Knifeworld (British rock band)
Encyclopedia
Knifeworld is a British-based psychedelic rock
band led by Kavus Torabi
. Originally a Torabi solo project, it became a full band in summer 2009.
Knifeworld has connections with various English musical projects both inside and outside the rock world, sharing members with Cardiacs
, Chrome Hoof
, North Sea Radio Orchestra
and Sidi Bou Said
(as well as featuring London
-based ud player Khyam Allami
as drummer). The band should not be confused with the American art-metal band Knife World.
before a move to England
while still a baby, Torabi had previously played with a succession of bands. Beginning his career in Die Laughing. and Squid Squad in his native Plymouth
, he had moved to London
and come to public attention as one of the two singing guitarists in The Monsoon Bassoon
. Playing what Torabi described as "lysergic
funk" and various reviewers described as psychedelia
and math-rock, The Monsoon Bassoon scored three Singles of the Week in a row in New Musical Express in 1997 and 1998 and released a single album, I Dig Your Voodoo before splitting up in 2001. During this time Torabi had become a well-established member of the group of musicians centred around Cardiacs
, whom he joined as guitarist in 2003, playing with them until the group’s enforced halt in 2008.
Torabi had formulated the ideas for Knifeworld as a solo project at around the time of the breakup of the Monsoon Bassoon, but took eight years to assemble, finalise and record the songs. For the band’s first recordings, he played the bulk of the instruments himself (guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, santoor, melodica, violins and "devices") as well as singing the majority of the lead vocals and writing, producing and arranging all of the material. Former Sidi Bou Said
singer Melanie Woods sang the rest of the lead vocals and also sang backing vocals.
The recording sessions featured further contributions from a broad swathe of musical collaborators drawn from Torabi’s contacts on the London art-rock scene. Drums were played by Khyam Allami
(ex-Ursa and Art of Burning Water). James Larcombe (Stars in Battledress
/North Sea Radio Orchestra
) played piano and Ben Jacobs (aka Max Tundra
) played keyboards and trumpet. Katherine Blake (Mediaeval Baebes) played recorder and Crawford Blair (Geiger Counter/Foe/The Slow Life) contributed some bass guitar parts. Torabi's former Monsoon Bassoon bandmate Sarah Measures contributed saxophone, clarinet and flute, and further vocals were provided by Shona Davidson and former Ring singer Johnny Karma.
The debut Knifeworld album – Buried Alone - Tales of Crushing Defeat - was released on Torabi's own Believer's Roast label (via Genepool distribution) on August 17 2009. It was preceded by the download single 'Pissed Up On Brake Fluid' on July 13 2009.
In summer 2009 Torabi set up a live Knifeworld band, led by himself as singer and guitarist with Woods remaining as second singer and Allami as drummer. Three new members were added: bass guitarist Craig Fortnam
(better known as the leader of North Sea Radio Orchestra
) and two members of the avant-garde rock orchestra Chrome Hoof
(keyboard player Emmett Elvin and bassoonist/saxophonist/backing singer Chloe Herington). The live band made their debut at 93 Feet East, Spitalfields
, London
on 18 August 2009. Soon afterwards, Torabi would formally establish this as the full and formal Knifeworld lineup, transforming it from a solo project to a full band (with Steve Gilchrist
occasionally deputising for Allami when his burgeoning career as an ud player made him unavailable).
In winter 2010, Knifeworld began work on a second album. The first recorded evidence of the full band line-up emerged in December 2010 as a cover version of the Cardiacs
song 'Stench of Honey' appearing on Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1
(a fundraising compilation album to benefit the hospitalised Cardiacs leader Tim Smith).
In July 2011, Knifeworld released the Dear Lord, No Deal EP.
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band led by Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi
Kavus Torabi is a British musician and composer . A multi-instrumentalist, he is known for his work in the avant-garde rock field...
. Originally a Torabi solo project, it became a full band in summer 2009.
Knifeworld has connections with various English musical projects both inside and outside the rock world, sharing members with Cardiacs
Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
, Chrome Hoof
Chrome Hoof
Chrome Hoof are an experimental orchestra based in London, England. The group was formed in 2000 by Cathedral bassist Leo Smee and his brother Milo Smee. Initially performing as a duo, their music was mostly electronic. Since the start, however, the group have continuously recruited new members...
, North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra ....
and Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said (band)
Sidi Bou Said were a London based rock band, who existed during the 1990s. Their music combined an indie rock/folk sound with complex arrangements and literate lyrics. They were often compared to Throwing Muses and the Pixies, with whom they shared a taste for sometimes uncomfortable lyrical themes...
(as well as featuring London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based ud player Khyam Allami
Khyam Allami
Khyam Allami is a British-based musician and musicologist of Iraqi descent. He is best known as a contemporary player of the Arabic oud lute and has also written about and lectured on Arabic music.Allami has studied oud and composition with a...
as drummer). The band should not be confused with the American art-metal band Knife World.
History
Originally born in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
before a move to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
while still a baby, Torabi had previously played with a succession of bands. Beginning his career in Die Laughing. and Squid Squad in his native Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, he had moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and come to public attention as one of the two singing guitarists in The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon
The Monsoon Bassoon were a British independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times...
