Is bleachers a one man band?

Q: Why are they called Bleachers band?

So why are bleachers called bleachers? Its really pretty simple. Traditionally, bleachers have been the primary affordable seating section, composed of wooden planks that are, heres the kicker, bleached by the scorching sun!

A lot of people don’t know that before Jack Antonoff was the guitarist for Fun.—the Grammy Award-winning indie pop band and purveyor of anthemic, radio-friendly jams like "We Are Young"—he was the frontman for Steel Train, a beloved New Jersey-based rock ’n’ roll band. And now Jack’s taking back the mic with a brand-new solo project. (Worry not, Fun. fans—it’s something he’s doing on the side!)

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Are Bleachers one person?
Who are the members of the group Bleachers?
Why are they called Bleachers band?
Is Jack Antonoff the only member of Bleachers?

Here’s what you need to know: Called Bleachers, it’s pretty much a one-man band, but there’ll be a bunch of cool collaborators who haven’t actually been revealed but are sure to be super awesome because Jack’s super awesome. And though we’ve only gotten our hands on the debut single, "I Wanna Get Better" is a repeat-worthy indie-pop gem that has sunny summer vibes and a touch of punk-kid cool—so we’re crossing our fingers for more of the same from the album, which’ll drop later this spring.

Bleachers will make their (we say "their," because that’s what Jack’s team told us, but we don’t know who else is involved yet!) TV debut on Late Night With Seth Meyers on March 26th, but first, they’ll be rocking IRL at SXSW for their very first show (not a bad first gig, huh?), followed by performances at the mtvU Woodie Awards, Governor’s Ball, Firefly Music Festival, and more.

Besides, when Lena Dunham gives her stamp of approval, you know it’s gonna be great (even if she’s a little biased, being his girlfriend and all).

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So go ahead and give Bleachers first-ever single a listen! (And then another one, and then another one, and then another one...)

‘A little bit John Hughes-y’ … (from left) Jack Antonoff and Evan Smith of Bleachers perform at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. Photograph: Lorne Thomson/Redferns

Alim Kheraj

Mon 5 Sep 2022 21.07 AESTLast modified on Mon 5 Sep 2022 21.08 AEST

Jack Antonoff is declaring his love for a synthesiser. “The entire story of this band is that sound,” he says, referring to the chest-wobbling electronic hum that seems to envelop the crowd. Imported from Malaysia, he continues, the instrument’s pulsing electronics laid the foundations for the sound of his band Bleachers’ debut album, 2014’s Strange Desire: “A little bit John Hughes-y, a little bit fucked up,” as Antonoff describes it. As if to prove his point, the band then launch into Rollercoaster, their homage to 80s teen flicks and lusty adolescent hormones.

Much like a protagonist from one of Hughes’s films, Bleachers remains something of an underdog. While Antonoff is one of pop’s most in-demand songwriters and producers, working with the likes of Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Lorde, his band hasn’t quite scaled the commercial or critical heights of his collaborative efforts. As evidenced by the enthusiasm of tonight’s crowd, however, it hasn’t prevented them from cultivating a deeply passionate following.

It also, perhaps, provides Antonoff with the space to let go: unfettered from the creative needs of another artist and without the pressure of expectation, he seems genuinely free to play. At least that’s certainly what you get from watching him live. Throughout the show, he relentlessly flings himself around the stage, clambering around the risers where his bandmates are positioned, kneels on the floor, leaps in the air like Pete Townshend during the propulsive How Dare You Want More and generally flaps his arms like a Thunderbird puppet. To call it dancing would be generous, yet as the dual saxophonists play off toward the end of Everybody Lost Somebody, Antonoff seems possessed by the music, shaking and writhing with abandon.

If Bleachers is Antonoff’s outlet to indulge himself, though, he can take it too far. Two covers – the Waterboys’ The Whole of the Moon and Tom Waits’s Jersey Girl – feel unnecessary, and both Don’t Go Dark and You’re Still a Mystery are overly drawn out with cacophonous outros. Still, his energy and the band’s camaraderie are infectious. Pop outsiders Bleachers may be, but unlike some of the more popular kids, they actually seem to be having fun.

