Indie/alternative band comprising American Nathan Nicholson, Australian Tod… Read Full Bio ↴Indie/alternative band comprising American Nathan Nicholson, Australian Todd Howe and Englishmen Adam Harrison and Piers Hewitt; together they deliver a mixture of raucous bass-heavy grooves, alternately fragile and explosive vocals, and melodic sounds. Packed live performances show that TBR have amassed a solid fanbase, and one forgiving of the long waits between releases.

In 2000, Nathan Nicholson left Tennessee, America after the death of his mother, and came to London. The band formed in 2001 through a chance meeting at London's 12 Bar Club between vocalist Nathan and guitarist Todd. This quickly cemented into a firm friendship which resulted in them living and writing together. College friends Adam and Piers, were soon intrigued, and completed the line-up. All shared common influences, and a passion for epic, escapist music - The Boxer Rebellion was born.

In June 2003, after funding and releasing their own limited edition self-titled EP, they bolstered their way onto Glastonbury's New Bands tent, and were soon snapped up by Alan McGee's Poptones label, who put out first single Watermelon in the same year. Before the enormity of what they were doing had even registered, the Boxers spent months in the studio rehearsing and writing, before disaster struck for Nicholson, and riders and roadies were swapped for a hospital bed and saline drips. A twelve hour operation to remove a life-threatening growth from his stomach was successful. He was lucky. The result was the cancellation of tours with Razorlight and The Killers, among others.

The band was signed by major label Universal Music following Exits, who promised worldwide distribution and a free hand in continuing to create records of longevity and substance. Instead, the deal proved more of a curse than a blessing, as Universal became reluctant to continue to finance the lengthy gestation of the next record. Financial difficulties led Poptones to drop the Boxer Rebellion in early 2007, with Universal following suit soon after; however, both continued to hold rights to the band's catalogue and digital distribution. With the record nearly complete and invitations to tour from Editors and others still open, the band began a lengthy fight to get control back over them, which they eventually won in 2008. In January, an unmixed version of future single Evacuate was released on limited vinyl, but it would be a full year before anything approaching a full release was possible, and some of the band moved to Berlin in 2009.

With the money nearly running out and so a physical self-release impossible, the band entered an exclusive worldwide deal with iTunes to put their new record Union out as well as a re-release of Exits. The album charted highly, reaching #2 on the Alternative chart and #4 on the iTunes UK Top 100, but was ineligible for the official UK Top 40 as it was released when a physical release was required. The CD and vinyl were eventually released in August.

The Cold Still was released in the U.S. on 1 February 2011 on iTunes and is available on CD worldwide through the Boxer Rebellion's own label Absentee Recordings. The album charted on iTunes at #24 with a peak position of #20, spending 9 days on the US iTunes album chart. The band made their network television debut on 2 February 2011 on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman, where they performed the single "Step Out of the Car" live. The Boxer's new song "Both Sides are Even" was featured on ABC's Grey's Anatomy on 3 February 2011. Since the release of The Cold Still, the band have had several music placements including two in the videogame industry. "Step Out Of The Car" from The Cold Still was used in 2011's Rocksmith game and original composition "Losing You" was written exclusively for the Batman: Arkham City game soundtrack. Additionally "Caught By The Light" was used in the serial drama Nikita.

Also in 2011 the band released their first full-length live record Live in Tennessee. It was recorded and mixed by Ben McAmis and featured 16 tracks from a single concert.

On 7 November 2012, the band announced the release of their two volume B-Sides & Rarities Collection, Vol. 1 & 2, which contains tracks that had been previously recorded, but not included on initial releases of any of the studio albums. Volume one focused on material before and around the band's debut, Exits, and volume two included tracks that were released around and after Union, as well as some rarities that didn't make the cut or were included as bonus tracks for The Cold Still.

The band finished recording their fourth studio album, Promises, in the late part of February 2013. The music video for the debut single from the album, "Diamonds," was released on March 26. The band have toured regularly and released further singles, "Keep Moving", and "Promises".

