Universal Music Publishing is delighted to welcome Alabama Shakes, with their unique and brilliant take on rock 'n' roll, to the UMPG family.

The band  - Brittany Howard, Zac Cockrell, Steve Johnson and Heath Fogg – formed whilst still in high school, and recorded a handful of initial songs including ‘You Ain't Alone’ and ‘I Found You’ at a studio in Nashville. A gig at a Nashville record store resulted in a blogger featuring the band and kicked off a huge word of mouth buzz.

A glowing review from the New York Times followed, describing the band as "a thunderbolt dressed in bluejeans" with music that's "aching when it’s slow and growling and whooping when it’s fast", whilst MTV named them one of the top bands to look for in 2012.

Alabama Shakes released their debut album ‘Boys & Girls' in April, marking the arrival of a major new force in rock 'n' roll. To the members themselves, though, what's been most exciting has been the reaction they have felt on stage, whether tiny local dates or under the glare of the media. "It seems like everyone can tell how into it we are," says Cockrell, "Every show, people say they can feel how much we love what we're doing."

Watch the video for 'Hold On' below.