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
Silent Movie
The Boxer Rebellion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Offhand misdeeds
Prudent motherly eye has passed me by
Build on all of your guards
Hopeless die hard
Crawling low on all fours
Resolve my scores
Vacant taste in your mouth
Silent silhouette
You give, you get
Triggered break to the head
We've been misled
Keep up fast as you can
On false commands
And I don't want to believe
You put me up for release
But I just want some peace
For us
The lyrics of Silent Movie by The Boxer Rebellion are complex and open to interpretation. The song is full of imagery and metaphors that suggest a feeling of being trapped, misled, and manipulated. The opening lines, “Surface, take to the breeze, offhand misdeeds” could suggest someone trying to escape or hide something from others. However, the following lines “Prudent motherly eye has passed me by, build on all of your guards, hopeless die hard” suggest that no matter how much one tries to escape or hide, they can never escape the watchful eye of those who are trying to protect them or those who want to hurt them.
The line “Crawling low on all fours, resolve my scores” suggests a feeling of defeat and submission. The phrase “silent silhouette” could suggest someone who is being overlooked or ignored, while “you give, you get” could suggest a relationship in which one person is always giving more than they receive. The phrase “triggered break to the head, we’ve been misled” could suggest a moment of clarity in which the singer realizes that they have been deceived or misled by someone they trusted.
Overall, the lyrics of Silent Movie suggest a feeling of being trapped, manipulated, and misunderstood. The singer is trying to find peace and escape the cycle of pain and deception that they have been trapped in.
Line by Line Meaning
Surface, take to the breeze
Appear calm and collected, even when things get rough
Offhand misdeeds
Bad things we do without putting much thought into them
Prudent motherly eye has passed me by
Wisdom and guidance that could have helped me in times of trouble, but I didn't notice it
Build on all of your guards
Be cautious and protect yourself always
Hopeless die hard
Even in desperate times, some people never give up
Crawling low on all fours
Being humiliated and feeling powerless
Resolve my scores
Settle old issues and move on
Vacant taste in your mouth
Feeling empty inside
Deuces, fallout
Goodbye, and the aftermath of a disagreement
Silent silhouette
Being alone and not being heard
You give, you get
What we put out there comes back to us, good or bad
Triggered break to the head
A sudden realization that shakes things up
We've been misled
We've been lied to or deceived
Keep up fast as you can
Don't let anyone slow you down or hold you back
On false commands
Being told to do things that aren't true or fair
And I don't want to believe
Feeling doubtful and unsure about something bad that has happened
You put me up for release
You set me free from something that was holding me back
But I just want some peace
A desire for calmness and a break from chaos
For us
For everyone involved
Contributed by Wyatt P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zora Z
Love this track!!! Just driven to Andover to pick up some subcon parts we need to machine, and had your full album catalogue in my disc changer - sun was shining, people were being educated (with gorgeous music)... great mornings work done! :-D ooh just missing Exits from my collection... need to try source that one too.
Javier
im bored
Zora Z
Hiya Bored, I'm Zora :-D lol