Wild Palms

Wild Palms was a British four-piece alternative band based in London, England, who were signed to One Little Indian Records in 2010. Formerly operating under the name Ex-Lion Tamers, the foursome saw their song "Helen's Exile" gain significant recognition just before the band rebranded itself as Wild Palms. In 2009 Wild Palms released their debut single "Over Time", followed by "Deep Dive" in 2010. Background Vocalist Lou Hill met bassist Gareth Jones at school while he was performing alone as a garage MC. During the same period, the two also became friends with drummer James Parish and began listening to similar styles of music before finally meeting guitarist Darrell Hawkins. By 2007 all four founding members were acquainted. At this point the four band members were still pursuing different musical projects, but were slowly gravitating toward each other musically. The quartet eventually came together in 2008, rehearsing and fashioning their style and sound, taking inspiration from other musicians such as Beefheart, Can, and the Fall. Burial, Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Sonic Youth, Talking Heads, and TV on the Radio are also considered influences by the band. They began playing live shows together under the name Ex-Lion Tamers; their sound during this period was described as having "angular twang and a youthful snarl". Once their music established a foothold, the band retired their original moniker and re-emerged as Wild Palms. Wild Palms A degree of change in the band's sound accompanied the change of name. Their post-Ex-Lion Tamers style has been described as "art rock", "indie-rock" and "post-punk". They set up their own rehearsal space in North London, in order to allow themselves to rehearse regularly and experiment with sounds, styles, and ideas, and develop what Clash called "a distinct songwriting voice." A review of one of their performances from this time period called it "energetic" and indicative of "a band really getting into their stride." Wild Palms recorded three singles, working with producer Gareth Jones: "Over Time", described as having "heavy angular guitar stabs"; "To The Lighthouse"; and "Deep Dive", described as having a pleasingly "thick, heavy sound".