The formation of the old breed
It was the summer '10 that drummer David Hansford was kicked out of his old band Defiance because of musical differences. He decided that they were not good enough for him. So at his school in Bournemouth, he held auditions to put together a band. Nobody arrived at the auditions. David realised that his school was not filled with any talented musicians. September '10, Hansford finds his first member, Bogdan Smith, who he saw playing at a pub in Southampton, Bogdan quit his own band that night, punching the lead guitarist in the face for cutting into his favourite intro. 1 week later, the band was complete, Smith and Hansford had both be going to gigs all over Dorset and Hampshire and found who they felt were the two best possible guitarists around. Alex Doust and Matt Mchugh joined to form a band. The band originally took the name of Anarkingdom, however this changed. The band had finished playing a gig in the Kings Head pub in Wembley London, they planned to stay the night and go to a pacifist protest the next day. When they arrived, the band were greeted by a banner that read "How can we trust a government that hangs the innocent?". Also Instantaneously, all 4 members turned to each other and said 'Hanging The Innocent' and turned and went back to their hotel room to begin song writing.
Loud Noises and The Crash
The first album was titled Loud Noises that was titled after a song that the band wrote when they were told after a gig that all they were playing was a bunch of loud noises. The band wrote the album in two stages, songs like Deathlist and Faith To Fall written in a more simplistic manner to the songs that were written later such as You or Society Hides The Weak. The album itself spans multi genres, the boys did not feel that they wanted to be held back to simply playing one genre and so therefore they played whatever came into their heads.
16th February 2012"Today marks one of the most humbling and tragic events in recent musical history. One of the industries up and coming bands has sadly passed away. the 4 members of Hanging The Innocent were today named among the victims of the BA 134 flight crash over London. The band were on their way to C&BR to seal the deal on the band joining the label when two of the engines failed and the plane crashed in Croyden. The music industry has labelled them as a generation of musicians who were too good for this world." Sadly, due to an engine malfunction, all 4 members of the old breed were killed.They were headed to C&BR to sort out the release of the album Loud Noises. A voice mail message left on David Doust's phone was the last contact the band made with anyone. The voice mail message said "Find a new 4, give them the success we couldn't have, let our name live through them". David Doust went through a long process of grieving, where he confound himself to a small room inside the bands studio.
16th February 2012"Today marks one of the most humbling and tragic events in recent musical history. One of the industries up and coming bands has sadly passed away. the 4 members of Hanging The Innocent were today named among the victims of the BA 134 flight crash over London. The band were on their way to C&BR to seal the deal on the band joining the label when two of the engines failed and the plane crashed in Croyden. The music industry has labelled them as a generation of musicians who were too good for this world." Sadly, due to an engine malfunction, all 4 members of the old breed were killed.They were headed to C&BR to sort out the release of the album Loud Noises. A voice mail message left on David Doust's phone was the last contact the band made with anyone. The voice mail message said "Find a new 4, give them the success we couldn't have, let our name live through them". David Doust went through a long process of grieving, where he confound himself to a small room inside the bands studio.
The New Breed Emerges
17th February 2012, David Doust announces the new line up for Hanging The Innocent. New members George Hardy, Harry Treanor, Andrew Jones and Alex Doust's ex school arch rival Burn realised this statement "We all feel great pain for the real members of HIG, we miss them very much. We cannot understand the level of pain and sadness that their family, friends and fans must be feeling. We will make them proud, they shall live on through their name and our music."