The Young Knives: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• The Rifles
• The Rakes
• The Automatic
• Cold War Kids
• Milburn
• Bloc Party
• Razorlight

• Gang of Four
• Syd Barrett
• Sparks
• XTC
• Pulp
• Ned's Atomic Dustbin
• Wire

Genre:

Rock Music

Decades Active:

2000's

Hailing from Oxford, England, the Young Knives features Henry Dartnall (vocals/guitar)

Oliver Askew (drums), and Thomas Dartnall (bass) aka House of Lords. These snarky post punk revivalists initially started out playing Ned's Atomic Dustbin songs while living in their hometown of AshbydelaZouch, Leicestershire, but a move to Oxford in 2002 gave the Young Knives their big break. An appearance at the Truck Festival led to the band issuing The Young Knives ... Are Dead minialbum for Shifty Disco in 2002. Three years later, the trio were playing shows alongside the Futureheads and Hot Hot Heat while readying their debut EP for Transgressive. The limited edition Junky Music Make My Heart Beat Faster sold out quickly; "The Decision," which was produced by Gang of Four's Andy Gill, followed in December 2005. In the new year, the Young Knives' growing popularity seemed unstoppable. Both "Here Comes the Rumour Mill" and "She's Attracted To" made the U.K. Top 40. Additional shows with the Rakes and Dirty Pretty Things wowed the U.K., and the band's American performance debut at the annual South By Southwest conference in Austin, TX proved successful. The Young Knives' debut album Voices of Animals and Men is slated for August.

- MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide