Primarily inspired by blues-influenced rock music from the 1960’s and 1970’s, RJ Archer & the Painful Memories were formed in July 2019 when Richard Archer (guitar, vocals) received a prize of some studio time in a songwriting competition. Two long-term friends Roger James and Ben Kingsbury agreed to help with the recording session, playing bass and drums respectively. The results were so good that they decided to make the band a permanent thing.
Recording with just a few days of studio time scheduled across the next two years, the band completed a debut album ‘Hot Mess’ in September 2021 to an enthusiastic critical response, with Rock & Roll Circus citing a “"A 60's R&B vibe, fused with a more contemporary feel" and Robs Raw Music hearing "Powerful and tough Blues/Rock and dare I say an infusion of punk"!
With acclaimed live sets at the Cambridge Salty Dog Blues Festival and Six Six Bar under their belts and a growing reputation as a killer live act, their second album ‘Horseplay!’ was released to more acclaim in September 2023 with Music For All proclaiming it as a “practically perfect album” and comparisons being drawn to everyone from MC5 to Grand Funk Railroad to Dr.Feelgood!!
The band have since expanded to a four piece with the addition of Marc Ritchie on drums and Ben moving to second guitar. They are currently working on new songs for a new album expected for release late 2024.
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