Battle - A Band based in London, UK.
Battle are a London based band who were predominantly active in the first decade of the new millennium. Formed by Jason Bavanandan and Jamie Ellis, they were joined by bassist Tim Scudder and drummer Oliver Evans. They were signed to Warner records under a deal with Transgressive Records.
This is Battle’s new official website
Battle will be playing their first show in nearly 20 years at London’s Water Rats on May 8th 2026. The show marks the start of an exciting year for the return of Battle!
Our First Live Show in 19 years!
Friday 8th May 2026 – Water Rats, London
New Archive Release - Beyond The Vault EP
Newly discovered music & recordings from our archive now available on Vinyl and Streaming (from May 1st)
Over the last year we’ve been sharing items from the Battle archives on social media and have been warmed to discover what the songs have meant to the fans who were there with us the first time around, as well as those who are just discovering us today. The memories and stories we’ve heard gave us the drive to want to play live again and begin work on some possible new material. But more than that, it made us want to release some of the treasures we’ve been finding on dusty old hard drives so they can be enjoyed by those who’ve been engaging with us online.
Beyond The Vault is exactly that.
Track Listing
1. Everywhere (unearthed)
We unearthed a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere in a folder of rehearsal recordings. Truthfully we have no memory of ever playing it, but that was the joy in hearing back something that sounded like Battle, without the knowledge of everything that went into the moment. We had the audio cleaned and remixed and we think it sounds like a fresh take on an already great song that’s crash landing in 2026 all the way from 2005.
2. Isabelle (Live 2006)
This live recording of Isabelle from 2006 was taken from the sound desk at a show we played for Proud Galleries in Camden. It’s pure energy. Battle at its live best. Until last year we hadn’t even heard it back, a lovely time capsule that sat there for us to discover.
3. Feel The Same (Stripped)
Finally we have some live acoustic recordings that were filmed on a Sony Handycam. These were never meant to be available on vinyl or streaming services, luckily the mic on that DV camera captured a lovely wide range of the sound as we played a rare stripped back version of one of our earliest songs “Feel The Same’’ at Pure Groove Records on the Holloway Road. It allowed us to get the audio mixed and presented in all of its glorious rawness.
4. Just Like Heaven (Cemetery)
Likewise, we decided to include the audio from a video of us playing The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” in Abney Park Cemetery after it became an incredibly popular post on our social media accounts. Over 1.5 million views across all the platforms with many requests to have it released… so here it is. We’ll never quite know why the video was so popular; maybe our version (which has since accompanied other posts as a “sound” including christenings and surfing videos) struck a chord, maybe its the song itself, or maybe its the dogs you can still hear running around in the background.
And just to complete the circle, the cover is one of the first photos of us taken as we rehearsed in a disused bank vault in Luton. Who knew twenty-something years later we’d be using it on a release about vaults and archives that have been locked away for many years.
It’s yours to enjoy now. See you at the Water Rats on the 8th May – let us know what you think in person!
Jamie and Jason
Join us at Battle's First Live Show in 19 Years
Friday 8th May 2026 – Water Rats, London
Hello friends, we’re delighted to say we’re returning with our first live show since 2007!
On Friday 8th May 2026 we’ll take to the stage at The Water Rats in Kings Cross, London to play live again for the first time in nearly 20 years.
We’ve loved reminiscing with you over the last few months through our archive. Sharing some of the highlights with you from a world before smart phones and social media has made us realise just how much things have changed since we last performed. So join us as we loudly glance back in preparation to look forward…
Tickets are on sale now, sign up to our newsletter below and we’ll send you the booking link!
Look out for the announcement video on our social media and help us spread the word. Comment, share, like… it all helps, apparently!
And that’s not all. Stay tuned. There’s more to come. We’ve been leaving breadcrumbs everywhere since our first post on social media last April.
It’s the start of a big year of plans for BATTLE and we can’t wait to see you all again! x
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This is Battle
The Past
The band known as Battle began outside a school in South London. Bunking PE to play guitar, Jason Bavanandan and Jamie Ellis were inspired in equal measure by The Beatles, Motown, Britpop and Nirvana. In 2000, the pair left school for Kent University in search of a band. It took time. After myriad line-ups they met Pixies enthusiast Tim Scudder and later, garage-head Oliver Davies.
The band moved to a disused bank vault in Luton to rehearse and changed their name to Battle in an attempt to convey how they fought for their dreams. This ideal of struggle and aspiration pervades much of their work.
Signing to Transgressive Records under a deal with Warner Music, their first single in April 2005 was the double A-Side “Isabelle / Feel The Same”. More singles and an EP followed whilst the band played in support of acts such as Bloc Party, The Rakes, and New Order, as well as their own headline tours. Shortly after the release of their album Break The Banks, they disbanded.
Battle Personnel 2003-07
Jason Bavanandan
Lead vocals, Guitar, Keyboard
Jamie Ellis
Lead Guitar
Oliver Davies
Drums
Tim Scudder
Bass
The Future
20 years after signing their record deal, Battle are looking back at their time together in the era before social media and smartphones. We’ve been posting regular content from our archive on our social accounts throughout 2025.
As for the future, we’re looking in that direction too. Maybe some news is just around the corner… Join the newsletter and find out before anyone else!