The Lights on the Highway story began in August 2003 when vocalist Kristófer and singer-songwriter Agnar, who had known each other for quite some time, decided to record a few songs together. They recorded four tracks in three sessions. Shortly after, bass player Karl joined in and the trio decided to start a new band with the project name Lights on the Highway.
After rehearsing and writing more songs as an acoustic trio, they started playing in small bars around Reykjavík. Following an intense search for a drummer, Þórhallur was recruited in late July 2004. So, the four-piece band hooked up their amps and started to develop a new sound.
As the band and sound grew, so did the audience and shows. Only 3 months into this new phase Lights on the Highway were voted the Best Emerging Band in Iceland. They had also been invited to play at the Iceland Airwaves Festival, and by the end of November 2004 they had performed at their first international show at the London Astoria.
In January 2005 they started recording their debut album and gained a new member in the process, electric guitarist Gunnlaugur, who had been a close friend of the band for some time. This completed the band’s formation and marked an entry into a new phase.
Their self-titled full-length debut was released July 18, 2005 by Dennis Records and included three radio singles that did well on the Icelandic charts.
After touring around Iceland for a few months, LOTH did a two week tour in and around London which included a gig at the famous Marquee.
Gunnlaugur left the band shortly after the tour to join his former band, Brain Police. The band hired another guitaris, Konráð Bartch, a former member of the indie-group ,Tenderfoot. But then decided to take a break for a while.
In the summer of 2007, after laying low for almost a year, Lights on the Highway (Kristofer, Agnar, Karl and Þórhallur), started writing new material. Their first single, “Paperboat”, was released late 2007 and marked a new chapter for the band.
It took nearly a year to finish enough material for the album. and the second single, “Silver Lining”, was released in the summer of 2008. They finally finished recording the album in December 2008.
Early 2009, LOTH released their third single, “A Little Bit of Everything”. Their newest single “Katrina”, a parody of the effects and consequences of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, was released alongside a release date for the album in the beginning of August 2009.
Once again the band has added a new member to it’s ranks, Stefán Örn, a keyboard player and vocalist. So the band is a five piece band again and currently on tour, following the release of their second album.
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