The Elephant men: Kentucky-fried rock

WHO ARE THEY?

A down-home and dirty American guitar quintet from Kentucky who are primed to carry on the Southern rock tradition of bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Crowes and Kings Of Leon.

WHY THE FUSS?

Their funk and blues influenced anthems are already causing a stir. Recent single In One Ear was a Radio 1 record of the week, while they have toured with Queens Of The Stone Age.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

The band, average age 20, were formed by brothers Matt and Brad Schultz, singer and guitarist respectively, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a city best known for making Chevrolet Corvettes. Says Brad: ‘Our parents were Jesus freaks, hippies who found God, and I can’t remember listening to much music that wasn’t Christian music until  my mum and dad got divorced.’

AND THEN?

After sneaking records by Pearl Jam and Green Day into their bedrooms, Matt and Brad recruited school friends Daniel Titchenor (bass), Lincoln Parish (guitar) and Jared Champion (drums) and started Cage The Elephant. They toured extensively in the States and visited Britain to support Foals and The Subways, eventually securing themselves a UK record deal with Relentless.

WHAT NOW?

A new single, the loose-limbed Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked, is out next month, with the band’s self-titled debut album, recorded in just ten days, following shortly afterwards. If you like animated singalongs that aggressively mix rock and funk, they could be the new band for you.

WHERE CAN I SEE THEM LIVE?

Cage The Elephant play Audio in Brighton tonight as part of The Great Escape festival, before heading out on tour with The Pigeon Detectives, starting at the Carling Academy, Glasgow, on Saturday. On the festival circuit, they can be found at the Lovebox Weekender in London, the Secret Garden Party in Huntingdon, Ripcurl Boardmasters in Newquay and Bestival on the Isle of Wight.