Tim Rice-Oxley (composer, bassist, pianist, backup vocals)
Born on June 2, 1976 to Margaret and Charles Patrick Rice-Oxley, Rice-Oxley had piano lessons as a teenager, though he admits to never practicing because he disliked playing classical music. After his parents discontinued his lessons, he taught himself, concentrating on songs by The Beatles. In 1994, he began to study Classics at University College London, where he started a rock band with Dominic Scott and Richard Hughes. Rice-Oxley was offered a position in the band Coldplay by lead singer Chris Martin but refused. In 2004, he received and Ivor Novello Award for Best Composer of the year.
Born on March 8, 1979, he shares a birthday with Rice Oxley’s younger brother. His family owned and he attended the Vinehall School in Robertshire and later the Tonbridge School, where he acted in several plays and was in the choral program. In July of 1997, he spent a year in South Africa as a volunteer; this had a significant impact on the band’s involvement with the Make Poverty History campaign. On August 22, 2006, Chaplin revealed that he was seeking treatment for alcohol and cocaine abuse. He left the Priory Clinic in October but is still receiving treatment.
Born on September 8, 1975 in Gravesend, Kent, Hughes attended the Tonbridge School with Rice-Oxley, Chaplin, and former member Dominic Scott. He received a degree in Geography at University College London. He took a job as a secretary at the BBC in order to support himself and the band and also worked as a substitute teacher. After touring with U2, he changed his style of drumming because Larry Mullen Jr., the drummer of U2, told him that he would hurt his back if he continued to play like he did. Hughes is partially colorblind and is a vegetarian.