The Young Knives have gone through a few band names since forming in the late '90s. Past titles include Simple Pastoral Existence and Pony Club. We're glad they changed it, too. Could the renaming have had anything to do with the success they've tasted in recent years? Let's take a trip back in time.
Brothers Henry (vocals and guitar) and Thomas "House of Lords" (bass and vocals) started jamming in Oliver's (drums and vocals) attic, which led to a few local gigs and a battle of the bands competition, but not much else. (This was the Simple Pastoral Existence phase.) They reformed in 1999 as Pony Club, and not a whole lot changed except their name. But in 2001, they were approached by a small record label called Shifty Disco that offered them recording time. At this point, the band was forced to change their name because there was already someone out there using Pony Club. Sad, but true.
From there, the band became a machine. They recorded a mini-album called The Young Knives... Are Dead and played every gig they could get. In 2004, they released Nolens Volens and were finally signed to Transgressive Records in 2005.
OK, maybe it wasn't so much the name as it was the hard work. You've probably already heard bits of their latest effort Superabundance during the rare occasions that MTV decides to play music. The new album is a fun, fast and up-tempo blend of indie rock, simple guitars and smart lyrics. They'll be playing a few shows on the East Coast this June, but after that they're off to work the festival circuit on the other side of pond, so catch them while you can.
In the meantime, check out our interview with Henry. We asked him all about his own favorite bands, the differences between American and British fans and a peculiar sport the band created calling chair curling.
Go on to Page 2 to check out our exclusive interview with Young Knives.
Brothers Henry (vocals and guitar) and Thomas "House of Lords" (bass and vocals) started jamming in Oliver's (drums and vocals) attic, which led to a few local gigs and a battle of the bands competition, but not much else. (This was the Simple Pastoral Existence phase.) They reformed in 1999 as Pony Club, and not a whole lot changed except their name. But in 2001, they were approached by a small record label called Shifty Disco that offered them recording time. At this point, the band was forced to change their name because there was already someone out there using Pony Club. Sad, but true.From there, the band became a machine. They recorded a mini-album called The Young Knives... Are Dead and played every gig they could get. In 2004, they released Nolens Volens and were finally signed to Transgressive Records in 2005.
OK, maybe it wasn't so much the name as it was the hard work. You've probably already heard bits of their latest effort Superabundance during the rare occasions that MTV decides to play music. The new album is a fun, fast and up-tempo blend of indie rock, simple guitars and smart lyrics. They'll be playing a few shows on the East Coast this June, but after that they're off to work the festival circuit on the other side of pond, so catch them while you can.In the meantime, check out our interview with Henry. We asked him all about his own favorite bands, the differences between American and British fans and a peculiar sport the band created calling chair curling.
Go on to Page 2 to check out our exclusive interview with Young Knives.
