Formed in London in 2001, The Boxer Rebellion are an indie rock band with a different sound from most as Nathan Nicholson's soaring vocals glide over a big and glacial rock base provided by Andrew Smith on guitar, Adam Harrison on bass and Piers Hewitt on drums. Their longevity is the result of steady touring and the popularity of their albums and singles on digital platforms. Born in Tennessee, Nathan Nicholson journeyed to England where he met Australian guitarist Todd Howe (later to be succeeded by Andrew Smith) and Piers Hewitt and Adam Harrison, both from England. They formed a band and played as many gigs as they could, with early gigs, including one in the Glastonbury New Bands tent, attracting the attention of Poptones record label owner Alan McGee. With Poptones' backing, they released their first single "Watermelon" in 2003. A self-titled EP came out the same year and The Boxer Rebellion were due to tour with The Killers until Nicholson suffered a burst appendix and they had to cancel. Their first studio album, Exits, was released in 2005 but soon afterwards the Poptones label went out of business. Since then, they have put out their albums digitally. Albums titled Union (2009), The Cold Still (2011), Promises (2013), Ocean By Ocean (2016) and Ghost Alive (2018) have fared well online and they have also released concert albums Live in Tennessee (2011) and Live at the Forum (2014). The band have had success in placing songs on television soundtracks including NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, Nikita, The Vampire Diaries, Being Human and Shameless as well as movie soundtracks such as Going the Distance, The Art of Getting By and Flying Lessons. Tracks also have been heard on the video games Batman: Arkham City, Going the Distance and Long Way Down. They continued to perform in the 2020s and recorded a seventh studio album, The Second I’m Asleep, released in March 2026.