Band Of The Month

They have been compared to the likes of Kings of Leon and The Strokes, but their influences are wide ranging and also include The Faces, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.

The line-up has changed slightly over the years, but the various members all knew each other from school and college.

The band told us: “Ludi put the first version of Café Racer together as a five-piece, which included Ollie and Luke. After a few line up changes (the original drummer, followed by the singer, both quit), Luke took the vocals and Rich joined on drums. So we’ve been the four-piece you see today since about January 2007.”

Head banging

Living up to their name, a lot of their music races along with a strong backbeat that gets your head banging and your toe tapping.

So where did the name Café Racer originate? The guys told us:

“We didn’t want a 'the' in our name and one of the lads who left suggested Café Racer. It stuck... We've since found out that a Café Racer is a raw, utilitarian motor bike stripped-down for performance, which takes away some of its mystique. But in a strange way it almost fits with our sound...and we like it.”

Luke, Ollie, Ludi and Rich

In March, the guys will be returning to studios in Sheffield to record their next EP. It was at the same studios they recorded their And What EP, which features songs such as As Young Boys Do and Longest Night – both of which have been played on BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Introducing.

World domination

Our final question for the band was about their plans and hopes for 2009:

“World domination!! Failing that, get our EP out and have a good old tour. We’re off round the country in early April, playing the big cities just to spread the word and pick up some more fans, so we’re all really looking forward to that. Hopefully there’ll be a few festivals thrown in for good measure in the summer too. And we're not ashamed to say we want a massive recording contract. Or even a not-massive one.”

To find out more about Café Racer, visit their MySpace page by clicking on the link below:

How to get featured?

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's Band of the Month feature aims to showcase the best local musical talent.

If you think you and/or your band are worthy enough of a feature then get in contact with us.

Email the details to us here at BBC Coventry & Warwickshire - coventry@bbc.co.uk

Or use the postal address:

Martin Winch, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, Priory Place, CV1 5SQ.

All we require is a short biography, a couple of decent quality colour images (in jpeg format) and a copy of your music.