The Thomas Oliver Band, affectionately known by fans as The T.O.B., have taken modern rock by the collar and shaken the soul back into it. The T.O.B. seamlessly fuse genres and bend the rules.
Their debut album, Baby I'll Play, blends grinding blues beats with clean folk melodies, and slips solid rock into big-chorused country / roots ballads.
The strength of this critically acclaimed album scored them the Best New Zealand Blues and Roots album 2011 on iTunes and saw the album debut at #12 on the New Zealand Music Charts.
“When I finally saw the T.O.B. live, I got that feeling that you get when you witness something special. Chops, guts, self-belief and taste, rough and smooth, they've got it all.”
— Peter Urlich
Thomas Oliver and company came together over the course of 2005, through a shared love of Dave Matthews Band and The Roots. Originally a trio, The T.O.B. expanded to a five-piece in 2007 after Thomas met sax player, "Mowgli", at a skatepark. "We are all tight friends who share a passion for good music, skating, surfing, getting drunk and having a good ol' time," says Thomas Oliver, “but all 5 of us are also quite different, which adds to the dynamic when we come together musically."