Eighties Matchbox B-Line

Representing a new breed of UK guitar bands alongside outfits such as Ikara Colt and British Sea Power, this Brighton, England-based noise rock quintet was formed on the first day of the twenty-first century by Guy McKnight (vocals), Andy Huxley (lead guitar), Marc Norris (guitar), Sym Gharial (bass), and Tom Diamantepoulo (drums).

The quintet’s rudimentary music skills were more than compensated for by their raw energy, and they quickly built up a formidable live reputation, with gigs regularly brought to the edge of violence by the band’s unhinged performance.

Describing their sound as ‘dark psychosis rock’, and earning a string of lazy comparisons in the UK press to the Birthday Party and the Make-Up, the quintet made their recording debut in March 2002 with the single ‘Morning Has Broken’, released on the Virgin Records’ affiliate Radiate Records.