Boy King Wild Beasts

Putting their own flamboyant and sensual stamp on the often-straitlaced world of English indie, Wild Beasts were founded in 2002 by Hayden Thorpe (guitar, vocals) and Ben Little (guitar). Originally called Fauve, the duo was joined by drummer Chris Talbot in 2004 and changed its name to Wild Beasts. After recording a self-titled EP, Tom Flemming was recruited as Wild Beasts' bassist, and the band relocated to Leeds, where its energetic sound and Thorpe's theatrical falsetto earned the group a dedicated local following. Wild Beasts released a number of singles on Bad Sneakers Records (which they signed to in 2006) before signing with Domino Records in 2007. Their debut album, Limbo, Panto, was released in July 2008 in the U.K. and that November in the U.S. It was followed in 2009 by Two Dancers, again on Domino.

For 2011's Smother, the group recorded in an isolated area in North Wales and reunited with co-producer Richard Formby. After a period of intense touring, Wild Beasts took a break to concentrate on recording their fourth album, Present Tense, which featured production by Lexxx and Leo Abrahams. Upon its 2014 release, it reached number ten on the U.K. album chart.

Two years later, the band returned with Boy King, a more electronically inclined set of songs produced by Grammy winner John Congleton. In September 2017, Wild Beasts revealed they had called it quits. A month later, they marked the occasion with the release of the Punk Drunk and Trembling EP, which included songs from the Boy King sessions. To accompany their farewell tour in February 2018, Wild Beasts issued Last Night All My Dreams Came True, a collection of the band's definitive songs recorded live at RAK Studios. ~ Katherine Fulton