Rudimental: The Life Story Behind the Feel the Love Band
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Rudimental make music that sounds like a street party in East London, where a brass band, a drum and bass DJ and a soul singer all turn up at the same time. Their songs are loud, joyful and full of life, with horns, drums and voices that make people dance. When their song Feel the Love reached number one in Britain in 2012, it sounded like a celebration, and it came from a group of friends who had grown up together in Hackney, one of the most musical parts of London.
The band formed in Hackney in 2010, and its core members are Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and Leon Rolle, known as DJ Locksmith. Aggett, Dryden and Amor had been friends since childhood, and Rolle joined them later, bringing his skill as a DJ and MC. Their sound mixes drum and bass, soul, house and live instruments, and it is built on the idea that electronic music sounds better when real musicians play it live. That idea became their signature, and it made their shows famous for their energy.
Their journey has brought them number one albums, hit singles with singers like John Newman, Ella Eyre and Anne-Marie, and tours around the world. Their debut album, Home, arrived in 2013 and reached number one in Britain. Their second album, We the Generation, came in 2015. Later albums, Toast to Our Differences in 2019 and Ground Control in 2021, showed a band that kept growing, kept working with new singers, and kept the party going. Through all of it, they have stayed true to Hackney, to their friends, and to the belief that music should bring people together.
Childhood Friends in Hackney
Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Amir Amor grew up together in Hackney, in East London, and they were friends long before they became a band. Hackney in the 1990s and 2000s was a lively and mixed place, full of music from many cultures: Caribbean sounds, African sounds, British dance music, and soul. The three friends listened to all of it, they went to parties and pirate radio stations, and they learned how music could bring different people together in one room.
As teenagers, they began to make music themselves. They played instruments, they learned to produce beats on computers, and they worked as DJs at local parties. Aggett played keyboards, Dryden played guitar and keyboards, and Amor played keyboards and produced. They were not trying to become famous at first. They were trying to make music that their friends would dance to, and that their neighbourhood would love. That local feeling stayed in their music even after they became famous.
Leon Rolle, known as DJ Locksmith, joined the group later. He was a DJ and MC from London, and he brought a performer’s energy to the band’s live shows. With Rolle, the group became a four-piece, and they began to think seriously about making an album. They called themselves Rudimental, a name that pointed to the basic, raw elements of music: drums, bass, horns and voices. It was a name that said they were not trying to be polished. They were trying to be real.
The early years were hard in the ordinary way that young bands find hard. They had little money, they played small venues, and they worked other jobs to pay for their music. But they also had something that money cannot buy: a deep friendship, a shared love of their neighbourhood, and a belief that their sound could work. That belief kept them going through the small shows and the long nights, and it gave them the patience to build their sound slowly.
Feel the Love and a Number One Debut
Rudimental’s breakthrough came with Feel the Love, a song featuring the singer John Newman, released in 2012. The song was bright and joyful, with a brass section, a strong drum and bass beat, and Newman’s powerful voice singing about love. It became a number one hit in Britain, and it was the first time many people had heard the band’s name. The song sounded like a celebration, and it became a favourite at parties, on the radio and at festivals.
The band’s debut album, Home, was released in 2013, and it reached number one in Britain. The album included Feel the Love as well as other songs like Not Giving In, featuring John Newman and Alex Clare, and Waiting All Night, featuring Ella Eyre, which also became a number one hit. The album showed the band’s love of working with other singers. Instead of having one lead singer, Rudimental worked with many different voices, choosing the right singer for each song.
Waiting All Night became one of their most loved songs. It is a song about staying up all night, about the feeling of being young and free, and Ella Eyre sang it with a power that made the words feel like a promise. The song was used in films and television, and it became a favourite at live shows, where the crowd sang along with joy. It showed that Rudimental could write a pop song that was both exciting and emotional, and that their sound worked far beyond the drum and bass scene.
Touring for Home took the band around the world, and their live shows became famous for their energy. They played with a full brass section, with live drums, and with singers who joined them on stage. The shows were loud, joyful and full of movement, and the audiences loved them. Rudimental learned how to bring their studio sound to a large stage without losing its warmth, and they became known as one of the best live bands in Britain.
We the Generation and a Bigger Sound
The band’s second album, We the Generation, was released in 2015, and it was a bigger and more ambitious record than the first. The album included songs like Never Let You Go, featuring Foy Vance, I Will for Love, featuring Will Heard, and Rumour Mill, featuring Anne-Marie and Will Heard. The album reached the top of the charts in Britain, and it showed a band that was growing up and trying new sounds.
