The Pineapple Thief
Encyclopedia
The Pineapple Thief is a progressive
/indie rock
band
, started by Bruce Soord in 1999 in Somerset
, England.
During this time, several major labels started to take an interest, causing a delay in the release which arrived over two years after the debut. However it was probably the third album, Variations on a Dream
that gave TPT the boost they needed, reaching out to yet more people all over the world, by which point TPT were consistently the top sellers on their label, Cyclops.
After this release in the spring of 2002 Bruce decided to form a band to take his music to the fans. The band consisted of his close musical friends - former university band mate Jon Sykes on bass, Wayne Higgins on guitars, Matt O'Leary on keyboards and Keith Harrison on drums. As a full band, they released 12 Stories Down
in 2004, but Bruce Soord was unhappy with the final sound and re-recorded, remixed and changed some of the tracks before the release of 10 Stories Down in 2005. Matt O'Leary subsequently left the band, but Steve Kitch (who co-produced and mixed 10 Stories Down
) joined to play keyboards.
Following the release of Little Man
in 2006, the band released What We Have Sown
in late 2007 as a final Cyclops release before being signed to Kscope
, a division of Snapper Music
.
Wayne Higgins left the band in March 2008, but the group continued as a four piece live act, playing gigs across Europe, Canada and the USA throughout much of the following years.
, which was marked by launch shows at Witchwood in Manchester on 17 May 2008 and at the Water Rats Theatre in London on 22 May 2008. The same day as the album's release, a mini-documentary filmed at The Half Moon, London, was released through the band's website, featuring interviews and two exclusive live tracks.
This was followed in 2009 by The Dawn Raids EPs and 3000 Days, a 2CD re-mixed and re-mastered collection of songs from their ten year history to date. In January 2010, their 2006 album, Little Man was also fully remixed by Bruce Soord and Steve Kitch and released through Kscope with new artwork. There are plans to gradually give all of their back catalogue the same treatment as the Cyclops albums are no longer available and sell for large sums in the second hand market. 2009 also saw them supporting Riverside
on the UK leg of their European tour.
Their latest album Someone Here Is Missing
was launched at a show at Bush Hall, London on 19 May 2010, whose attendees included Kscope lablemates Steven Wilson
of Porcupine Tree
and Daniel Cavanagh
of Anathema
. The album also features artwork by the legendary designer Storm Thorgerson
, who is famous for creating some of the most recognisable artwork of the last 30 years including albums by Pink Floyd
(Dark Side Of The Moon , The Division Bell
, Pulse
), Muse
, Led Zeppelin
, Biffy Clyro
and legendary progressive band Dream Theater
. The album continues to nurture the band's trademark ‘bittersweet’ progressive sound.
2010 has seen a number of European festival appearances and a full 2 week tour of mainland Europe.
The band are set to enter the studio in January 2012 to record their next album, due to be released later that year.
Additional releases
Videos
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
/indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, started by Bruce Soord in 1999 in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England.
Early years
Founder Bruce Soord started "The Pineapple Thief" as an outlet for his music back in 1999. Bruce released the debut Abducting the Unicorn on Cyclops records, which created enough to establish a small but loyal fan base. Soord returned to the Dining Room studios to work on the second album 137.During this time, several major labels started to take an interest, causing a delay in the release which arrived over two years after the debut. However it was probably the third album, Variations on a Dream
Variations on a Dream
Variations on a Dream is the third album by The Pineapple Thief, released in 2003.-Track listing:# "We Subside" # "This Will Remain Unspoken" # "Vapour Trails" # "Run Me Through" # "The Bitter Pill"...
that gave TPT the boost they needed, reaching out to yet more people all over the world, by which point TPT were consistently the top sellers on their label, Cyclops.
