The Novellos

The Novellos are an English, four-piece indie rock group formed in Stoke on Trent taking large influences from 1960s music, soul and post punk. The group has earned a reputation for their frantic live performances and their sporadic single releases.

They first rose to prominence in March 2008 with their first single, "The Lady Is Not For Turning" written by Mike Thomas, arranged and produced by founder of SONS Ltd, Seb Clarke of This Is Seb Clarke. The song cited the ever present echoes of Margaret Thatcher in their hometown of Stoke on Trent, and was nationally championed across BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and XFM.

Formation and SONS Ltd

The original incarnation of The Novellos first met at Newcastle under Lyme School, the line-up saw Mike Thomas on guitar and vocal duties, Adam Steele on bass, Richard Dodd on guitar and keys and Daniel Ellwood on Drums. The band practiced on weekends and at school, trying to find time between exams, revision and course work for their musical musings. In early 2007 the band performed their first gig in The Sugarmill, Hanley, Staffordshire - their performance earning them a warm reception and in turn catching the attention of Sebastian Clarke. After a number of meetings and conversations between Clarke and the band, as well as some convincing on the behalf of Mike Thomas, The Novellos agreed to a one release deal with Clarke's label SONS Ltd. After moving their equipment into the SONS studio in Hanley, Stoke on Trent the band began work on their first release, "The Lady Is Not For Turning".