We the Generation was about the generation that the band belonged to: young people in Britain who had grown up with many kinds of music, many cultures, and many challenges. The songs were about love, about friendship, about the feeling of being young in a world that is changing fast. The album had a warmer and more soulful sound than the first, with more live instruments and more space for the singers to shine. It was praised by critics, and it showed that Rudimental could do more than make party songs. They could make songs that meant something.
The tour for the second album took them to bigger stages, including festivals around the world. They played to huge crowds, and their shows were full of colour, dancing and joy. The band had become a big name in British music, and they were enjoying the success they had worked for. But the success also brought pressure, and the next albums would show a band trying to keep its sound fresh while staying true to its roots in Hackney.
The years after We the Generation were busy. The band worked with many singers, they played many festivals, and they became known as a band that could make a party out of any room. They were also learning how to balance their work with their personal lives, and how to keep their friendship strong while touring the world. That balance became part of their story, and it helped them to keep going when the work became hard.
Toast to Our Differences and Ground Control
Toast to Our Differences was released in 2019, and it was a record about the power of being different. The album included songs with singers from many countries and many backgrounds, and it celebrated the idea that music is better when it brings different people together. The title itself was a toast, a celebration of the differences that make a band and a city interesting. The album included songs like These Days, featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen, which became a huge hit.
These Days was a song about missing someone after a relationship ends, and it showed a softer side of Rudimental. The music was gentle, the words were sad, and the singers sang with a warmth that made the song feel personal. It became one of their biggest hits, and it was played on the radio around the world. The song showed that Rudimental could write a quiet and emotional song as well as a loud party song, and that their range was wider than many people had thought.
Ground Control, their fourth album, was released in 2021, and it was a return to their drum and bass roots. The album had a harder and more energetic sound, with songs that were made for dancing and for live shows. It included collaborations with singers like Anne-Marie and others, and it showed a band that still loved the fast beats and big horns that had made them famous. The album was made during the pandemic, when live music had stopped, and the songs carried a longing for the dance floor, for the crowd, and for the feeling of being together in a room full of music.
The two albums showed different sides of the band. Toast to Our Differences was warm and open, a celebration of many voices. Ground Control was fast and loud, a return to the dance floor. Together, they showed a band that could do both, and that did not want to be limited to one sound. Rudimental have always been a band of many moods, and their later albums kept that freedom alive.
The Brass, the Beats and the Live Show
One of the most famous things about Rudimental is their live show. Unlike many electronic bands, who play with computers and a few keyboards, Rudimental play with a full band: brass instruments, live drums, guitars and singers. That live sound makes their concerts feel like a party, with the band playing as if they are in a small room, even when the room is very large. The brass section is at the centre of it all, with trumpets and trombones playing melodies that make people dance.
The band’s live shows are also famous for their joy. The members smile, they dance, they talk to the crowd, and they make the audience feel like part of the band. That joy comes from their roots in Hackney, where music was always a shared thing, a way for friends and neighbours to come together. A Rudimental concert is not a performance to watch from a distance. It is a party to join, and the crowd becomes part of the music.
The band’s sound has also influenced other musicians. They showed that drum and bass, a style of music that began in London’s underground clubs, could be played live with real instruments and could become pop music without losing its energy. Many younger bands have learned from them, and many DJs have learned that a live band can make electronic music feel warmer and more human. Rudimental never set out to be teachers, but their example has taught a lesson anyway: electronic music sounds better when real people play it together.
Their music videos are also part of their story. From the early days, they made videos that told small stories about life in London, about friendship, about love, and about the city they come from. Those videos helped their songs travel online, and they showed the band’s sense of humour and their love of their home. Rudimental have never forgotten where they came from, and their videos and their songs both carry that memory.
Still Together, Still From Hackney
In the years since Ground Control, Rudimental have continued to release new songs, to play festivals, and to work with new singers. They have stayed together as the same four friends, and they have kept their base in London. They have not tried to become a different kind of band to chase a trend. They have stayed with the sound they built in Hackney, while letting it grow a little with each new record. That steadiness is part of their story.
Their influence can be heard in younger British bands who mix live instruments with electronic beats, and who write songs about their own neighbourhoods. Rudimental showed that a band could be from a specific place, Hackney, and still belong to the whole world. They showed that a band could be loud and joyful, and also honest and kind. That is a rare combination, and it is why their music still matters to the people who first heard it more than ten years ago.
