Wishlist are a diverse hard rock band with progressive/metal overtones hailing from Plymouth, UK. Bio of Wishlist Wishlist formed in 2002, the brainchild of bassist Matt Couch, with the initial intention of being a full-band incarnation of his solo project. Enlisting drummer Matt Epps triggered the first in many upheavals to the musical direction of the band, as his funk-infused, tech-metal styled drumming upped the ante considerably on what was previously melodic punk music. (Bassist) Matts brother Dan joined the band on a temporary basis, but on hearing the potential in the music, decided to join permanently. This forced yet more change to the musical direction, and the old material was killed off to make way for an altogether more challenging and original breed of music. The old hard rock sound took on a more metallic edge as Dans influences crept into the music, with thrash/death metal guitar riffs and solos now fighting for breathing space under the weight of the driving bass riffs and the frenetic drum onslaught. Honing their sound and direction, the time came to add a vocalist to the band. This proved to be the most difficult task, partly due to the unconventional song structures and riffs, and partly because of the current musical climate. With most of the bands in Plymouth being either punk bands, outdated Nu-Metal groups or Post-Hardcore bandwagon jumpers, nobody knew what to make of the idiosyncracies and subtle melodic nuances of Wishlist. One of the vocalists held in high regard by certain members of the band, Chris Muirs of Ivybridge punk outfit Quarantine, was enlisted, and proved to be one of the few people who understood what the band was about. Wishlist recorded four demo tracks at PMC studios, with Muirs singing on two of them in his trademark Tom Waits-style rasp, taking the opportunity to flex his lyrical muscles with a twisted avalanche of metaphors and social commentary. Unfortunately due to commitments with Quarantine, Muirs was unable to join the band full-time. Back at square one again, the band began the hunt for a new vocalist. Months of fruitless and frustrating auditions were to follow, every vocalist had something unique to offer, but never appeared to truly understand Wishlists sense of musical aesthetics. Eventually, the band settled on ex-No Comply trombonist Tom Boutwood as vocalist. He had impressed in earlier auditions with his intelligent melodies, rabid hardcore roaring and thoughtful socio-political lyrics, adding yet another dimension to the bands music in the form of a deeper message, not to mention the desire to steer clear of the clichéd bleeding-heart-on-sleeve Emo pretensions that had become de rigueur. 2005 sees Wishlist back in a fit state to play live, hungrier and more musically ambitious than ever. Juxtaposing melodic vocal harmonies with nightmarish, torturous screams, and displaying a deep affinity with dynamics and rhythmic dexterity, Wishlist is both contemporary and knowingly old-school, with a musical style that is by turns beautiful, menacing, and teeth-jarringly discordant, with suffocating tightness and a sound much bigger than a four-piece should be capable of. Wishlist is a bag of contradictory personalities and musical influences that somehow defies the odds and gels into a cohesive, original whole that is much more than a sum of its parts. Who knows what new unexplored territories Wishlist will cover in 2005 as a band that refuse to stand still and stagnate. Evolve or die.