Hailing from London's Morden neighborhood,
Good Shoes specialize in speedy, tightly written guitar pop that draws comparisons not only to contemporaries like
the Futureheads, but past masters of that sound such as
Gang of Four and
the Buzzcocks. Featuring guitarist/vocalist
Rhys Jones, his brother
Tom on drums, bassist
Joel Cox, and guitarist
Steve Leach, the just-barely-out-of-their-teens foursome formed in 2005. The
Jones brothers and
Cox grew up together, while
Rhys and
Leach were also longtime pals who wrote and played music together and decided to make their project an official band. Playing as many gigs as possible,
Good Shoes eventually landed a gig put on by Artrocker magazine;
FC Kahuna, one of the other bands on the bill, were friendly with Brille Records (also home to
Envelopes and
the Knife), which offered the band a deal. Their debut single, "Small Town Girl," arrived in 2005, and
Good Shoes did an XFM session late that year. The year 2006 was a big one for the band, with the "We Are Not the Same" single arriving that spring and
All in My Head -- which featured a clever,
Michel Gondry-esque video -- coming out that summer. Just after
All in My Head's release,
Good Shoes traveled to Sweden to record their debut album. Late that year, the
Photos on My Wall EP arrived; the band's first full-length,
Think Before You Speak, was released in the U.K. early in 2007 and in the U.S. that spring.
Good Shoes returned in early 2010 with No Hope, No Future, a darker and sparer set of songs.
–
Heather Phares, Rovi