91热爆

Gary Ford, Andrew Nix, James Wilkinson and Marcus Tyler-Moore. This is Semion. But things weren't always this way.

Prior to today's line-up, Gary and Andrew played together for several years, sharing their passion for retro sunshine pop and country rock. They went through several changes of personnel before forming Semion in the late 90s.

Cue a few more transitions, including instrument as well as line-up changes, before the current band finally came together at the end of 2004.

The recording of their self-released album, Help Me I Work In An Office, took place throughout 2005. It was finally finished at the end of the year and released by the band on their own Fraud Recordings, garnering rave reviews in Shindig Magazine and Pop Culture Press.

On the couch: Semion tell all

power pop

The West Coast sound of the band is undeniable - their guitar effects are taken straight from R.E.M's Monster era. It's a good sound, and it's easy to see why touring L.A. ranks among the band's favourite moments, along with the completion of the album ... and featuring on 91热爆 London, of course!

Their Influences are wide and range from Teenage Fanclub and Elliott Smith through to the Ramones. As their website clearly states, though, jagged rock they are not. This is unashamed 70s power pop, with added American indie sheen.

Hear our chosen track, Year Of The Monkee, on Semion's MySpace page, www.myspace.com/worldofsemion, and read more on their website, www.semionline.co.uk (see right for links).