The Middle East was a band based in Townsville in Queensland, Australia. Forming in 2005, the group played locally and completed several East Coast tours of mainly festivals throughout Australia. The band name has no particular significance - it was coined for a show poster of the then temporary project, after co-frontman Rohin Jones watched a documentary on Yasir Arafat. In early 2008 the band released an album called The Recordings of The Middl ... e East before splitting up. Eight months after this decision was made, band members reconvened and later re-released an abridged version of the debut album, The Recordings of the Middle East as an EP in May 2009 through Spunk Records in Australia. This EP was released in North America on 27 October 2009. The Middle East's first full album, I Want That You Are Always Happy was released in Australia and New Zealand on 8 April 2011. The band played its last show on 31 July 2011, at the Splendour in the Grass festival in Woodford, Queensland. The Middle East has been described as playing within "a multitude of genres and styles". Elements of country, blues, punk, rock, folk, chamber pop, psych folk, post-rock and ambience can be found throughout its music. Allmusic describes the band's sound as "lush, orchestral indie pop that blends the epic atmospherics of modern rock outfits like Múm and Sigur Rós with the earthy simplicity of modern indie folk".See more [+]
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