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Beatbullyz to support winter 2010 JLS arena tour

Posted: 13 years ago
JLS

Beatbullyz have today been announced as the highly-coveted support act for the massive JLS arena tour this winter. The Swindon band will play nineteen of the biggest shows of their career thus far through November and December, kicking off at Aberdeen's AECC on November 29th, and finishing at London's Wembley Arena on December 23rd.

The JLS tour caps off a whirlwind twelve months for Beatbullyz, who recently released their debut album, 'Human Nature', on their own Big Weekend Records. It is a big, bright and incredibly accomplished pop record, and the sound of a band with a fiercely independent work ethic. They write and co-produce all their own songs, together with Chris Baker from Mint Royale and Jim Eliot of Kish Mauve (Kylie, Sunday Girl, Ladyhawke). When they're not running their own label, they're spearheading most of their own promo, even choosing to run off stage after every gig to meet fans and recruit new ones.

The Beatbullyz journey began in Swindon, when singer and songwriter Andrew "Bully" Bullimore met Daniel "Bozo" Dubose. They are the quintessential odd couple: the former the middle-class son of a music teacher and an actuary, who grew up on classic British pop, and the latter from a rough council estate, where his mum confiscated his NWA tapes. Bully and Bozo soon began to fight together - representing England in martial arts - and later write songs together. Then, in May 2009, BBC Radio 1 came to Swindon, and Beatbullyz were booked by Huw Stephens to play the BBC Introducing Stage. Their hometown turned out in force, and the tent was essentially forced to close.

This kick-started a chain of events that saw the band, in spring 2010, nabbing the main support slot on the now-infamous N-Dubz tour. Dappy remains one of their biggest champions, even going so far as to state: "Beatbullyz are too unique, I love them. No-one sounds like them. Beatbullyz all the way, man." And so Swindon's finest began to be exposed to bigger, broader and even more ecstatic audiences, largely through this fearsome live reputation. They spent this summer scooping bills with the likes of Professor Green, Alexandra Burke and Example, before supporting Jason Derulo nationwide. Radio 1's Fearne Cotton, Greg James, Annie Mac and Scott Mills can be added to that list of supporters, resulting in the boys being asked back by Huw Stephens to headline the BBC Introducing Stage at this year's Big Weekend festival.

Following a headline show at Notting Hill's Yoyo club-night on October 14th, the band will ready themselves to support one of the biggest British acts of recent years. Beatbullyz are a self-raising, DIY success story, and we need more of them.