. Playing what Torabi described as "lysergic
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
funk" and various reviewers described as psychedelia
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
and math-rock, The Monsoon Bassoon scored three Singles of the Week in a row in New Musical Express in 1997 and 1998 and released a single album, I Dig Your Voodoo before splitting up in 2001. During this time Torabi had become a well-established member of the group of musicians centred around Cardiacs
Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
, whom he joined as guitarist in 2003, playing with them until the group’s enforced halt in 2008.
Torabi had formulated the ideas for Knifeworld as a solo project at around the time of the breakup of the Monsoon Bassoon, but took eight years to assemble, finalise and record the songs. For the band’s first recordings, he played the bulk of the instruments himself (guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, santoor, melodica, violins and "devices") as well as singing the majority of the lead vocals and writing, producing and arranging all of the material. Former Sidi Bou Said
Sidi Bou Said (band)
Sidi Bou Said were a London based rock band, who existed during the 1990s. Their music combined an indie rock/folk sound with complex arrangements and literate lyrics. They were often compared to Throwing Muses and the Pixies, with whom they shared a taste for sometimes uncomfortable lyrical themes...
singer Melanie Woods sang the rest of the lead vocals and also sang backing vocals.
The recording sessions featured further contributions from a broad swathe of musical collaborators drawn from Torabi’s contacts on the London art-rock scene. Drums were played by Khyam Allami
Khyam Allami
Khyam Allami is a British-based musician and musicologist of Iraqi descent. He is best known as a contemporary player of the Arabic oud lute and has also written about and lectured on Arabic music.Allami has studied oud and composition with a...
(ex-Ursa and Art of Burning Water). James Larcombe (Stars in Battledress
Stars In Battledress (band)
Stars In Battledress are an English musical duo featuring brothers Richard and James Larcombe. They are notable for their complex but tuneful compositions, their unorthodox fusion of folk music sources and British/American art rock influences, and for their intricate and allusive lyrics.A related...
/North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra ....
) played piano and Ben Jacobs (aka Max Tundra
Max Tundra
Ben Jacobs, more commonly known by the stage name Max Tundra, is an English multi-instrumental musician, singer and music producer. His work is predominantly electronic music but incorporates non-electronic styles and instruments...
) played keyboards and trumpet. Katherine Blake (Mediaeval Baebes) played recorder and Crawford Blair (Geiger Counter/Foe/The Slow Life) contributed some bass guitar parts. Torabi's former Monsoon Bassoon bandmate Sarah Measures contributed saxophone, clarinet and flute, and further vocals were provided by Shona Davidson and former Ring singer Johnny Karma.
The debut Knifeworld album – Buried Alone - Tales of Crushing Defeat - was released on Torabi's own Believer's Roast label (via Genepool distribution) on August 17 2009. It was preceded by the download single 'Pissed Up On Brake Fluid' on July 13 2009.
In summer 2009 Torabi set up a live Knifeworld band, led by himself as singer and guitarist with Woods remaining as second singer and Allami as drummer. Three new members were added: bass guitarist Craig Fortnam
Craig Fortnam
Craig Fortnam is an English composer, conductor and musician. Fortnam is a skilled guitarist and bass guitarist, specialising in nylon-string acoustic guitar and also sings...
(better known as the leader of North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra
North Sea Radio Orchestra is an English contemporary music ensemble and cross-disciplinary chamber orchestra ....
) and two members of the avant-garde rock orchestra Chrome Hoof
Chrome Hoof
Chrome Hoof are an experimental orchestra based in London, England. The group was formed in 2000 by Cathedral bassist Leo Smee and his brother Milo Smee. Initially performing as a duo, their music was mostly electronic. Since the start, however, the group have continuously recruited new members...
(keyboard player Emmett Elvin and bassoonist/saxophonist/backing singer Chloe Herington). The live band made their debut at 93 Feet East, Spitalfields
Spitalfields
Spitalfields is a former parish in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London, near to Liverpool Street station and Brick Lane. The area straddles Commercial Street and is home to many markets, including the historic Old Spitalfields Market, founded in the 17th century, Sunday...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 18 August 2009. Soon afterwards, Torabi would formally establish this as the full and formal Knifeworld lineup, transforming it from a solo project to a full band (with Steve Gilchrist
Steve Gilchrist
Steve Gilchrist is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris....
occasionally deputising for Allami when his burgeoning career as an ud player made him unavailable).
In winter 2010, Knifeworld began work on a second album. The first recorded evidence of the full band line-up emerged in December 2010 as a cover version of the Cardiacs
Cardiacs
Cardiacs are an English alternative rock/psychedelic pop band formed in 1977 and led by Tim Smith. Noted for their complex, varied and intense compositional style and for their eccentric, theatrical stage shows, they have been hailed as an influence by bands as diverse as Blur, Faith No More and...
song 'Stench of Honey' appearing on Leader Of The Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1
Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute to Tim Smith, Songbook 1
Leader of the Starry Skies: A Tribute To Tim Smith, Songbook 1 is a compilation album featuring cover versions of songs by Tim Smith . It was released on CD on December 13, 2010 on the Believers Roast label...
(a fundraising compilation album to benefit the hospitalised Cardiacs leader Tim Smith).
In July 2011, Knifeworld released the Dear Lord, No Deal EP.
Singles/EPs
- 'Pissed Up On Brake Fluid' (Believers Roast, 2009)
- Dear Lord, No Deal (Believers Roast, 2011)