Looking back, the story of Rudimental is a story of friendship and celebration. They started as childhood friends in Hackney, they mixed drum and bass with soul and brass, they had number one hits with Feel the Love and Waiting All Night, and they did it all with joy. Their songs are still played at parties, at festivals and on the radio, and they still make people dance. That is a good legacy for a band that began with a simple idea: that music should bring people together.
Rudimental and the Community They Came From
Rudimental have never forgotten Hackney, and Hackney has never forgotten them. The band grew up in a part of London where many cultures live together, where music comes from the streets, from pirate radio, from parties in small rooms, and from the sound of neighbours playing music through open windows. That community is the heart of their sound, and it is the reason their music feels warm and human, even when it is loud. A band that comes from a community carries that community with it, wherever it goes.
The band’s early years were spent playing at local parties, at small clubs, and at community events in Hackney. They were not trying to become famous. They were trying to make music that their friends would dance to, and that their neighbourhood would love. That local feeling stayed in their music even after they became famous. When they play Feel the Love on a big stage, it still sounds like a song made for a party in Hackney, with friends, with brass, with drums, and with joy. That is a remarkable achievement, and it is part of why their fans love them.
Hackney has changed a lot since the band were young. New buildings have gone up, new people have moved in, and the area has become more expensive. But the music of Hackney has stayed, and Rudimental are part of that music. They have spoken about their home, about the streets they grew up on, about the friends they made there, and about the need to remember where you come from, even when you travel the world. That memory is not nostalgia. It is a way of staying honest, of keeping the band’s feet on the ground.
The band have also worked with young musicians in London, sharing what they have learned about making music, about playing live, and about working together. They have not done this for fame. They have done it because they remember being young musicians in Hackney, with little money and big dreams, and they want to help the next generation. That generosity is part of their story, and it shows that a band can be successful and still give back to the place that made it.
Their music videos also carry the feeling of Hackney. They tell small stories about life in London, about friendship, about love, and about the city they come from. Those videos help their songs travel online, and they show the band’s love of their home. A viewer in another country can watch a Rudimental video and feel the warmth of a London street, even if they have never been there. That is the power of a band that is honest about where it comes from.
The band’s sound itself is a picture of Hackney: Caribbean rhythms, African sounds, British dance music, soul, all mixed together in one track. That mix is not an accident. It is the sound of a place where many cultures live together, and the band’s music honours that place. When they play a song with a brass section, a drum and bass beat, and a soul singer, they are not just making music. They are telling the story of their neighbourhood, and that story is worth hearing.
What I find most interesting about their community is that it is not just a place. It is a way of working. Rudimental work with many singers, with many musicians, with many friends, and each collaboration brings a new voice to their music. That way of working comes from Hackney, where music was always a shared thing, a way for friends and neighbours to come together. A Rudimental song is not one person’s idea. It is a community’s idea, made by friends, for friends, and shared with the world.
Their recent festival shows have also shown how much the crowd still loves them. At a big festival, when the brass begins and the beat drops, the whole field moves together, and the band play with a joy that comes from knowing the crowd is with them. That shared feeling is hard to describe, but it is the reason people go to festivals: to feel part of something larger than themselves, to dance with strangers, and to hear a song they love played live. Rudimental give them that feeling, night after night.
The band’s songs have also been used in films, in adverts and on television, and each new use carries their music to people who might never have heard it otherwise. A listener who hears Waiting All Night in a film may go home and listen to the whole album, and that is how a band grows, one listener at a time. Rudimental’s music travels well because it is joyful, because it is warm, and because it is about feelings that everyone knows: love, friendship, and the joy of dancing with people you love.
My Take:
When I listen to Rudimental, the first thing I feel is energy. Their songs are loud, they make me want to move, and they sound like a party where everyone is welcome. But underneath that energy, there is always a real feeling, and I think that mix is what makes them special. Feel the Love is a joyful song, but it is also a song about loving someone with all your heart. Waiting All Night is a song about staying up all night, but it is also a song about the freedom of being young. That mix of joy and truth feels honest to me, because real life is often like that: loud on the outside, tender on the inside.
I think the most admirable part of their story is the friendship at its centre. Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Amir Amor grew up together in Hackney, and they have been friends since childhood. That is a long time, and it is the reason their music sounds so warm. A band that is made of childhood friends plays differently from a band that is put together by a record company. They know each other’s strengths, they know each other’s weaknesses, and they trust each other. When I hear their music, I hear that trust, and it makes the songs feel like a family gathering, not just a performance.
