We Were Promised Jetpacks - Unraveling

We Were Promised Jetpacks could write the book on how to be a rock band. They work tirelessly. They are friendly, humble people. They are passionate about what they do, truly in it for the music and nothing else. They write great songs and they put on a killer live show.

Some bands spend forever making their album sound perfect, and then fall flat when it comes time to performing live. Not WWPJ. All the explosive energy and drama of their studio albums not only comes across in concert, but is greatly intensified. A Jetpacks concert is transformative experience, a rite of passage, an exuberant unity with those around you.

In 2008 Adam Thompson (vocals / guitar), Darren Lackie (drums), Sean Smith (bass) and Michael Palmer (Guitar) were friends and University students by day and one of Glasgow’s most talked about live bands by night. They signed to FatCat Records later that year and released their debut album These Four Walls. Thus began the bands busy touring schedule, playing high profile festival slots around the UK and USA supporting labelmates Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad. 2010 saw the release of EP The Last Place You’ll Look – comprising of unreleased tracks and swelling, orchestrally-inspired rewrites of songs from their debut album.

The bands sophomore release followed in 2011 and was recorded at Sigur Ros’s Sundlaugin Studios in Iceland. In the Pit of the Stomach was testament to the poise, control and vigour the band had learned to command. The extensive touring schedule continued and the release received support and high praise from the likes of Rolling Stone and SPIN. The band also continued to build on their high profile live performances with sets at Coachella, Fashion’s Big Night Out at New York’s Rockerfeller Center and on Last Call With Carson Daly.  

During the 2012 tour the band decided to document their journey with the help of friend and film maker Matt Gee. The final show of the run, at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer, was recorded and filmed in its entirety, capturing the explosive energy and drama fans have come to expect from a We Were Promised Jetpacks show. This material was released in February 2014 as E Rey: Live in Philadelphia, named in tribute to the bands then tour manager and friend Esteban Rey.

Also in early 2014 the band worked tirelessly on Unravelling. Recorded in Glasgow at the infamous Chem19 Studios with Paul Savage who has previously worked with numerous established and diverse Scottish acts such as Teenage Fanclub, King Creosote, The Twilight Sad, Franz Ferdinand and Mogwai.