Striving to make an impact on the Manchester club scene under the name Action Malanky, school friends Adio Marchant, James Mayer and Simeon McLean's mix of grime swagger and brash garage beats started to take off when they met producer Sean Mbaya aka "Kid British" in 2007. Uniting forces under Mbaya's moniker, the band's early singles bounced with uptempo tales of rough and ready, working class life drawing upon artists like The Streets, Ian Dury and Dizzee Rascal in a celebratory collision of styles. Promoting limited edition EP Leave London in 2009 with ten guerrilla gigs around the capital's tube stations, the lads hit the headlines when they played for a bemused looking major Boris Johnson who happened to be passing. Their single Our House Is Dadless (2009) samples the Madness hit Our House and was given regular airplay on Radio 1 by breakfast DJ Chris Moyles, leading to support slots with The Enemy and The Specials.