Fire Through The Window

Infobox musical artist
Name =

---

Img_capt = FTTW at the Splashy Fen Music Festival in 2008
Landscape = yes
Background = white
Origin = flagicon|South Africa Durban, South Africa
Genre = Indie-rock
Pop-rock
Years_active = 2007–present
Label = Witchdoctor Records
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.firethroughthewindow.com/ www.firethroughthewindow.com]
Current_members = Sinead Dennis
Marc De La Querra
Peter Babol
Past_members = Sidney Rash
Matt Coombes
Greg Morgan
Adam Stanley

Fire Through The Window (FTTW) is an indie pop-rock band hailing from Durban, South Africa. The band was originally formed in late 2006 by long-term couple Marc De La Querra and Sinead Dennis, however only since 2007 has Fire Through The Window performed as a complete band unit. They signed to Witchdoctor Records early in 2007 after expressing interest in the band to Shaughn Pieterse, the label manager. He agreed to sign them and assist in production of their debut album. De La Querra wrote all the music and tracked all the instruments (guitar, bass and drums) in the recording studio, while Dennis co-wrote the lyrics and melodies with him. The album was released nationwide in the 3rd quarter of 2007. The first single "Just Like You Are" is currently being played on radio stations around the country and the music video for the track is on regularly on local music channel MK. "Just Like You Are" was also chosen as the soundtrack for the new Apple iPod Nano commercial which was broadcast regularly on multiple channels on satellite television over the holiday season.

The original premise of FTTW was to have De La Querra and Dennis as the only 2 permanent members of the band with inter-changeable session musicians filling in the bass and drums spots for live shows. However as the band became more popular, it became clear that permanent members were needed to fill the spots to ensure continuity and reliability. As of May 2008, Fire Through The Window's line-up consisted of De La Querra on guitar and vocals, Dennis on vocals and tambourine, Matt Coombes on bass and Sidney Rash on drums with Peter Babol on lead guitar.

Following the departure of Rash and Coombes from the band in July 2008, Fire Through The Window reverted to using session musicians for the bass and drum positions.

History

Before the band

In the beginning

During a break from Nemesis Army, De La Querra decided to sit down and honour a promise he had made to his long-time girlfriend Sinead Dennis: That he would write and record a love song for her them to sing together. He wrote the song "Just Like You Are" for Dennis and a rough demo was recorded and put on MySpace. The track was very well received and the pair decided to form a group and write a few more tracks. A few months later they had successfully written 14 songs, however only 11 would make it onto their debut album.

Fire Through The Window

Debut album

Fire Through The Window's self-titled debut album was recorded at Witchdoctor Records during the 1st quarter of 2007. All the instruments on the album were played by Marc De La Querra as at the time he and Sinead Dennis were the only members of the band. "Fire Through The Window" is a positive, upbeat and catchy album with all the tracks focusing on specific moments that you experience during a relationship: "The good times, the [bad times] and everything in between". [cite web| title=Fire Through The Window interview| publisher=Fire Angel Design| url=http://www.fireangeldesign.co.za/music/interviews/FireThroughtheWindow.htm| accessdate=2008-01-13]

The album features an array of tracks, ranging from the pop-rock grooves of "Last Week", "The Song That Played In The Movie When The Two Lovers Met" and "Just Like You Are" to the melodic love-tunes of "A Love Like This Is So Damn Hard To Find" and "Hold On". The album also features an "Indie-fied" cover of Sinéad O'Connors' "Nothing Compares 2 U" (originally written by Prince) and a number of harder, rockier songs in the form of "This Town Is Out To Get Us" - a song about their hometown, Durban - and "Run Run Run Run Run".

Just Like You Are

"Just Like You Are" is the first single from the album. It is also the first song that De La Querra wrote for band, fulfilling his promise to Dennis to write her a love song they could sing together. The single has shown strong commercial success, being played on radio stations throughout South Africa and being a crowd-favourite at shows.

The music video for the single was directed by Michelle Hibbert and filmed in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal. The video depicts De La Querra and Dennis dancing, singing and generally having a good time, mirroring the feelings evoked by the song and the album as a whole. It is currently being aired on the local music channel MK89.

The second single

At the moment the band is undecided on which track will be the next single. While it won't be released for some time, they have expressed interest in it either being "Last Week" or "Nothing Compares 2 U".

Apple iPod Nano commercial

Shortly after shooting the music video for "Just Like You Are" it was announced that Apple Inc had chosen the single and the accompanying music video as their song of choice for their new iPod Nano and both the track and video were featured in the nationwide TV commercial for it. [cite web| title=Bite Animation produces commercial for iPod Nano| publisher=Filmmaker South Africa| date=2007-12-05| url=http://www.filmmaker.co.za/readarticle.php?article_id=1725| accessdate=2008-01-11] The commercial aired on over 60 channels on the satellite television bouquet DSTV during November and December.

Live shows

Fire Through The Window is known for their energetic shows and they strive to constantly improve their act. Their primary message of having fun and a good time is very apparent at their live shows with crowds and couples dancing to many of the songs on offer.

ession musicians

Since its inception, and up until December 2007, De La Querra and Dennis have been the only permanent members of Fire Through The Window. For all their shows, at home and away, they have made use of local session musicians to complete the band.

Official band

During a radio interview with KFM in Cape Town during December 2007 it was announced that Matt Coombes and Sidney Rash had, due to their dedication and love for the band, joined Fire Through The Window on a permanent basis as bassist and drummer respectively.

Following the national tour in March with Indie-Electro band Redflecks, session guitarist and long-time friend Peter Babol joined the band full-time on lead guitar, thus transforming Fire Through The Window from a 4-piece to 5-piece band.

Following the departure of Rash and Coombes from the band in July 2008, Fire Through The Window reverted back to using session musicians for the bass and drum positions, with Babol being the only other permanent member besides Dennis and De La Querra.

Touring

Fire Through The Window has toured extensively since their first show in June 2007. They currently have over 80 shows under their belt, including three Cape Town tours, and have played in every major city in South Africa including Durban, Johannesburg, Grahamstown, Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Pretoria.

Festivals

In 2007 FTTW performed at Woodstock 9 in Harrismith. The show was received well by fans and critics alike, with many rating it one their top performances of the festival. [cite web| title=Fire Through The Window at Woodstock 9| publisher=Marcus Maschwitz Photography Blog| date=2007-12-08| url=http://www.mxonline.co.za/?cat=215| accessdate = 2008-01-18] [cite web| title=Woodstock 9 Review| publisher=Music Industry Online| date=2007-12-11| url=http://www.mio.co.za/article.php?cat=muso&id=1119&pagenumber=2| accessdate=2008-01-19]

In March 2008 Fire Through The Window performed on the main stage at the Splashy Fen music festival. [cite web| title=Splashy Fen 2008 Review| publisher=Make Some Noise| date=2008-03-27| url=http://www.makesomenoise.co.za/splashy-fen-2008-review/| accessdate = 2008-03-30]

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.firethroughthewindow.com Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/firethroughthewindow Fire Through The Window MySpace Group]