On April 29, 2014, Todd Howe announced he was leaving the band to concentrate on production and other interests, leaving the Boxers as a three-piece.

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Discography
2003 - The Boxer Rebellion EP, Watermelon
2004 - In Pursuit, Code Red
2005 - All You Do Is Talk, Exits LP, World Without End

2007 - Broken Glass, J F K F C
2008 - Evacuate, Don't Drag Your Dirty Feet
2009 - Union LP, Flashing Red Light Means Go, iTunes Live From London

2011 - The Cold Still LP, Step Out Of The Car, The Runner, No Harm, Live in Tennessee
2012 - B Sides & Rarities Vols. 1 & 2

2013 - Diamonds, Promises LP, Keep Moving
2014 - Promises

Flashing Red Light Means Go
The Boxer Rebellion Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What's the use in my advice that you just turn down?
Swaying to a serenade, you never hear a sound
But I know you know now

Generate the false alarms
The verdict: counterfeit
Flashing lights to bring you back from who you're running with
But I know you know now

Tell me why you're leaving us

Moving to a caged mistake
Expression isolates
Owing up for deals you struck
For deals you can't replace
But I know you know now

And you can't say no
You can't say
And you can't say no
You can't
You can't say

Tell me why you're leaving us
(Why'd you want to leave so bad?)

Overall Meaning

The Boxer Rebellion's song Flashing Red Light Means Go is a beautifully articulated song that delves deep into the human condition of making mistakes and living with the consequences. The opening lines “What's the use in my advice that you just turn down? Swaying to a serenade, you never hear a sound But I know you know now” refer to a relationship that has encountered problems and the helpless feeling of trying to offer advice that ultimately falls on deaf ears. The singer of the song is witnessing someone they care about slipping away as they get involved with things and people they shouldn’t be. The flashing red light represents a final warning, a chance to stop and turn back before it’s too late but as the song progresses it becomes apparent that some bridges have already been burned.

The chorus of “Tell me why you're leaving us” is a lament to the person who has chosen to move on from something that was once important to them. It’s a plea for understanding and for that person to realize the impact of their departure. The second verse “Moving to a caged mistake, Expression isolates, Owing up for deals you struck, For deals you can’t replace, But I know you know now” is an acknowledgement of the fact that sometimes we make bad choices that lead us down a path we don’t want to go down. Despite knowing that these choices aren’t right, we still make them anyway and then have to live with the repercussions of those actions.

Overall, The Boxer Rebellion’s Flashing Red Light Means Go is a song that captures the human struggle of trying to hold onto something that is slowly slipping away. It’s about the pain of watching someone we care about make mistakes and being unable to prevent them from leaving. It’s a poignant and thought-provoking song that speaks to anyone who has ever loved and lost.

Line by Line Meaning

What's the use in my advice that you just turn down?
Why bother giving you advice if you won't take it?

Swaying to a serenade, you never hear a sound
You're caught up in your own world and not listening to what's going on around you.

But I know you know now
You may not have realized it before, but you're starting to understand what's going on.

Generate the false alarms
You're making things up and causing unnecessary panic.

The verdict: counterfeit
You're not being truthful, and your actions don't match your words.

Flashing lights to bring you back from who you're running with
You're hanging out with the wrong crowd, and people are trying to intervene to bring you back to a better path.

But I know you know now
You're starting to see the truth behind what others have been trying to tell you.

Moving to a caged mistake
You're making a big mistake and trapping yourself in a bad situation.

Expression isolates
Your facial expressions and body language push others away and make you seem unapproachable.

Owing up for deals you struck
You need to take responsibility for the decisions you've made and the consequences that come with them.

For deals you can't replace
You can't undo what's already been done, and you'll have to live with the mistakes you've made.

And you can't say no
You feel trapped and unable to break free from the situation you're in.

You can't say
You're at a loss for words and don't know what to do next.

Tell me why you're leaving us
Why are you walking away from the people who care about you and want to help you?

(Why'd you want to leave so bad?)
What's making you so desperate to get away?

Contributed by Ethan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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