Meet Me In St. Louis were a post-hardcore band from Guildford, Surrey, formed in 2005. They were signed to Function Records & BSM Records in England and Denovali Records in Germany, the band's name originates from the 1944 film of the same name. Their much-hyped first LP Variations on Swing received a nationwide release on 24 September 2007 following the release of two EPs, a split release with fellow labelmates Secondsmile and contributions in several compilations. On October 30, 2007 the band announced through its official website that vocalist Toby Hayes had decided to leave Meet Me In St. Louis but assured that the rest of the band would find a new vocalist and continue going on strong On the 6 February 2008, the band confirmed that they are no more. This comes after claims made by the band at their final show at the Queen Charlotte, Norwich the previous night (4 February 2008) The first ever 'Meet Me In St Louis Day' - an unofficial bank holiday invented by the bands label, Big Scary Monsters Recording Company - took place on Wednesday 24 September 2008, with fans all over the world paying their respects. It is hoped this will become an annual event so that the bands memory may live on and future generations appreciate their musical brilliance. Bassist Lewis Reynolds went on to play in the Kingston "math-pop" band Colour (who played their final show 18 September 2009), whilst Toby Hayes has a solo project called Shoes and Socks Off. In early 2009 Oliver Knowles filled in for Daniel Neal, violinist of Yndi Halda on their American tour and featured on the Secondsmile album Years. It was announced as of 11 September 2009 that Reynolds and Knowles would join Paul Philips of Meet Me in St. Louis to play alongside former Bullet Union singer and guitar player Jodie Cox in their new band Tropics.
