Who are The Red Pills? We formed in September 2008, taking our name from the movie 'The Matrix.' Despite being a laid back, self-effacing bunch valuing off-the-wall humour and often touching on less salubrious topics, we're equally at home railing against the injustices of the world. We think the music industry is overrun with Machiavellian record company bosses and homogenised primadonnas, both of whom are emotionally and financially detached from the lives of most people. What are The Red Pills up to these days? Our live show 'has to be seen to be believed' according to Rebecca Atkinson of Leeds Music Scene and has been described as 'refreshingly bonkers' and 'bracing stuff.' We recently ran a successful pledge campaign using Kickstarter to fund our first album, 'Northern Rock'. We released this in 2014 and are now working on a follow up. What's Northern Rock about then? It's a funk, punk, rock 'n' roll concept album which tells the story of one banker during the credit crunch and ensuing recession. The songs examine how his morals and desires affect his life and the lives of those around him. It's the culmination of five years' work. The pledge campaign was vital, as despite having a very strong DIY ethic, the combined cost of the recording / mixing equipment and the merchandise outlay had previously prevented the band from realising their ambition. Tom on the campaign: "It's fair to say we seized the opportunity, although it was hard work and we had to do a lot of promotion to ensure we got enough pledges to reach (and eventually surpass) our £1000 target. Our friends and fans were legendary and offered to help in all sorts of ways. I suppose it's somewhat ironic that an album about the financial crisis nearly didn't get made because four skint northern lads didn't have enough money to record and release it." Raising £1110 before recording the album enabled the band to produce, among other things, a 40 page story / lyric / art book which explains each song's relevance to the overall story, the thinking behind the lyrics and how the songs were written and recorded. The book is available in both soft and hardcover formats through the official website. The Red Pills took their name from the 1999 movie The Matrix, in which the protagonist, Neo, faces a choice: take a blue pill and continue to live a cosy, comfortable life in a world of illusion or take a 'red pill' and be awakened to reality's often harsh truths. This 'red pill' ethos is reflected in both the album's overall story and its lyrical content, says Tom: "The banker in our story starts out as a blue pill. He only looks out for himself and is happy to be controlled by his employer as that adherence to control allows him to enjoy the benefits of a six-figure salary and an enhanced social status. Gradually, his circumstances change and he changes with them. By track eight he's gone full red pill and rejected his corporate paymasters, but is it too late? Well... shh, spoilers!" The Red Pills have been a favourite of Alan Raw, BBC Introducing West Yorkshire, who invited them on to his show for an interview and playback of the album. Northern Rock was released worldwide in February 2014. The band are: Tom 'Captain Mayhem' Hey - Vocals Nick 'Major Layoff' Shakhlevich - Guitar Sean 'Colonel D.Bugger' Craven - Bass Jimmy 'General Ignorance'' G - Drums Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.