Great Cynics


History

Formation and debut album

Great Cynics initially started out as a solo project for Brighton based singer-songwriter Giles Bidder under the name Cynics. After relocating to London in 2010 and supporting Against Me! and Paint It Black across several UK dates, Bidder decided that his songs would work better with a full band behind him and teamed up with drummer Bob Barrett. Bidder and Barrett then headed into the studio to record what would become Don't Need Much with producer Peter Miles handling bass duties. Iona Cairns joined the band just before their first tour. Shortly before the album's release, the band were forced to rename themselves after American garage rock revival band The Cynics threatened legal action, and they subsequently became Great Cynics. In June 2011, Great Cynics debut album Don't Need Much was released to positive acclaim.
Following the success of Don't Need Much, the band released the In the Valley EP in late February 2012.

Like I Belong and I Feel Weird

Great Cynics released their second full-length album Like I Belong in April 2013. After the release of Like I Belong Great Cynics embarked on several national and international tours alongside the likes of Broadway Calls, We Are The Ocean, Joyce Manor, Cheap Girls, Apologies, I Have None, The Smith Street Band and Gnarwolves. Over the 2013 August Bank Holiday weekend, Great Cynics opened the Lock Up Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.
In late 2014 the band announced plans for their third album that would be released in 2015.
In February 2015 it was announced that the album, titled I Feel Weird, would be released through Specialist Subject Records in April 2015, with Lost In You being the lead single.

Line up change, POSI and hiatus

In 2016, bassist and vocalist Iona Cairns left the band to persue Shit Present, while Giles Bidder and Bob Barrett continued to write Great Cynics' fourth full-length album.
'POSI', recorded with Joe Reinhart of Hop Along and Ian Farmer of Modern Baseball/Slaughter Beach, Dog, came out in 2017 on Specialist Subject Records.
Oliver Ward, who had booked/driven Cynics' first tour in 2009, joined the band on bass and vocals when the band started the touring campaign of the album. He accepted the invitation to join the band on the prerequisite that the band would tour France and experience baguettes and locally sourced wine.
After a French tour in early 2018, the band fell into hiatus with the feeling they'd achieved as much as they wanted to, or were able to.

2021 Reunion

In 2020, Great Cynics posted from their Facebook and Instagram pages that they will be reuniting as their most recent line up in 2021, celebrating a decade of their first album 'Don't Need Much'. The overall reaction of the fans can be described as a tornado of joy.

Band members

Studio albums