I also admire the way they play live. Many electronic bands hide behind computers, but Rudimental play with real instruments: brass, drums, guitars and voices. That takes courage, because a live band can make mistakes, and a computer cannot. But the mistakes are part of the joy. A live horn section, playing together in a room, sounds human in a way that a computer never can. I think that is an important lesson. Music sounds better when real people play it together, and Rudimental prove that every time they step on stage.
There is a sadness in their story, too, and it is the sadness of a band that is sometimes seen as only a party band. Rudimental make joyful music, and joyful music is sometimes treated as less serious than sad music. I think that is unfair, because joy is a serious thing. It takes skill to make people dance, it takes skill to make people smile, and it takes skill to make a song that lifts a room. Rudimental have that skill, and they use it with generosity. They do not make music to show off. They make music to bring people together, and that is a kind of seriousness that deserves more respect.
Another thing I notice is how much their music depends on other singers. John Newman, Ella Eyre, Anne-Marie, Jess Glynne: each one brought a different voice to the band’s songs, and each song sounds different because of that voice. That way of working is generous, because it shares the spotlight with many people. But it also means that the band themselves are sometimes hard to see. People remember the singer, and they forget the four friends who made the song. I think that is unfair, because Aggett, Dryden, Amor and Rolle are the heart of the band. Their music is the reason the singers sound so good, and they deserve more credit than they sometimes get.
I find their album Toast to Our Differences especially moving, because it was a celebration of being different. In a world where people are often told to be the same, Rudimental made an album that said difference is a gift. The songs brought together singers from many countries and many backgrounds, and the result was a record that felt like a city: noisy, colourful and full of life. I think that message matters, especially now. Music can be a place where different people meet, and Rudimental have built that place with their songs.
If I have a criticism, it is only that their albums can sometimes feel uneven. Because each song has a different singer, the albums can feel like collections of singles rather than complete records. That is the price of their way of working, and I would not want them to lose it. But I do think a listener who is new to the band can feel lost, because there is no single voice that tells you who Rudimental are. You need to listen to many songs before the picture becomes clear. That is not a real fault, though. It is a sign that the band is richer than a single singer, and that richness is worth the effort.
I also think about their live shows, and how joyful they must be. A Rudimental concert is a party, with brass, drums and singers all together on stage, and the crowd dancing and singing along. I would love to be in that crowd, to hear the horns and the beats, and to feel the joy that the band clearly feels when they play. That is a rare feeling in music, where so many shows are polished and distant. Rudimental feel close and human, and that closeness is part of why people love them.
When I compare Rudimental with other British bands of their time, what stands out is their roots. They are from Hackney, and they have never forgotten it. Their music carries the sound of their neighbourhood: Caribbean rhythms, African sounds, British dance music, soul. That mix is not an accident. It is the sound of a place where many cultures live together, and the band’s music honours that place. I think that is the clearest lesson in their story: a band can be from somewhere specific, and still belong to the whole world, if the music is honest about where it comes from.
For a young reader, I think the lesson is about friendship. Rudimental started as childhood friends, and they are still friends today. That friendship is the reason their music sounds warm, and it is the reason they have lasted for so long. Many bands split when the members grow apart, but Rudimental have grown together, because they started as friends first and musicians second. That tells me that the best work is often done with people you trust, people you have known for a long time, people who know you when you are not famous. That is a hopeful thought, and it is one I will carry with me.
I also take a personal lesson from their joy. Rudimental make music that is joyful, and they do it without apology. In a world that often treats joy as less serious than sadness, they show that joy is a serious and valuable thing. A song that makes people dance, that makes people smile, that makes people feel less alone for a few minutes, is a good song. I do not need music to be sad to be meaningful. I need it to be honest, and Rudimental are honest about joy. That is a lesson I will remember.
In the end, I think Rudimental matter because they prove that music can bring people together. Their songs mix many sounds, many voices and many cultures, and the result is a party where everyone is welcome. When I hear Feel the Love today, I still feel the energy, I still feel the joy, and I still feel the love that the song is about. That is a good pop song, and it is a good legacy for a band that started as childhood friends in Hackney.
One more thought stays with me, and it is about the future. I do not know what their next album will sound like, and I do not need to know. I trust that when it comes, it will sound like them: loud, joyful, and full of brass and beats. That trust is something a band earns over many years, and Rudimental have earned it. I will keep listening, not because they are the loudest band in the world, but because they are one of the most joyful, and joy in music is rarer than it should be.
