Gym Class Heroes at Manchester Academy 2 16th September 2008

Indie hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes announce intimate Manchester date.

When Clothes Off landed on the desks at Radio One, it's clear that someone took a fancy to it. Winning a place on the Radio One playlist, the song suddenly catapulted Gym Class Heroes to household name status in the UK.

But the upcoming tour from the New York band isn’t about a new act riding atop the hype machine. Gym Class Heroes are about to release their fourth album, The Quilt, to hot anticipation in America. They have worked with hip hop stars such as Busta Rhymes, Kelly Rowland and Estelle, and count rock bands such as Fall Out Boy among their fans.

Perhaps it is their genre-busting fusion of pop, rock, rap and hip hop that has won them such support. Travis McCoy and his band look like they should be fronting a rock band, with their baggy skate clothes and flesh loop earrings, but their sound draws as much from acts like The Roots as it does the Offspring – especially as they have followed The Roots’ example in performing hip hop tracks with full instrumentation.

With their Manchester date at Manchester Academy 2, this is a great chance to see the band up close and personal before they get too big!