Formed by Joel Stone (b. 5 August 1981, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne And Wear, England; vocals, bass, guitar), Joe Reeves (b. 23 June 1982, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne And Wear, England; vocals, bass, guitar), Jan Lee (b. 10 July 1982, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England; vocals, bass, keyboards), and Darren Cullen (b. 8 April 1983, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England; drums). The quartet had already been aware of each other via through art school in Glasgow, all having a mutual interest in leftfield music from the Talking Heads to more contemporary bands such as the Rapture. The band officially formed as Shitdisco in 2003, and became renowned over the following two years for holding riotous parties at their flat in Glasgow. The parties, called simply "61" owing to the fact they were held at flat number 61 West Princes Street, became stuff of legend. Shitdisco then became a travelling DIY party, when one of the band members bought a touring caravan, so if there was no party to be found, they would bring one, which built up a sizeable cult following.
Shitdisco's first release came via the production skills of Luke Smith from defunct new rave predecessors Clor. "Disco Blood" came storming out of Fierce Panda Records in late 2005, and encapsulated the chaos of Shitdisco's parties, with heavy drums and a throbbing bass line. With the genre of new rave becoming the sound of 2006, the quartet returned to the studio to record their debut album, although drama struck when drummer Cullen broke his wrist. The Prodigy's on-tour drummer Kieron Pepper was drafted in as a replacement for Cullen to play on some of the tracks. Kingdom Of Fear, released in early 2007, was named after the last book gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson wrote before he died. The album was a thunderous, energy-infused combination of dance and punk funk, drawing comparisons to fellow UK band the Klaxons.