I also think about what I would say to a friend who had never heard Rudimental. I would start with Feel the Love, because it is their most famous song, and then I would play Waiting All Night, and then These Days, and I would let the friend hear how the band can be loud and soft, joyful and sad, all in the same set. That is the best way to meet this band: through the party first, and then through the deeper songs that show what they really wanted to say.
There is another lesson in their story that I keep coming back to, and it is about the value of a place. Rudimental are from Hackney, and they have never forgotten it. That tells me that a person does not need to leave their home to be successful. They can carry their home with them, in their music, in their stories, in their friendships, and the world will listen. That is a hopeful thought, and it is one I will carry with me into my own work.
I also wonder what their next album will sound like, and I find that I do not mind not knowing. Some bands make me want to guess, to predict, to follow every rumour. Rudimental make me want to wait. I trust that when the record comes, it will be loud, it will be joyful, and it will sound like them. That trust is a rare thing to feel about a band, and it is the result of many years of good work. A band that has never let me down earns the right to be waited for.
When I think about their brass section, I think about how it has changed over the years. On the first album it sounded like a party, loud and joyful. On the later albums it sounds like the heart of the band, a sound that is always there, warm and strong. That change is not about technique. It is about confidence, and confidence grows slowly, through years of playing together, through years of standing on stage, through years of learning that your sound belongs in pop music. I find that growth hopeful, because it shows that a band, like a person, can become stronger with time.
I also think about the listeners who found this band during hard times. Many people discovered Rudimental at a festival, in a crowd, dancing, and the songs became part of their happiest memories. Those listeners did not find the band in a quiet room. They found them in a field, with thousands of strangers, and the songs stayed with them when they went home. That is a special kind of success: not a hit that everyone hears at once, but a song that becomes part of a person’s life, and stays.
If I could ask the band one question, I would ask them how they keep their friendship strong after so many years on the road. I would ask them what they do when they disagree about a song, and how they decide when a record is finished. I suspect the answer would be simple: they listen, they laugh, and they trust each other. That simplicity is the heart of their story, and it is the reason their music still sounds warm. A band that listens to itself will always sound honest, and honesty is the rarest sound in popular music.
In the end, what I carry from Rudimental is a feeling of joy. Their music does not shout, it does not beg, and it does not try to be everything at once. It is a loud, warm sound, made by four friends who listen to each other, and it reaches people all over the world. That is enough, and it is more than enough. It is a reminder that joyful work, done with care, can still be heard, even in the noisiest of times.
I also think about the quieter songs in their catalogue, the ones that do not get played on the radio as often. A song like These Days, with its gentle melody and its sad words about missing someone, shows a different side of Rudimental. Those quieter songs are just as important as the party tracks, because they show that the band can be tender as well as loud. A listener who only knows Feel the Love is missing half the band, and I would tell them to listen to the soft songs too, because those songs are where the band’s heart really lives.
There is one more thing I want to say about their joy, and it is that joy is not simple. Rudimental’s joy is a form of care: care for the crowd, care for the music, care for the feeling of a night together. When the brass plays and the beat drops, the band are telling the audience that tonight matters, that dancing matters, and that being together matters. That is a generous message, and it is one that I carry with me long after the song has ended.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Rudimental form?
Rudimental formed in Hackney, East London, in 2010. Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Amir Amor had been childhood friends, and Leon Rolle, known as DJ Locksmith, joined them later to complete the four-piece band.
What is Rudimental’s most famous song?
Feel the Love, featuring John Newman, is their most famous song, a number one hit in Britain in 2012. Waiting All Night, featuring Ella Eyre, also reached number one and became one of their most loved songs.
What albums has Rudimental released?
Their studio albums are Home from 2013, We the Generation from 2015, Toast to Our Differences from 2019, and Ground Control from 2021. Home and We the Generation both reached the top of the charts in Britain.
What kind of music does Rudimental make?
They mix drum and bass with soul, house and live instruments, including a brass section, live drums and guitars. Their sound is built on the idea that electronic music sounds better when real musicians play it live.
Who sings on Rudimental songs?
Rudimental work with many different singers, choosing the right voice for each song. John Newman sang Feel the Love, Ella Eyre sang Waiting All Night, and Anne-Marie, Jess Glynne and many others have sung on their records.
Where is Rudimental from?
The band are from Hackney, in East London, and their music carries the sound of their neighbourhood: Caribbean rhythms, African sounds, British dance music and soul. They have stayed true to Hackney throughout their career.
Is Rudimental still together and touring?
Yes, the same four members have stayed together and have continued to release new songs and play festivals in the years since Ground Control. Their live shows remain known for their energy, brass section and joyful crowds.
