Jack Penate

b. 2 September 1984, Blackheath, London, England. This singer-songwriter who happens to be the grandson of the Gormenghast author Mervyn Peake, rose to prominence in 2007, fitting into the London scene with acts such as Jamie T. and Lily Allen. Joel Porter (bass) and Alex Robins (drums) completed the line-up of his working unit. Peñate started making music while he was attending high school when he formed a loose conglomeration with his friends known as Jack's Basement, which included Felix White of the Maccabees. After going solo and playing various gigs around London, Peñate was recognised for his eccentric dancing (now becoming his trademark) and his fast paced soulful sound. This resulted in signing to XL Recordings in 2006. He received great interest from his first promo single "Second Minute Or Hour"/"Got My Favourite" in October 2006. However, it was not until mid-2007 when he found mainstream UK chart success with the singles "Spit At Stars" and "Torn On The Platform", the latter being A-listed on both BBC Radio 1 and XFM and reaching the UK Top 5. Peñate's debut album Matinée was released in October 2007 after he had performed at the majority of the year's major festivals.