The Ordinary Boys

The Ordinary Boys are a four-piece indie-ska band from Brighton who were mainly resigned to the alternative music press, until lead singer Preston's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2006. The programme has significantly boosted the band's profile, thrusting them into the mainstream. Also due to enormous public demand, a number of extra dates in October have had to be added to their Spring 2006 UK tour. They're one of a number of Britpop revivalist bands to rebel against the skinny jeans/big hair/leather jacket anti-chav movement, though for some their supposed lack of pretension is indicative of just the opposite.

The band are influenced by bands like The Kinks, The Jam, The Specials and The Smiths, combining indie with ska-punk producing a perfect pop-rock mix. The Ordinary Boys formed in 2002, with Sam Preston on guitar and vocals, William Brown on guitar and vocals, Charles Stanley on drums and James Gregory on bass. When they formed, the boys had already been playing in various bands since they were teenagers. Their debut single 'Maybe Someday' was released in February 2004, and was produced by the famous Stephen Street, known for his work with Blur and The Smiths. They played tour dates supporting Stellastarr and the Thrills, and also appeared on BBC Radio 1's 'Live in Brighton' show.

Their second single 'Week In Week Out' was a British Top 40 hit, serving a positive preface to debut album Over The Counter Culture in August of that year. The album included Special's cover 'Little Bitch'. The band played a number of festivals, including Glastonbury, The V Festival in Stafford, and the Leeds and Reading Carling Weekend Festivals. The Ordinary Boys call their fan base the Ordinary Army, suggesting the band are set on world domination.

The Ordinary Boys' second album Brassbound was released on 1st January 2005, and includes the single 'Boys Will Be Boys', that became a massive hit in February 2006 off the back of Prston's Big Brother appearance. The album also contains a cover of The Special's 'Rudi's In Love', though many reviewers criticised the band for being so bogged down in a genre that "should have been left for dead" (NME). In September 2005 the band played alongside Hard-Fi and The Dead 60s st a London gig to launch Virgin Radio Xtreme, a London-based alternative music radio station, aiming to play brand new rock music without any restrictions.

During Preston's stay in the Big Brother house, he became good friends with novelty non-celebrity Chantelle Houghton. The two had quite a flirtatious relationship, leading to much speculation in the tabloid media about whether or not Preston and Chantelle were in the throws of romance. Preston was already engaged to his French girlfriend Camille, but there have been rumours since Preston left the Big Brother house that he and Chantelle are now in fact an item. Preston also got on well with Pete Burns, controversial punk rocker who achieved fame in the eighties with his new wave band Dead Or Alive. Also in the house was Respect party leader George Galloway, who Preston did not always see eye to eye with. The band's new found success seems to have presented the boys with a new ethic. They see no reason why their credibility as a 'serious' rock group should be compromised, just because they now appeal to a wider audience. However, this lust for success may,in the end, prove to be their ultimate downfall.

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