S.C.U.M.

Named after radical feminist Valerie Solanas’ Society for Cutting Up Men Manifesto, London’s S.C.U.M. evolved from gothy noise-punk into something more atmospheric and evocative. The band formed in 2008, emerging from the Underage scene, which included club nights, a festival, and more; Underage was founded by keyboardist Samuel Kilcoyne, who is also the son of Add N to (X)'s Barry 7. Joining Kilcoyne were vocalist Thomas Cohen, Bradley Baker, drummer Ruaridh Connellan, and bassist Joseph Williams. Williams left the band early on and was replaced by Huw Webb (brother to the Horrors' Rhys Webb). S.C.U.M.'s debut single Visions Arise was released in September 2008 on Loog Records and reflected the band’s darker early sound. By 2009, Connellan had been replaced by Melissa Rigby and the band toured Europe, recording at stops including Paris, Warsaw, Berlin, and Athens for their SIGNALS series. S.C.U.M. recorded their debut album with Ken and Joylon Thomas while continuing to play live, with their appearance at Portishead's ATP I’ll Be Your Mirror festival in July 2011 among their biggest dates. Around that time, the single "Amber Hands" was released, and the full-length Again Into Eyes appeared that September.