Diamond Amongst The Thieves

1.GOING UP
2.LIVING THIS WAY
3.FRIEND
4.LONELY SOUL
5.RIGHT SIDE OF ME
6.DONE WITH THIS
7.HOW BRAVE
8.BEBAD
9.WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR
10.ALL IN HAND
11.FADED DREAMS
12.LETS GO NOW
13.WE'VE BEEN
Three years. 700 shows. One album. Remember the name: Lowrider. "Sometimes people just do things...they don't have a choice," Lowrider's resident beat-keeper, Paul Bartlett explains. "There's never been another option for us; music is all we can do," continues frontman Joe Brathwaite. Founded in Adelaide in 2004, music is in the blood for Lowrider. Shirking off career counsellor recommendations, and their parents more traditional expectations, Lowrider instead chose to follow their hearts. And now even their parents are joining the dark side as the Lowrider story develops into one nothing short of a fairytale.

From their humble beginnings, Lowrider took little time in establishing themselves as one of Adelaide's most promising young bands. Playing countless shows, with the likes of Hilltop Hoods, Eskimo Joe and Jet, as well as a Pyramid Rock Festival appearance, Lowrider's enigmatic, unforgettable live show quickly cemented them a loyal fan base and saw the music world sit up and begin to take notice. Hilltop Hoods' DJ Debris announced himself a fan: "Lowrider are the smoothest band I've heard in a long time. They have an incredible soulful sound with the hip-hop esque driving groove. It's refreshing to hear music with this much heart." Fans so much, Hilltop Hoods invited Lowrider to appear alongside them at 2008's Big Day Out. Taking to the main stage, providing backing music and an added dimension to the famous Hoods sound, Lowrider proved to be an absolute highlight for all in attendance.

Perhaps, though, the most notable achievement in their career thus far was being handpicked as support on Christina Aguilera's most recent Australian tour. Clearly fan favourites – and easily at home on an arena stage - with each show came more people grooving along. And with each show came more people lining up for the boys, waiting for them to sign CDs after their set. "We were amazed at the response we had at the Christina shows," Paul says, still in disbelief. "It was a bit scary behind the scenes; at the first show we were a bit taken aback by the scale of everything. We just stayed in our dressing room and were itching to get out on stage because that was our comfort zone."

The final piece of the Lowrider puzzle is the release of their second album Diamond Amongst the Thieve. A seamless amalgam of hip-hop and soul, Diamond Amongst the Thieves leaves a lasting impression. "As simple as it sounds, we just wanted to record the songs in our head and make them sound as good as we could," Paul muses. Their time in the studio proved to be a flawless experience as Diamond Amongst the Thieves highlights the dynamic between band members and showcases exactly what it is that exhilarates those before them.

Smooth and sensual, all music lovers will find an undeniable attraction to Diamond Amongst the Thieves. It's this familiarity which sees Lowrider move from club gig to arena show, and between Hip Hop fans and pop fans, without hesitation. Music is their passion. Diamond Amongst the Thieves is their heart.

Lowrider: remember the name.