If you long for a bygone age when popular music depended only on the passion, energy, originality and sheer song craft of the young… then welcome to Mr E. Mr E are a four-piece rock band from Southampton, with Harun Kotch on lead vocals and guitar, John Roberts on drums, Chris Haines on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Ross Meecham on guitar and backing vocals. Influenced by bands such as Feeder, Foo Fighters and Coldplay, their sound is hard-edged, guitar-driven pop-rock. Formed in the summer of 1999 by John Roberts (drums) and Harun Kotch (lead vocals / guitar), they were joined by a bass player and keyboardist, playing both covers and original material at local clubs, pubs and festivals. Whilst building a fan-base in the south, they recorded a couple of demo EPs which they used to generate more gigs. With the help of these recordings, the band gained interest from PieFactory Records, who signed a production deal with Mr E. The result was their first album, “Paper Bags”, released in July 2001. This met with relative success, and was well received by their fans, whilst also drawing in new followers. Mr E were beginning to make a name for themselves, packing out prestigious venues such as the Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth. This resulted in the band being asked to support Dodgy, famous for hits such as “Staying Out For The Summer” and “Good Enough”. During 2002, the band were busy gigging and writing new material for their next project. Their skills as musicians meant that both individually and collectively they continued to be in demand, with John in particular combining Mr E commitments with sessions for The Blockheads (“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”, “Reasons To Be Cheerful”, etc), and Wilko Johnson (of Dr.FeelGood fame – “Back In The Night”, “Roxette”, etc). Following several line-up changes Harun and John were joined by local bass player Chris Haines, and guitarist Ross Meecham, who had flown over from New Zealand to attend the extensive auditions. Now settled with the new four-piece line-up, they have developed a fresh guitar-driven sound, with catchy melodies and anthemic choruses. 2003 saw the band release their second album, “A Million Faces”, on their own label Knuci Records, which reflects their growth in both style and song-writing, and is a good representation of their live sound. Mr E pride themselves on their no-compromise attitude towards musicianship and performance, and their shows always leave audiences “blown away”. The buzz surrounding Mr E is growing, and cannot be ignored…