Francis and the Lights

Francis and the Lights are a New York City based band led by frontman Francis Farewell Starlite. They self-released the Striking EP in late 2007 (free album download at francisandthelights/) and Normative released A Modern Promise in August 2008 (amodernpromise). Cantora Records released the LIME/WYN single in 2008, available at cantorarecords/francisandthelights. The band’s sound is propelled by two live drummers playing in conjunction with sequenced percussion, balanced with intertwining guitar and synth parts. The band was formed at Wesleyan University – their first show was a performance of the posthumous Otis Redding record “The Immortal Otis Redding” in its entirety. After secluding himself in Oakland, CA to write songs, Francis Starlite drove cross-country in a decommissioned postal truck and formed the current incarnation of the band in New York. They rehearsed for a full year before unveiling themselves at a series of invitation-only shows at a white fabric draped warehouse space featuring spring-loaded keyboards, young coconuts and a chandelier that descended onto the dance floor bearing champagne glasses. In Rolling Stone magazine, it is mentioned that Drake has a track on his highly anticipated album, Thank Me Later, which features Francis and The Lights