In September, 2001 a young band from Los Angeles, USA came together when the teenage daughters of three rock industry types found a shared passion for music and vegetarianism. Childhood friends Elizabeth 'Z' (pronounced 'zee') Berg, Charlotte Froom and Tennessee Thomas had grown up together, their parents moving in the same music industry circles. As such, all the girls had been immersed in rock from a very young age and it wasn't too long before it was discovered by their fathers that 'Z' had been writing songs and was interested in joining a band.

Our dads were at a party and Charlotte's dad was like, 'My daughter's band is looking for a singer-slash-guitarist!' And my dad said, 'My daughter's a singer-slash-guitarist!'
- Z

After a little helping hand from their enthusiastic and music industry savvy parents, the new band soon developed their own unique sound. It would be easy to slot this sound into the 'indie' bracket, but apparently there is much more to the band than that. The girls describe their music as:

An 'early clue' to 'the new direction'. Melodic, hot, precocious, purple, blue and silver, with an undertone of peach and maroon. It looks like periwinkle, it smells like lavender, and it tastes... kind of like blueberry ice cream.

Others have likened The Like to late 1980s/early 1990s 'alternative' rock band The Sundays, and have even referred to their style as 'angry-girl' music. A simpler pigeonhole for The Like would be 'rock', but arguments over their sound aside, they are remarkably talented and energetic musicians - and fun to listen to, dispelling the critics' cries of nepotism and favouritism due to their fathers' backgrounds.

Like, you know?

Naming a band is often a very complex and difficult procedure, taking into consideration many factors such as its 'coolness', originality, marketability, and whether it rolls off the tongue or sticks in the craw. However, with the girls it was simple. Tennessee's mother suggested that they call themselves after the thing that all three of them dropped into their conversations, the habit of saying 'like' all the time. So, you know, the like were like, pretty soon, The Like;

Elizabeth 'Z' Anne Berg

Lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist for the band, Elizabeth (born 28 June, 1986) is the daughter of former Geffen Records producer Tony Berg (with names like Beck and the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to his name). Z's father taught her how to play the guitar, but she is also a very talented songwriter and the envy of her band-mates in that department. Z has been regarded as complex, but has also been known to sit on Charlotte and tickle her while repeating over and over, 'be my friend, be my friend', and recommends not trying to plug mobile phone chargers in while it's dark:

When I was about to go to bed I turned off all the lights and was plugging in my phone. I leaned down and I banged my forehead and nose so hard against the wall I was convinced I'd broken my nose. So don't try and plug your phone in the dark 'cos you'll die.

Charlotte Froom

Bass player and background vocalist Charlotte (born 17 July, 1986) is the daughter of record producer Mitchell Froom (collaborating on albums with Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, the Corrs and Paul McCartney to name but a few). She taught herself the bass guitar only two weeks before the band got together by playing along to Strokes records. She is also a self-confessed 'wimp', never wears fur (being an avid supporter of PETA) and has never missed an episode of the TV series The OC. She also loves the same things as her band-mates:

We like hanging out. We like sleeping. We like shopping.

Tennessee Jane Bunny Thomas

The eldest of the three, drummer Tennessee (born 17 December, 1984) is the daughter of Judy and Pete Thomas (long-time drummer for Elvis Costello). Originally from England, she moved to the US when she was younger and tried out a variety of musical instruments before settling on the drums. She played the piano and the guitar and was even a member of her school choir, but found the guitar 'too hard' and the teachers 'not very nice', so began drumming with her high school band. She took to it like a natural, as her father had before her. Tennessee isn't too fond of television, but loves movies, especially the soundtracks. She is also amazed by synchronised swimmers, and after filming a video for one of their songs later said:

If young girls see the video they might say 'Yeah, it's alright to be in a band, but I'd also like to take up synchronised swimming! Looks like fun!'

The First Gig

New Year's Eve, 2001 just happened to be a friend's birthday party. It also just so happened that this friend's cousin was a member of the band Phantom Planet, who were interested in hearing what the girls could do. The Like were pushed into rehearsing a song for the party and the girls practised the entire day beforehand. At a soundcheck when everyone heard them and loved the music, they were asked to play another song. As Tennessee recalls:

We played one song really well and one song totally sucked.

However, it did nothing to discourage the band. They practised and practised and over a period of three years independently released three EPs (I Like The Like, ...and The Like, and Like It or Not), which they sold at shows and on their refreshingly artistic website (the artist being Z's sister Alex). Their song '(So I'll Sit Here) Waiting'¹ was selected for the soundtrack of the film Thirteen, and it wasn't long until they were featured in Rolling Stone magazine.

Being Popular

Following the girls' high school graduations in 2004, The Like signed to Geffen Records and toured with bands Phantom Planet and Maroon 5 in Los Angeles and throughout southern California. They then became support act to Tori Amos and accompanied her on her 'Summer of Sin' tour, and also performed with the Kings of Leon. They later headlined at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, and then broke into the UK market by playing at the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London.

The band released their first album, Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?, through Geffen on 13 September, 2005. The album consisted of a combination of reworked songs previously released on their independent EPs as well as new material, the single 'June Gloom' from the album reached number 75 in the UK Charts and the UK special edition of the album features a very nice rendition of Neil Finn's 'One Step Ahead'. The album track list is as follows:

• 'June Gloom'
• 'What I Say and What I Mean'
• 'You Bring Me Down'
• '(So I'll Sit Here) Waiting'
• 'Bridge To Nowhere'
• 'Once Things Look Up'
• 'Under The Paving Stones'
• 'Too Late'
• 'We Are Lost'
• 'The One'
• 'Mrs Actually'
• 'Falling Away'
• 'Waves That Never Break'

In September, 2006, The Like supported Muse on a short string of tour dates in the US, and into 2007 they played gigs in California and worked on a new album.