"Taking the ramshackle charm of Guided By Voices at their most melodic and adding a boyish enthusiasm that tips its hat to both Weezer and Matthew Sweet."

Offering a nimble mesh of indie rock and vintage computing, Cambridge-based trio The British IBM officially launched in 2012, commandeered by singer/songwriter & retro enthusiast Aidy, alongside musical comrades David Martin on bass and Scott Wilson on drums.

The group’s 2012 debut self-titled album—produced with Neil “Bugs” Rogers—features single “Animal,” accompanied by a well-received animated video clip lensed by Ridertoons’ Jose Cubero. The second single and title track “the British IBM” garnered acclaim with its use in the trailer for 2014 documentary film “From Bedrooms to Billions,” which outlines the story of the British video games industry from 1979 to today. The music video for the song features Iain Lee of the 11 O'Clock Show and is a homage to the BBC film Micro Men.

In 2014 Aidy played an "expo residency" at the Riviera in Vegas alongside 8 Bit Weapon as part of the Classic Gaming Expo.

2015 was kicked off with the British IBM's second album, “Psychopaths Dream in Black and White,” which includes an array of overdubs, including a contribution from cellist Anna Scott, as well as bassoon and sitar. It was recorded at indie facility Half Ton Studios. The track Nothing Ever Lasts That Long ended up being used on the TV show Life Sentence starring Lucy Hale. Several other tracks from the album were used in the Bedrooms to Billions: Amiga Years documentary.

2017 saw a change in the lineup with Scott Wilson replacing Paul Richards on drums and the release of two stand-alone singles "Jet Set Willy" and "Where is Matthew Smith?", for which David produced the accompanying music videos.

In 2019 the band recorded and released their third full-length album "Play the Game" to positive reviews and a music video (again produced by David) for the first single "Man of the Hour" which featured YouTuber RMC The Cave.

When the lockdown started in 2020 Aidy started streaming live acoustic performances every Friday at 8 pm via Twitch. These gigs spawned a set of new songs that are now due to make up the 4th studio album. The Twitch gigs are still being performed sporadically and have a niche audience and various in-jokes that have evolved over time such as referring to the event as "Friday Night at the Twitch Bar".

In 2021 work started on the fourth studio album which has been titled "Friday Night at the Twitch Bar" in reference to the regular live streams from which most of the songs were developed.

Aidy previously released multiple solo albums, including Aidy’s renowned 2010 “Song A Week” project, where a new single was released every Friday for a solid year. The result of that effort was the 53-track opus “Song A Week.”

Download Psychopaths Dream in Black and White Press Release

Download Play the Game Press Release

Download Friday Night at the Twitch Bar Press Release

Download High Quality Photos

Download High Quality 2015 Promo Photos

Download High Quality 2020 Promo Photos

Download High Quality 2022 Promo Photos

Press Quotes

"...manages to marry authentic Americana with a nerdy and uniquely British trainspotter-sensibility." - Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music

“akin to the criminally underrated solo work of Mark Morriss" – Travellers Tunes

“gleefully melancholic" – Bucket List

“An unforgettable listening experience centred around a folk-tinged indie rock sound” – Penny Black Music

“A fabulous album!"– Diffuser.fm

“A wistful, self-deprecating feel at times recalling Camera Obscura in their awkward glamour” – Clash

“An incredibly well made, slightly baroque, harmony-drenched thing of beauty” – The Sound of Confusion

“Insightful and psychedelic tales” – Creative Control Magazine

“Reminiscent of the husky, melancholic dirges of Lambchop” - Glasswerk

“Digging this track, it’s got a great alt-rock-folk sound” – Indie Minded

“A nimble mesh of indie rock and vintage computing” – Slate The Disco

"When you hear a song as good as 'We Were The Stars' it makes you wonder why The British IBM have remained relatively under the radar for so long." - The Sound of Confusion

Press Links

Here are a few links to some of our on-line press:

http://amusicblogyea.com/2015/09/18/exclusive-track-premiere-the-british-ibm-nothing/

http://thesoundofconfusionblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/this-months-playlist-august-2015.html

https://werk.re/2015/09/18/the-british-ibm-psychopaths-dream-in-black-white/

http://gcygnus.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/news-british-ibm-announce-new-album-and.html

http://losangeleslovesyou.com/post/125404634737/the-british-ibm-we-were-the-stars

http://www.clashmusic.com/videos/premiere-the-british-ibm-we-were-the-stars

http://diffuser.fm/the-british-ibm-we-were-the-stars-song-premiere/

http://www.withguitars.com/the-british-ibm-self-titled-album-released-october-29th/

https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?id=26038

https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?id=26038

https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?id=26088

https://pennyblackmusic.co.uk/Home/Details?id=20555

https://www.withguitars.com/the-british-ibm-new-album-play-the-game-out-feb-21st-2020/

https://travellerstunes.com/review/thebritishibm-play-the-game

https://www.motivationalmuses.com/post/new-album-play-the-game-by-the-british-ibm

TV & Film Usage

Bedrooms to Billions
Bedrooms to Billions: Amiga Years
Bedrooms to Billions: Playstation Revolution
Life Sentence
Crowned
Bad Trip (aka Tyrone)

Radio Airplay/Podcasts/Internet Radio

BBC Radio 6 Music
Q Magazine Radio Station
Hope FM
BBC Radio Cambridge
Retrogaming Roundup
SubTV
CroydonFM
The Amp Session
DR John's Unsigned Rock Surgery
EGH Radio
ICR 105.7FM
Radio Caroline
Riviera FM
Sine FM
Pulse 98.4
Cambridge 105
Cams FM
Is This Thing On?
Retro Asylum
Britpop Banter
Indie Lounge
Uckfield FM
Black Cat Radio
HCRFM
Local Distortion
ARfm
ModRadio
Chelmsford CCR 104.4FM
Amazing Radio
Big Indie Giant