The Bravery

US indie band formed in summer 2003 by Sam Endicott (b. 1971, USA; vocals/guitar), John Conway (keyboards/programming), Michael Zakarin (guitar), Mike Hindert (bass) and Anthony Burulcich (drums). Endicott, a native of Maryland, had previously played with a number of struggling indie bands before teaming up with keyboard player Conway and forging a more electronic-based direction. With Zakarin, Hindert and Burulcich completing the line-up, the newly formed quintet named their band the Bravery because, as Endicott reflected, "that's the mindset I was in when I was writing the songs". The band played their first show in November 2003. Drawing on the same early 80s post-punk sources as the fashionable Franz Ferdinand and the Killers, and with more than a passing reference to UK electro pop legends New Order, the Bravery quickly became one of the most talked about bands during 2004. They signed to Island Def Jam after the predictable bidding war, with the Loog label picking up their releases in the UK. The quintet made an appearance on the UK's respected music show Later With Jools Holland prior to the release of the three-track Unconditional EP in November. Their self-titled debut, released the following March, was best on straightahead synth-pop tunes such as "An Honest Mistake" and "Fearless", without ever really managing to rise above the sum of its influences.