Editors (band)

Formation (2002–2004)[edit]

The band met while studying Music Technology at Staffordshire University, but living in Birmingham and playing at venues such as the Jug of Ale and the Flapper & Firkin.^[1] In an interview in 2015, Tom Smith said, "Birmingham is very important. Looking back further it was where we all lived together in the early years, played all those Flapper and Jug of Ale shows, and then got our record deal. We've always said although only one of us was brought up there, Birmingham was the band's home".


The band was initially known as Pilot and played its first show under this name in 2002.^[2] While in college, the band constructed a marketing strategy which involved placing hundreds of promotional stickers across the walls of Stafford asking "Who's the Pilot?".^[2] However, they realized the name was already taken by a 1970s Scottish pop group, so they changed their name to The Pride.^[3]


They made a promo under this name with the tracks "Come Share the View" and "Forest Fire" and made the songs available on BBC Radio 1's Onemusic Unsigned.^[4] A review of the songs reads, "The Pride keep things subliminally lo-fi. Refreshingly simple and restrained, 'Come Share The View' is a lesson in welding hypnotic soundscapes with white noise while showing allegiance to the school of slo-mo on "Forest Fire"".^[4] The band then took its music offline to encourage more "A&R" representatives to see them perform.^[2]


Ed Lay replaced drummer Geraint Owen, who began to focus on his Welsh band The Heights. Under this lineup they became known as Snowfield. They played their debut gig under this name at the request of Fused Magazine in March 2003. The following summer the band self-released a demo six-track EP, of which all six songs went on to become future Editors songs. In the autumn of 2003, after graduation, the band relocated to Birmingham, the home of their management and the nearest big city.


For the next year, the band members worked part-time jobs along in addition to working in the band. After regular gigging around the Midlands, it was not long until word of mouth helped them become a popular unsigned band.^[2] They sent out a one-track demo of "Bullets". This demo attracted the interest of several British labels, including thirty A&R reps who came to see them play in Birmingham.^[5] In October 2004, the group signed to Newcastle-based indie label Kitchenware Records.^[6] At that point they changed their band name to Editors.