Originally the solo project of Giles Bidder -- who had previously played in a Brighton, U.K.-based ska act, but had decided to focus on his own songwriting -- the singer/songwriter started to perform under the moniker Cynics, playing his first shows in July 2009 as support for Dutch artist Tim Vantol. By December, Bidder had released his first recordings, a split cassette with U.K. punkers WEGROWBEARDS, followed up six months later with his debut single, "Stones I've Thrown." Moving to London, Bidder continued to play shows around the capitol and across the U.K., becoming a regular face on the burgeoning D.I.Y. punk scene with his rousing, folk-infused punk, while also earning himself support slots with the likes of Against Me! and Paint It Black. Bidder had written an album's worth of material by 2011 and entered the studio with Peter Miles (We Are the Ocean, the King Blues) to set about recording. Deciding the material would work better with a band behind him, Bidder recruited drummer Bob Barrett, while bass duties were handled by Miles and Iona Cairns. With Cairns and Barrett becoming full-time members and the trio about to release their debut album, the Pittsburgh-based garage-rock outfit the Cynics intervened, asking them to adopt a new name. The group became Great Cynics and their debut, Don't Need Much, dropped in mid-2011 on Household Name and Kind of Like Records. Spending their time touring across the U.K. and supporting the likes of Crazy Arm, Spraynard, and We Are the Ocean, the trio also released the In the Valley EP at the beginning of 2012. Returning to the studio, once again with Peter Miles, the band recorded their sophomore album, Like I Belong. Released in 2013, the group once again headed out on tour in support of the album while also earning themselves slots at the prestigious Reading and Leeds Festivals. 2015 saw the trio sign to Specialist Subject and Lame-O for their third album, I Feel Weird, which once again saw them team up with Peter Miles. That same year, the trio headed to Australia to tour with the Smith Street Band, while also supporting the likes of the Sidekicks and Tigers Jaw. With Cairns splitting her time between her own project, Shit Present, and Great Cynics, the group reconvened in 2016 to record their fourth album. Recording at The Headroom in Philadelphia with Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Joyce Manor) and Ian Farmer (Modern Baseball), the resulting POSI was released on Specialist Subject and Lame-O at the beginning of 2017. ~ Rich Wilson