Hurts – British power duo conquers Europe
The duo, consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and multi-instrumentalist (keyboardist, guitarist) Adam Anderson, could sing themselves from England worldwide into the hearts of the fans and into the international charts. Of the total of five studio albums released, two were able to storm the top 10 of numerous countries. The British have elegantly immortalized themselves in our playlists with their dramatic, synthetic pop.
First successes – From Bureau to Disco Lento
In November 2005, Anderson, born in Manchester in 1981, and Hutchcraft, five years younger, born in North Yorkshire, don’t get into a bar fight, but instead chat about music. In March 2006, they form Bureau and take the stage as a five-piece; the single “After Midnight”/”Dollhouse” does well on alternative radio. The group breaks up, however, and the two form Daggers, but the right sound has not yet been found and success remains elusive.
After some failures, the two console themselves by writing somber ballads and discover their style. In Verona they are also inspired by the musical style Disco Lento and at the end of 2009 Hurts is born. As further inspirations they cite the Krautrock of the 70s and the R&B of the 90s, musical idols are the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode.
Hurts Songs – The first chart toppers
Five albums released: Happiness (2010), Exile (2013), Surrender (2015), Desire (2017) and Faith (2020). It all started with an amateur music video for Hurts’ song “Wonderful Life” released on YouTube in April 2009. Today, the video has over 76 million views. The song became a hit in Denmark, Cyprus and Russia, and in Germany it entered the single charts at number 2. In the same year they were named Band of the Day by the British newspaper The Guardian. After enough Hurts songs were written, the two performed live for the first time at an event hosted by designer Michalsky.
Concerts in Berlin and Cologne followed, as well as a UK tour as headliners. They also won Best International Newcomer at the BAMBI Awards and the ECHO Awards, and were nominated for the MTV Music Awards. Their debut album became a breakthrough – number 2 in the Austrian, Polish and Swiss charts, number 4 in their home country, where 25,000 copies were sold in the first week. The singles “Stay” and “Better Than Love” entered the Top 50 of the UK charts.
More achievements
Hurts performed at the famous Glastonbury Festival in 2010. In the same year they also had their first European tour as headliners, which ended in London with guest of honor Kylie Minogue. In December 2012, the video for the song “The Road” was released as a teaser for the second studio album.
The work, “Exile”, entered the UK album charts at number 9, in seven European countries (including Germany) it was also enough for the top 10. “Surrender” followed in 2015 with a UK chart position at number 12, while in Switzerland it catapulted to number 1. “Desire” became a very poppy album, while “Faith” is a good mix of pop, goth and industrial.
Hurts songs – Special friendships
The band is big Kylie Minogue fan and it’s mutual. Kylie collaborated on the song “Devotion,” and Hurts re-recorded their 1994 hit “Confide in Me.” As a result, Kyle performed “Wonderful Life” on Radio 1’s Live Lounge. The single “Stay” was used in the soundtrack to Til Schweiger’s film comedy Kokowääh. On the third album “Surrender” worked among others Madonna and The Killers.
Hurts contributed a remix to Rammstein’s single “Shark,” as well as a remix of “Jeanny” for the 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Falco 3 and a remix of Lady Gaga’s “Judas.” In 2013, they also covered “Locked Out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars. Theo Hutchcraft is also good friends with Liam Fray, the frontman of the indie rock band The Courteneers, for whom he wrote the song “Modern Love”. Since 2005, Hutchcraft has also been in contact with British producer and DJ Calvin Harris; in 2013, the two, together with Swedish house DJ Alesso, released the single “Under Control.”
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Stefan Lohmann (Artist Booking)
Stefan Lohmann is a Hamburg-based talent buyer and artist relations manager. His service portfolio includes not only artist placement but also the creation of comprehensive live entertainment concepts for concerts, festivals and events. With his Live Entertainment Network of artists and creatives he also offers market leading show productions in the entertainment field Aerial Shows, Drone Shows, Video Projection Mapping, Dance Shows … “What doesn’t exist on the market, we create for our clients”, says Stefan Lohmann about his company philosophy.
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Creating music concepts together with the client is one of the specialties of live entertainment expert Stefan Lohmann. With Sustainable Event Solutions he makes the sustainable suppliers of the event industry visible.
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Stefan Lohmann – Talent Buyer & Booking Agent
“As Artist Relations Management & Live Entertainment Network, I provide a transparent and efficient solution to channel and professionalize live entertainment handling, while reducing costs and increasing artist selection.”
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