After this release in the spring of 2002 Bruce decided to form a band to take his music to the fans. The band consisted of his close musical friends - former university band mate Jon Sykes on bass, Wayne Higgins on guitars, Matt O'Leary on keyboards and Keith Harrison on drums. As a full band, they released 12 Stories Down
10 Stories Down
10 Stories Down is the fourth album by The Pineapple Thief, released in June 2005.-Track listing:# "Prey for Me"# "Clapham"# "Wretched Soul"# "The World I Always Dreamed Of"# "Start Your Descent"# "My Own Oblivion"# "It's Just You and Me"...
in 2004, but Bruce Soord was unhappy with the final sound and re-recorded, remixed and changed some of the tracks before the release of 10 Stories Down in 2005. Matt O'Leary subsequently left the band, but Steve Kitch (who co-produced and mixed 10 Stories Down
10 Stories Down
10 Stories Down is the fourth album by The Pineapple Thief, released in June 2005.-Track listing:# "Prey for Me"# "Clapham"# "Wretched Soul"# "The World I Always Dreamed Of"# "Start Your Descent"# "My Own Oblivion"# "It's Just You and Me"...
) joined to play keyboards.
Following the release of Little Man
Little Man (album)
Little Man is the fifth album by The Pineapple Thief.The album was remixed and re-mastered by Bruce Soord in 2009, as the first in a series of re-mastered reissues from the band’s back catalogue under the Kscope label...
in 2006, the band released What We Have Sown
What We Have Sown
What We Have Sown is the sixth album by The Pineapple Thief, recorded over the span of eight weeks during the development of Tightly Unwound...
in late 2007 as a final Cyclops release before being signed to Kscope
Kscope
Kscope is a division or sub-label of independent record label Snapper Music dedicated to artists in the Post-Progressive genre.Artists that the label has issued albums for to date include Anathema, Anekdoten, Engineers, Lunatic Soul, No-Man, North Atlantic Oscillation, Nosound, Porcupine Tree,...
, a division of Snapper Music
Snapper Music
Snapper Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by former head of Castle Communications Jon Beecher, Dougie Dudgeon and funded by the late Mark Levinson from Palan Music Publishing. In 1999 Snapper broke away from its parent company in an MBO in association with ACT and CAI venture...
.
Wayne Higgins left the band in March 2008, but the group continued as a four piece live act, playing gigs across Europe, Canada and the USA throughout much of the following years.
The Kscope years
In May 2008, The Pineapple Thief launched the Kscope label with the critically acclaimed album, Tightly UnwoundTightly Unwound
Tightly Unwound is the seventh studio album by The Pineapple Thief, and their first album released by Kscope, since all previous Pineapple Thief releases were published by Cyclops Records...
, which was marked by launch shows at Witchwood in Manchester on 17 May 2008 and at the Water Rats Theatre in London on 22 May 2008. The same day as the album's release, a mini-documentary filmed at The Half Moon, London, was released through the band's website, featuring interviews and two exclusive live tracks.
This was followed in 2009 by The Dawn Raids EPs and 3000 Days, a 2CD re-mixed and re-mastered collection of songs from their ten year history to date. In January 2010, their 2006 album, Little Man was also fully remixed by Bruce Soord and Steve Kitch and released through Kscope with new artwork. There are plans to gradually give all of their back catalogue the same treatment as the Cyclops albums are no longer available and sell for large sums in the second hand market. 2009 also saw them supporting Riverside
Riverside (band)
Riverside is a progressive rock band from Warsaw, Poland. It was founded in 2001 by friends Mariusz Duda, Piotr Grudziński, Piotr Kozieradzki and Jacek Melnicki, who shared a love for progressive rock and heavy metal...
on the UK leg of their European tour.
Their latest album Someone Here Is Missing
Someone Here Is Missing
Someone Here Is Missing is the eighth studio album by The Pineapple Thief, featuring cover art by Storm Thorgerson.-Track listing:*All songs written by Bruce Soord.# "Nothing at Best" 4:08# "Wake Up the Dead" 4:23# "The State We’re In" 3:18...
was launched at a show at Bush Hall, London on 19 May 2010, whose attendees included Kscope lablemates Steven Wilson
Steven Wilson
Steven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
of Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
and Daniel Cavanagh
Daniel Cavanagh
Daniel Cavanagh is an English guitarist and singer who formed the British band Anathema in 1990 with his brother Vincent Cavanagh...
of Anathema
Anathema (band)
Anathema are an English band from Liverpool primarily known for their ever evolving sound. Beginning as pioneers of the death/doom metal sub-genre, their later albums have been associated with genres such as alternative rock, progressive rock, art rock, new prog, and post-rock.-History:Anathema...
