The Boxer Rebellion Shocked by Success Without a Label

The Boxer RebellionEven though major labels aren't the all-powerful keys to success they once were, it's still a rare occurrence than an unsigned band -- as in, not even on an indie label -- gets much recognition. With that in mind, it's all the more impressive that London-based quartet the Boxer Rebellion managed to see their second album, 'Union,' be named iTunes' best alternative album of 2009.

"It was a bit of a shock," frontman Nathan Nicholson tells Spinner. "We had the album written and in the bag for about a year and we kind of thought that the end was near." When two iTunes reps heard the Boxer Rebellion didn't have any distribution deals in place, they helped get 'Union' onto the digital service. The album went to No. 4 on the UK album chart within five days of its release. "It was crazy because on the Friday before, we didn't know what was going to go on and two days later it was doing extremely well, so it was really nice," Nicholson says.

Just over a year later, the band -- consisting of Tennessee native Nicholson, Australian guitarist Todd Howe and Englishmen Adam Harrison and Piers Hewitt on bass and drums, respectively -- is still unsigned, though the major labels have come calling.

"We talked to a few, did meetings and dinners and flew over to different places and nothing ever seemed to kind of fit for us, and likewise for them," Nicholson says. "It just didn't really seem to gel, so we continued to do it ourselves and license our album in different places to get released physically. We still never released it physically in the States, which is kind of a bummer."

Right now, the band is working on its third album, which Nicholson notes might be the first of their releases to get a physical distribution in his native country. Still, despite the lack of label support, Nicholson is happy with the band's independence.

"The pros would definitely be making decisions and not worry about going through the [label] president or anything," he says. "We can make artwork and song ideas and go with them more. The cons would not be having more disposable income where you can do a whole tour of the U.S. where potentially you'll lose $50,000 but you're doing it for exposure. We don't have that luxury, which is good because we don't end up in lots of debt. We're one of a few bands that is in the black."

Check out the band in March when they play five gigs at SXSW. Nicholson says they'll plan to have some copies of their albums, so U.S. fans can finally have one to take home.