Bands To Watch: The Leather Uppers

With a fan base that includes Andrew W.K. and fellow Canadians Nardwuar and Danko Jones, The Leather Uppers have achieved notoriety for both their stage show and their gritty, garage-revivalist sound. Forming in Toronto in 1991, “Classy” Craig Daniels and “Groovy” Greg Tymoshenko formed the duo as a reaction to the stagnant Toronto scene. With often matching stage attire, the band’s explosive style found acclaim before ultimately disbanding to pursue other bands in 1994. In the same year of the break-up, the band became the first Canadian group to release on the now infamous Sympathy For The Record Industry label with their Cut Off Vest 7″. In a 2004 Interview with the Montreal Mirror “Groovy” Greg disseminates between the band and the scene around the time the pair started playing together; “Two people did not constitute a band, a piece of music 53 seconds in length was not a song and wearing matching outfits was lame. Some people did like our band, which was encouraging, but in a weird way those who didn’t like us encouraged us even more.” Returning to grace after a 2002 re-issue of their 1994 release “OK, Don’t Say Hi,” the band rocked a few reunion shows and have since revisisted the studio to record a new album. Expect the forthcoming release, “Bright Lights,” to harvest in another musical awakening; more the likes of an inspired Tricky Woo than anything garage-darlings The Strokes have offered in recent memory.