S.C.U.M are a South East London based post-punk/art rock group. Its members are Thomas Cohen (vocals), Bradley Baker (machines, press), Samuel Kilcoyne (keyboards), Huw Webb (bass) and Melissa Rigby (drums). The band previously included Ruaridh Connellan (drums) and Joseph Williams (bass, media). S.C.U.M take their name from Valerie Solanas' misandrous screed, SCUM Manifesto, an ironic reference to the all-male nature of the band prior to Connellan's dismissal.[1]
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S.C.U.M formed in early 2008, its initial line-up consisting of Thomas Cohen, Bradley Baker, Samuel Kilcoyne (founder of the Underage club nights and the festival spin off as well as the son of Add N to X's Barry 7),[1] drummer Ruaridh Connellan and bassist Joseph Williams who left early on in the band's career due to his priorities, which lay in his desire to become a Barrister.
S.C.U.M's debut single "Visions Arise" was released on Loog Records on 15th September 2008.[2] Since then the band have toured extensively across the UK and Europe to a growing fan base and released three exclusive digital download tracks called SIGNALS. While S.C.U.M were travelling across Europe performing shows theywere taking studio time in each city they visited to record new works specific to each location. The music documented their sonic journey and acted as an audio visual scrapbook of the bands travels and musical progression. S.C.U.M have recorded a series of "SIGNALS" in Warsaw, Berlin, Paris and recently in Athens. S.C.U.M "SIGNAL (4) ATHENS" will be released later this year. Paris was the most extreme of these; the band describing it as a painting of their minds at the time. Cohen later said "Paris was the one that started it, i just remember taking to bed one night after contemplating the early Dada artists and the lyrics came to me in a screen of emotion signals". They were featured and interviewed in the April 2010 edition of Mojo. [3]
S.C.U.M. had been chosen by Portishead to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festival that they curated in July 2011 at London's Alexandra Palace.[4] On July 18, 2011, "Amber Hands" was released by Mute Records,[5] described by Pitchfork as "the mammoth first single from the London shoegazers" .[6]
By this time the band have finished recording the debut album with producers Ken and Jolyon Thomas whose production credits (individually and together) include David Bowie, Public Image Ltd, Sigur Ros and Psychic TV among others. The album, Again Into Eyes, was released on September 12, 2011, via Mute[7] and received generally positive reviews, with a 7.3 rating from agregating website AnyDecentMusic? (based on 9 professional reviews).[8]
S.C.U.M have claimed that they are not influenced by anyone musically. Though they have spoken of a love for Throbbing Gristle, Ghost and Liars. Commenting on some British tabloids' calling him "a pretentious rocker", Cohen said: "It's because we don't make music about social issues so it comes across as unsocial and therefore pretentious. Which is rubbish."[1] The band have also stated in past interviews that some of their songs deal with emotional fluctuations caused by visual manifestations of coloured shapes representing repressed lust. Their performances and Cohen's innovative hand movement have been praised by both the fans and the critics. Many pundits have heaped praise on the group for refusing to give in, despite their extreme and often disturbing mental disabilities.
| Name | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| "Visions Arise" | September 15th, 2008 | Loog/Polydor |
| "Amber Hands" | July 18th, 2011 | Mute |
| "Whitechapel" | September 26th, 2011 | |
| "Faith Unfolds" | January 2nd, 2012 |
| Name | Release date | Label | UK Chart Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Again into Eyes | September 12th, 2011 | Mute | #192[9] |