lovvers

by Mark Deming
On their MySpace page, U.K. upstarts Lovvers concisely sum up their influences as "Germs. Wipers. SST." And there's little arguing that Lovvers' aural blitzkrieg is built from the spare parts of the first decade of American punk rock, though it's the way they combine the sloppy and the furious that truly sets them apart. Comprised of Shaun Hencher on vocals, Henry Withers on guitar, Michael Drake on bass, and Stephen Rose on drums, Lovvers formed in Nottingham in 2006, and within two weeks of their first rehearsal the band had made their public debut. Seemingly willing to play anywhere at any time, Lovvers racked up over 200 gigs in their first two years, storming clubs in both the U.K. and Europe and opening for the likes of Times New Viking, the Black Lips, Fucked Up, Foals, No Age, and the Butthole Surfers. After self-releasing their first recordings on CD-R, Lovvers found a like-minded record label in Jonson Family Records, who issued three 7" Lovvers EPs in 2007. In time the group's growing reputation -- rave reviews in the press peppered with provocative criticism, including a letter to the editor in venerable hard rock journal Kerrang! that described the band's live show as "highly offensive" -- caught the attention of respected indie label Wichita Recordings, who released the seven-song 12"/CD Think in the fall of 2008.