This is an archive of the band profile for Oliver Pinder.

Oliver Pinder is a teen singer-songwriter whose music has been described by BBC Introducing as "upbeat, foot-tapping goodness". Bringing together elements of the indie/pop style of Ben Howard and Ed Sheeran with the narrative folk/indie traditions of Joni Mitchell and Florence Welch and the acoustic and electric guitar playing of Albert Hammond and Johnny Marr, Oliver creates a unique performance style and lyrics that combine angst and joy to engage audiences. Born in the village of Queensbury in West Yorkshire and raised by music-loving parents, Oliver first played acoustic guitar in autumn 2011. Watching a music video by Irish singer-songwriter Orla Gartland a few months later inspired him to start writing his own material. Later in 2012 he started gigging in local pubs and clubs, playing covers of Florence and the Machine and Don McLean, along with songs that he had penned about his own childhood experiences of school bullying, unrequited love and the premature death of his father. With a view to performing further afield, Oliver recorded demo tracks at Factory Street Studios in Bradford, established an online presence through a website and social media, spent time on a busking tour across West Yorkshire and entered several music competitions. Breakthrough for Oliver came early in 2014 when he was selected as a winning finalist of Bradford's Gig Academy project, organised by The Musicians' Centre, Factory Street Studios and Jam on Top community radio. Soon afterwards he reached the finals of Centre Stage and performed at the O2 Academy in Leeds in front of a near-capacity audience of 2,000. This exposure led to gig appearances across the region - at Bradford Bulls Arena, Belgrave Music Hall, LS6 Café and Brudenell Social Club in Leeds; Cobbles and Clay, The Fleece and Parkside Social Club in Haworth; Fibbers and The Duchess in York; The Grove in Ilkley and Warehouse 23 in Wakefield. Summer 2014 saw Oliver on stage at Routes Festival in Halifax, Aire Do Festival in Keighley and Trinity Festival in Hull. He supported Leeds rock band King No-One, Reading-based UK chart-toppers The Hoosiers and London singer-songwriter Jake Isaac and will shortly be supporting Leicester-born singer-songwriter Charlotte Carpenter in Leeds and Northampton's Billy Lockett in Hebden Bridge stage. This autumn saw Oliver join The Dunwells on UK tour with support slots in Newcastle, Leeds and Halifax and headlining for the first time in Manchester. Oliver has recently added electric guitar to the acoustic guitars in alternative tunings that accompany his vocals. Keen to promote gigs for himself and for musicians he admires, Oliver has recently established The Coffee House Club based in Leeds and has hired Glastonbury regular Pip Mountjoy from York and more. Top priority for Oliver now is his début EP - produced by Mike Heaton of chart-topping band Embrace and Ed Heaton, a freelance music producer - scheduled for release in March 2015. Confident as ever, Oliver has already planned the launch party and booked a UK tour for late 2015..