Rolo Tomassi

Taking their name from a fictional character in the movie LA Confidential, the teenage schoolfriends formed Rolo Tomassi in 2005 and immediately started playing their hybrid of hardcore and heavy metal in clubs and pubs around Sheffield in the north of England. Featuring his petite younger sister Eva as feisty lead vocalist, keyboard player James Spence set up a label Mayday, initially releasing demos and cassettes, and made a significant breakthrough at the 2008 Download Festival. They released split albums with Mirror Mirror, Cancer Bats and Throats and released their own debut album Hysterics in 2008, which instantly established Eva Spence as a captivating singer and accelerated their reputation as one of Britain's most exciting new bands - blending dynamic, demonic riffs with angelic beauty and wafting synth interludes. They went to LA to record their second album Cosmology, produced by Diplo, previously primarily known for his work with MIA and Major Lazer. Released in 2010, the album broadened their style considerably, gaining further airplay with the promotional single Party Wounds.