S.C.U.M - Sampler (album stream)

S.C.U.M are a South East London based post-punk/art rock group. Its members are Thomas Cohen (vocals), Bradley Baker (machines), Samuel Kilcoyne (keyboards), Huw Webb (bass) and Melissa Rigby (drums). The band previously included Ruaridh Connellan (drums) and Joseph Williams (bass). 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.



History
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), drummer Ruaridh Connellan and bassist Joseph Williams who left early on in the band's career due to his priorities, which lay in his education.

S.C.U.M's debut single "Visions Arise" was released on Loog Records on 15th September 2008. 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. As S.C.U.M travel across Europe performing shows they take studio time in each city they visit and record new works specific to each location. The music documents their sonic journey and acts as an audio visual scrapbook of the bands travels and musical progression. To date 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. They were featured and interviewed in the April 2010 edition of Mojo.

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. 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, is expected on September 12, 2011, via Mute. On July 18, 2011, "Amber Hands" was released by Mute Records, described by Pitchfork as "the mammoth first single from the London shoegazers" .

Musical Style and Influences
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."

Links
http://www.facebook.com/SCUM1968SCUM
http://twitter.com/#!/scum1968
http://www.youtube.com/user/SCUMsignals
http://www.youtube.com/user/SCUMChannel
http://www.myspace.com/scum1968