. The album also features artwork by the legendary designer Storm Thorgerson
Storm Thorgerson
Storm Thorgerson is an English graphic designer, known for his work for rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, 10cc, Dream Theater, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Cranberries, and Biffy Clyro.-Biography:...
, who is famous for creating some of the most recognisable artwork of the last 30 years including albums by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
(Dark Side Of The Moon , The Division Bell
The Division Bell
The Division Bell is the fourteenth and last studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. It was released in the United Kingdom by EMI Records on 28 March 1994, and in the United States by Columbia Records on 4 April....
, Pulse
Pulse
In medicine, one's pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the...
), Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
and legendary progressive band Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
. The album continues to nurture the band's trademark ‘bittersweet’ progressive sound.
2010 has seen a number of European festival appearances and a full 2 week tour of mainland Europe.
The band are set to enter the studio in January 2012 to record their next album, due to be released later that year.
Discography
Studio albums- Abducting the UnicornAbducting the UnicornAbducting the Unicorn is the debut album by the band The Pineapple Thief, released in 1999. Originally titled "Abducted at Birth", it was later renamed due to the label requesting the title to suggest a connection to Soord's previous band, Vulgar Unicorn....
(1999) - 137137 (album)137 is the second album by The Pineapple Thief, recorded and released in 2001.-Track listing:...
(2001) - Variations on a DreamVariations on a DreamVariations on a Dream is the third album by The Pineapple Thief, released in 2003.-Track listing:# "We Subside" # "This Will Remain Unspoken" # "Vapour Trails" # "Run Me Through" # "The Bitter Pill"...
(2003) - 10 Stories Down10 Stories Down10 Stories Down is the fourth album by The Pineapple Thief, released in June 2005.-Track listing:# "Prey for Me"# "Clapham"# "Wretched Soul"# "The World I Always Dreamed Of"# "Start Your Descent"# "My Own Oblivion"# "It's Just You and Me"...
(2005) - Little ManLittle Man (album)Little Man is the fifth album by The Pineapple Thief.The album was remixed and re-mastered by Bruce Soord in 2009, as the first in a series of re-mastered reissues from the band’s back catalogue under the Kscope label...
(2006) - What We Have SownWhat We Have SownWhat We Have Sown is the sixth album by The Pineapple Thief, recorded over the span of eight weeks during the development of Tightly Unwound...
(2007) - Tightly UnwoundTightly UnwoundTightly Unwound is the seventh studio album by The Pineapple Thief, and their first album released by Kscope, since all previous Pineapple Thief releases were published by Cyclops Records...
(2008) - Someone Here Is MissingSomeone Here Is MissingSomeone Here Is Missing is the eighth studio album by The Pineapple Thief, featuring cover art by Storm Thorgerson.-Track listing:*All songs written by Bruce Soord.# "Nothing at Best" 4:08# "Wake Up the Dead" 4:23# "The State We’re In" 3:18...
(2010)
Additional releases
- 2001 - "Sherbert Gods" (7" single)
- 2003 - Live (DVD featuring 10 live tracks and 4 new studio recordings)
- 2004 - 12 Stories Down (preview edition of 10 Stories Down)
- 2005 - 4 Stories Down (10 Stories Down sampler/EP)
- 2008 - "Shoot First'"(maxi-single)
- 2009 - The Dawn Raids Volume 1 (4 Track EP)
- 2009 - The Dawn Raids Volume 2 (4 Track EP)
- 2009 - 3000 Days (Remastered compilation album)
- 2010 - Nothing At Best (download only single)
- 2010 - Show A Little Love (33 minute EP)
- 2010 - Someone Here Is Live (download only live album from the October 2010 Europe tour)
Videos
- 2008 - Live at the Half Moon, Putney
- 2008 - Shoot First music video
- 2010 - Nothing at Best music video
- 2010 - Show A Little Love music video