Led by Grammy-winning producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer/songwriter Jack Antonoff, Bleachers' buoyant, grandly emotional sound draws from '80s pop and college rock. In between his duties with Fun. and as a producer for stars such as Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Lana Del Rey, he delivers heartfelt anthems like "I Wanna Get Better," the project's 2014 certified-platinum debut single. That year's debut album Strange Desire -- which cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 -- presented Bleachers' relatable synth pop in its purest form. Though Antonoff added more ambition and inventive sonics to 2017's Gone Now and revisited his Jersey roots with Bruce Springsteen on 2021's Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, Bleachers always focused on his finesse at wrapping genuine emotions in big, shiny sounds.

Antonoff began working on music for Bleachers in secret while touring in support of Fun.'s Grammy-winning album Some Nights. Drawing upon his love of '80s pop and darker college rock sounds (particularly the soundtracks of classic '80s John Hughes films like The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink), he released the project's debut single, "I Wanna Get Better," in February 2014 on RCA. The song topped Billboard's Alternative Airplay and Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. Arriving that July, Bleachers' first full-length Strange Desire was also a success, reaching number 11 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and number two on the Top Rock Albums chart. Featuring co-production by John Hill and Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure) and appearances by Yoko Ono and Grimes, the album also spawned two more hit singles, "Rollercoaster" and "Like a River Runs." After Strange Desire's release, Antonoff put together a live band and launched a tour that lasted through most of 2015. That September, Bleachers released Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2, which featured versions of all the songs from Strange Desire performed by female artists, including Carly Rae Jepsen, Elle King, Tinashe, and Antonoff's sister Rachel. Also in 2015, Bleachers covered the Beatles' "Dear Prudence" and made a cameo in the film Hello, My Name Is Doris as the band Baby Goya and the Nuclear Winters.

Following Antonoff's work with Taylor Swift on her album Reputation and the Fifty Shades Darker song "I Don't Wanna Live Forever," Bleachers returned in June 2017 with Gone Now. Another collaboration with Clarke, the album also featured Lorde and was inspired by Antonoff's memories of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and his sister's death from cancer when he was 18. Recorded in his home studio and previewed in an art installation that replicated his childhood bedroom, Gone Now peaked at number six on the Billboard Alternative Albums chart and included the singles "I Miss Those Days" and "Don't Take the Money," which was certified gold by the RIAA. While on tour in support of the album, Bleachers performed an MTV Unplugged show at Asbury Park, New Jersey that was released as an album in November 2017. The following March saw the release of the soundtrack to the film Love, Simon, to which Antonoff contributed songs as Bleachers and under his own name. One of Bleachers' songs, "Alfie's Song (Not So Typical Love Song)," reached number 36 on Billboard's Rock & Alternative Airplay chart. In March 2019, Terrible Thrills, Vol. 3, arrived and featured versions of Gone Now's songs as performed by female artists including MUNA, Mitski, and Julien Baker. Along with Antonoff's production work for Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, and the Chicks, Bleachers covered R.E.M.'s "At My Most Beautiful" and collaborated with Carly Rae Jepsen on her May 2020 single "Comeback." That November, they returned with the singles "45" and "Chinatown," a duet with Bruce Springsteen that became a Top 20 hit on Billboard's Adult Top 40 Airplay chart. Both songs were included on July 2021's Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, a more organic take on the Bleachers sound featuring production assists from Patrik Berger and St. Vincent's Annie Clark and vocals from Lana Del Rey. The album also included "Stop Making This Hurt," another charting hit on the Adult Top 40 Airplay chart.

Are Bleachers one person?

Bleachers is an American rock band from New Jersey and the official stage name of songwriter and record producer Jack Antonoff. Antonoff has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won six Grammy Awards, including the 2022 Grammy for Producer of the Year.

Who are the members of the group Bleachers?

Jack AntonoffBleachers / Membersnull

Why are they called Bleachers band?

So why are bleachers called bleachers? It's really pretty simple. Traditionally, bleachers have been the primary affordable seating section, composed of wooden planks that are, here's the kicker, bleached by the scorching sun!

Is Jack Antonoff the only member of Bleachers?

Evan Smith is an original member of the live version of Bleachers and has been working with Jack Antonoff ever since he started Bleachers in 2014. Everyone in Bleachers plays a variety of instruments and the group all trades positions with each other depending on the song.