The Young Knives
This witty and creative post-punk revivalist trio formed in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England in the mid-'90s, settling on the Young Knives name in 2002 following their relocation to Oxford. Comprised of brothers Henry Dartnall on guitar and Thomas Dartnall (aka House of Lords) on bass, alongside drummer Oliver Askew, the siblings shared vocal duties with Henry usually taking the lead. Produced by Gang of Four's Andy Gill, it was their late-2005 single "The Decision" which started to get the band noticed. 2006 brought three further Gill-produced singles -- each hit the U.K. Top 40 -- as well as the accompanying Mercury-nominated debut album Voices of Animals and Men. 2008's follow-up, Superabundance, fared equally well critically and commercially and 2011's Ornaments from the Silver Arcade retained many of the elements that had made their first two records a success. However, 2013's Sick Octave and 2020's Barbarians, saw them delve deeper into the experimental side of English post-punk.
In their original incarnation as Simple Pastoral Experience, the trio reputedly aped their indie predecessors Ned's Atomic Dustbin. After a two-to-three-year hiatus, the band regrouped as Ponyclub in 1999, and once in Oxford began to embrace more angular sounds. On signing a deal with the city's Shifty Disco, they noticed that another band named Pony Club was emerging from Dublin and quickly renamed themselves the Young Knives after misreading the phrase "young knaves" in a Scottish history book. The mini-album …Are Dead was issued in 2002, eventually bringing them to the attention of London's Transgressive Records, which placed them on the same bill as the Futureheads and Hot Hot Heat ahead of their 2005 limited-edition debut EP for that label. The success that came with 2006's Voices of Animals and Men led to them playing more live dates that year than ever before, and caused their singles to become prevalent across U.K. alternative radio that summer and beyond.
In characteristically self-deprecating fashion, the band chose to put an image of a motorcycle in burnout on the cover of 2008's Superabundance. However, it was an even tighter, sharper effort than their debut and from this point on they dropped the definitive article from their moniker, becoming the sleeker Young Knives. By the time of 2011's Ornaments from the Silver Arcade, they had parted with Transgressive and the album was issued on their own Gadzook label before 2013's self-produced Sick Octave saw them take a darker, more discordant path. The 2015 limited Something Awful EP extended their experimentalist approach before the band entered a four-year hiatus. Their intense 2019 comeback single, "Red Cherries" -- as well as the following year's Public Image Ltd.-influenced "Sheep Tick" -- set out their stall for 2020's Barbarians.
© James Wilkinson /TiVo
Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Voices Of Animals & Men [Special Digital Edition] (Expanded)
Pop - Released by WM UK on 21 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Superabundance
Pop - Released by Transgressive Records on 3 Mar 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
...Are Dead
Alternative & Indie - Released by Shifty Disco on 21 Oct 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Here Comes the Rumour Mill (- 7" # 1)
Pop - Released by Sire - Warner Records on 20 Feb 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
....Are Dead....And Some
Alternative & Indie - Released by Shifty Disco on 30 Jul 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Here Comes the Rumour Mill (- 7" # 2)
Pop - Released by Sire - Warner Records on 20 Feb 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Superabundance (DMD - 7 Digital)
Pop - Released by Transgressive Records on 3 Mar 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Turn Tail
Rock - Released by Transgressive Records on 16 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Here Comes the Rumour Mill (- 2 track CD)
Pop - Released by Sire - Warner Records on 20 Feb 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Terra Firma (1 track DMD)
Pop - Released by Transgressive Records on 23 Jul 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Weekends and Bleak Days [Hot Summer] (- 7" # 2)
Pop - Released by WM UK on 7 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weekends and Bleak Days [Hot Summer] (- 7" # 1)
Pop - Released by WM UK on 7 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Terra Firma (1 track DMD (1 track DMD - iTUNES})
Pop - Released by Transgressive Records on 28 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Up All Night (1 track DMD)
Pop - Released by Transgressive Records on 1 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dyed In The Wool (1 track DMD)
Pop - Released by Transgressive Records on 18 Aug 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weekends and Bleak Days [Hot Summer] [Acoustic Bongo Fury Version] (Acoustic Bongo Fury Version Itunes Exclusive)
Pop - Released by WM UK on 24 Jul 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
She's Attracted To (Radio Edit)
Pop - Released by WM UK on 12 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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