| The Invisible | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Indie rock, Experimental rock[1] |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Accidental |
| Website | Facebook Page |
| Members | |
| Dave Okumu Tom Herbert Leo Taylor |
|
The Invisible are a British experimental rock band based in London, fronted by the singer and guitarist Dave Okumu, a long-time member of the London jazz scene and tutor at Goldsmiths College[2]. The band formed as Dave Okumu's solo project but quickly developed into a full fledged band with friends Tom Herbert (bass & synthesizer) and Leo Taylor (drums). The Invisible extensively toured London locations before releasing their eponymous album in early 2009. The album and its third single "London Girl" received widespread attention and praise.
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Dave Okumu aka has been a member of the London jazz and fusion scene for many years,[3] working with musicians such as Django Bates and Finn Peters, while also being a member of the London based fusion community F-IRE Collective.
He had previously formed the band Jade Fox alongside bassist Tom Herbert, but felt the urge to produce solo work[4] with Herbert and drummer Leo Taylor. The three friends started working together in late 2006 and quickly developed into a full band. Due to their mutual connections from the fusion scene, the band was quickly picked up by Matthew Herbert's Accidental Records which spawned the production of the band's first official release, the one-track 7 inch vinyl "Constant".
In February 2008 the band's new single "Monster's Waltz" which had been available through their website at MySpace was prominently featured by the influential BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe[5] and gathered further attention for the band which played numerous live acts, supporting bands such as Foals and Hot Chip in the following months, while at the same time working on material for a full album.
The band's eponymous debut album was preceded by the single "London Girl", released in December 2008;[6] their singles have been remixed by a number of acts, mostly fellow artists from the Accidental Records label, such as Matthew Herbert and Micachu, along with Hot Chip and new producer Kwes. The album itself was released on 9 March 2009 and was produced by Matthew Herbert.[7] The album was nominated for the 2009 Mercury Music Prize.[8]
The band's tongue-in-cheek definition of their style of music is Experimental Genre-Spanning Spacepop. They have been compared to bands such as Bloc Party and TV on the Radio,[9] even though Dave Okumu has strongly denied knowledge of the latter of these.[10]
The band received general praise for its first records, receiving 4 out of 5 stars from music magazines Q and Mojo[11] for its first album The Invisible.