News

3Oh!3 Return To The UK

24th Jan 2011

Nathaniel Motte and Sean Foreman are two very busy guys. If we go back to the beginning, we can find Sean in his parents basement, clicking incessantly on his mouse for ‘friend-requests’ on 3OH!3’s sparkling new MySpace page. Meanwhile, across town, Nat is working on earth-shattering beats, hunched over his computer, in what he charmingly referred to as his ‘dungeon’ apartment. There, in a pair of blown-out computer speakers, Nat brought to life what the world currently knows as 3OH!3. Those sounds and songs became the band’s 2007 self-released album, which were handed off across the states until they fell through the mail slot at Photo Finish Records and into the hands of label president Matt Galle.

Blown away by Sean and Nat’s visionary production and clever lyrics, Galle immediately flew the boys into scenic Beltsville, Maryland, to record with the brilliant producer Matt Squire. Feeling at home in the studio, Sean and Nat worked day and night, piecing together their 2008 success, Want. With the help of their furry little producer friend Benny Blanco, 3OH!3’s first single, “Don’t Trust Me,” crawled slowly up the charts for 15 months to attain a No. 1 spot at pop radio, going double platinum and selling over 2.6 million tracks in the process.

3OH!3 hates to brag, but if they had to they would tell you that they were nominated for “Best New Artist” alongside Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, and Drake, at the 2009 Video Music Awards. Though they didn’t bring home the moon man, Nat and Sean had just as much fun performing “Don’t Trust Me” in Radio City’s hallowed halls. Nat was actually happy 3OH!3 wasn’t announced best new artist as he claims he would have peed his pants, having not been able to find a bathroom all night. These two guys are no strangers to national television either. Appearing multiple times on late night TV (Jimmy Kimmel Live and Last Call with Carson Daly) and alongside the glittery Ke$ha on American Idol, 3OH!3’s learned a few things about working the camera.

I know 3OH!3 would never say this, but they are one of the best live acts in the business. Their dedication to putting on an epic and fun show every night was rewarded by a nomination for the 2009 MTV Woodies’ Performance Award alongside artists like Green Day, Animal Collective and Phoenix. These boys sell out shows from the rainy streets of London to the Gold Coast of Australia, where, by no coincidence, their songs have gone gold and platinum and continue to sell by the thousands. It’s no wonder that 3OH!3 has been invited to play legendary festivals like Reading and Leads and Warped Tour again and again.

With such a non-stop touring schedule, it must have been a real relief to retreat to their mountain sanctuary in Breckenridge in January to record their next album. In a snowy cabin, far above the world, Sean and Nat went a little crazy, writing as many as two new songs a day for 14 days. Before things got weird in the mountains, the boys packed up their gear and headed out to LA to start recording the album that would be known as Streets of Gold.

Back in the studio with the usual suspects Matt Squire and Benny Blanco, 3OH!3 took all they had learned from touring and experience and put it to use. “There are some crazy sounds on this record,” Nat says, “It sounds like robots making love.” Nothing says love like their first single off the record, “My First Kiss” featuring Ke$ha. Within a few hours of being released on iTunes, “My First Kiss” jumped to the no. 2 on the overall song chart.

3OH!3 was very selective when it came to collaborating on Streets of Gold. Having greatly admired his work with Lily Allen and The Bird and the Bee, 3OH!3 sought out producer Greg Kurstin for their own music. Additionally 3OH!3 teamed with Benny Blanco's mentor, hit-smith Dr. Luke on “My First Kiss” and “Streets of Gold” (the title track to the record). With help from those production Titans, it’s a safe to say a few more songs off the album might lend “My First Kiss” some company at the top of the charts.

Streets of Gold is the album that 3OH!3 has been struggling to create for their whole musical lives. Showing a wide range of tastes—from the car rattling battle raps of “I Can Do Anything” to the post-apocalyptic love ballad “Love 2012” to the throwback casbah sounds of “I Know How to Say”—3OH!3 has evolved into a super-human machine. With Nat’s surgical precision (Nat was destined to be a doctor after all, and has been deferring his acceptance to medical school for a few years) and Sean’s one-two punch lines, every song is bound to be permanently engrained in your head.

There are many great signs for 3OH!3 as they take their journey on their own street of gold. On the road again, 3OH!3 is testing out the new tracks and making more friends, after a sell out 2010 UK Tour, the guys return May this year and you can catch them at:

Mon 23-May-2011 – Bournemouth O2 Academy 0844 477 2000*
Tue 24-May-2011 – Cardiff Uni Solus 029 2078 1458*
Wed 25-May-2011 – Birmingham HMV Institute 0844 248 5037*
Thu 26-May-2011 – Norwich Waterfront 01603 508 050*
Mon 30-May-2011 – Glasgow O2 ABC 0844 477 2000
Tue 31-May-2011 – Manchester Academy 2 0161 832 1111*
Thurs 2-June-2011 Nottingham Rock City 0845 413 4444

*tickets are £13.50 and are onsale Friday 21st January @ 9am – link / 0844 811 0051

The album Streets of Gold’ out now features singles ‘Double Vision’, ‘My First Kiss (Feat. Ke$ha)’, ‘Don’t Trust Me’ and ‘Starstrukk (Feat. Katy Perry)’.