Inspired by the violence and mayhem of the past, The Payroll Union write and perform forgotten stories of history. Recent project, Paris of America, saw them explore the riot epidemic that gripped the streets of Philadelphia in the 1840s. Inhabiting the stories of radical writers, anti-Catholic brawlers, firebrand preachers, and violent ward bosses, the album imagines a city in great tumult, tearing itself apart. Avoiding hackneyed evocations of the past, the band's music, and live show, is brutal and devastating. The terror of the stories is matched by the dark, brooding menace of their sound.

The record is a result of a collaborative project with Arts Enterprise at the University of Sheffield. Songwriter, Pete David, worked with historian, Dr. Andrew Heath, to look at how how stories of the past can be told in different ways. Along the way, they worked with a film-maker to chart the process of their work together, Sheffield illustrators and artists, and a number of other musicians, to bring to life these complex, interweaving narratives of a 19th Century American city.

Formed in 2009 in Sheffield, The Payroll Union have shared stages with Johnny Dowd, John Smith and Bellowhead. They have played Galtres, Off The Tracks, Music In The Gardens, Tramlines, Magpie's Nest, Kendal Calling, Dragonfly and headline slots at both Sensoria 2012 and 2013. After releasing two EPs - Underfed & Underpaid and Your Obedient Servant - they toured the UK with their debut album, The Mule & The Elephant, in February 2013.

Praise for Paris of America

“This album already sounds like a future classic of the Americana genre… Songs such as The Winter of ’41 and The Mission Field burn with a rabid intensity that is no less mesmerising even after you have played the album to death, and you will, believe me.” Dancing About Architecture

“…the album is so solid in its composition there simply isn’t a weak link… The record is The Payroll Union putting themselves forward as Sheffield’s finest talent. It’s a huge accomplishment and an undiluted pleasure to listen to, again and again.” Toast Magazine

“The Payroll Union have with this album proved a remarkably high level of dedication to both the intellectual and emotional aspects of their craft with character portrayals that are both historically accurate and, at the heart of it all, profoundly human.” There Goes The Fear

“The band are musically excellent and the vocals that tell the stories from Pete are akin to a Dan Michaelson, Slow Show or Nick Cave style.. The effect is mesmeric.” The Rock Club

“A noirish nightmare of anti-folk meets post-rock.” Americana UK