Mike Malley Entertainments

Doll Set Tones

Never too old to play with dolls... Doll Set Tones were born out of the little English riverside town of Maldon in Essex. Lee Probert, lead singer and rhythm guitarist, was touting his acoustic songs round the local area when he met Kes Shearer, who became the band's first manager, back in March 2005. Kes immediately saw the potential of the music and, together, the two quickly assembled the rest of the line up of motley rogues: James Bacon on drums, Ross Fifield on bass and Keith Jackson on lead guitar. The first four-track demo was put down for next to nothing and consisted of original tracks, rough and ready rock, recorded in a makeshift studio on wine and a prayer. But it got DST on stage and by May 2005 they were gigging. This allowed them to refine their sound and build that all-important fan base. The band gelled fast and soon they were in the studio recording a more assured demo, with tracks like 'Back Pocket Change' and 'Optimist/Pessimist', which are still great favourites with fans today. The band continued to gig through 2005, the music progressing and the band building a reputation for being impressively tight, until it was time to get back in the studio and record their seven-track, self-produced, independent EP, 'Shepherds, Sirens And Schizophrenia', in mid-2006. Through the rest of 2006 and the beginning of 2007 the band worked hard putting together new material and gigging constantly, beginning to hit London and the University circuit. They also recorded a live EP, 'Denim For The Royal' In May they won a national battle of the bands competition. In August 2007 they played the Redbourn Festival alongside Feeder, The Automatic, Ghost and The Ordinary Boys to name but a few, and at the end of August signed up with MME, a London Management / Agent company, who with over 35 years of experience in the business, and seeing the potential of the band, wasted no time in getting the band on the forthcoming Wheatus British tour. From an intimate unplugged set in a smoke-filled backstreet bar, to the bright lights of a two-thousand capacity University gig, Doll Set Tones perform their original material with enthusiasm and style, mixing rock guitar solos with melodic heartfelt lyrics. Within a single set you can watch the crowd rock, as Lee dives onto the bass drum in the midst of a track like 'Steamroller', before the thought-provoking lyrics of 'Silver' touch them to the bone. — Whatever the venue, whatever the audience, the one thing that is not in short supply with Doll Set Tones is great music Full Brochure (PDF, 5.6Mb) Doll Set Tones at www.myspace.com/dollsettones