Does this mean anything to you?:“Post punk/indie/English geek/Rock”

Maybe?
Well, let it mean this to you now: the Young Knives.

Young Knives are an English band stirring up a bit of a buzz these days. With a name erroneously taken from a book and a bassist who goes by The House of Lords, they’re quirky and simultaneously artistic. The members of Young Knives all have a long history of dancing in front of mirrors and competing for the spotlight, but singer Henry Dartnall maintains that they all show off in their own ways.

“Well, I’m the loudest, ‘look at me!’, one…” Henry says, going on to explain that his bassist and brother, Thomas (The House Of Lords guy), can put on a quiet and shy act all while he’s well aware of the fact that all eyes are on him.

They may have just been too busy being showman to notice the phrase “Young KNAVES” in an old Scottish book one day when they were looking to compile a list of new band names. Their old name had already been taken and they all saw “Young Knives” instead of the actual phrase and eventually ended up choosing it to be their permanent band name. But what does a band name really matter anyway when you look at amazing, strangely-named bands like Radiohead? This was the argument Henry made to me and, ultimately, I agree with him. What matters with a band is their sound–not their name.

I asked the talkative singer to tell me more about his own influences. Dodging the topic as most musicians like to do, he explained to me that he is more interested in a band’s courage than their scene, genre, or even their reputation. He makes the very valid point that it’s better to like a band who’s willing to try something new and different and perhaps even risky than a band who just sounds like everything else that’s out and doesn’t brave any musical territory on their own.

And yet again, I agree.

But so many people DO start listening to bands because of their ’scene’ or their ‘buzz’. Take, for example, most UK bands. We all know it…there are flocks of people everywhere who WILL go check out a band simply cause they’re an English Indie Rock band. Henry agreed with me that this happens, but his rebuttal was,

“People are stupid.”

Well, thank god Young Knives aren’t. Not only are they not stupid, but they may be encroaching upon SURREAL with their next video and current live show.

Check them out HERE.