub and asked him to join the band too.
The result was a sound coloured by rock, blues, American, English, country and even folk influences, but which remained at its centre an honest, from-the-heart collection of songs written and performed by a group of young friends who want nothing more than to make great music.
The growing interest in Dead Like Harry can be seen at their regular UK gigs, and in their rapidly growing fan base. What it is, exactly, that keeps people coming back for more night after night is best summed up by British contemporary music magazine, Sandman: “Immaculately crafted songs, razor-sharp harmonies and widescreen instrumentation taking cues from classic songwriters ranging from Shane MacGowan and Paul Simon to Bruce Springsteen and Ryan Adams.” [Sandman: 2007]