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Wild Beasts

From Alfawiki
Wild Beasts
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded2002 in Kendal, England
Headquarters
Kendal
,
England
ProductsIndie rock music, albums, singles, EPs

Wild Beasts was an English indie rock group established in 2002 in Kendal. Their initial release was the single "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants" under Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, prior to signing with Domino Records. Over their career, they produced five albums that received widespread critical praise: Limbo, Panto (2008), Two Dancers (2009), Smother (2011), Present Tense (2014), and Boy King (2016). Among these, Two Dancers earned a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Prize.

History

The band originated in 2002 when Hayden Thorpe and Ben Little, students at Queen Katherine School, formed a duo named Fauve and began collaborating on songwriting. By January 2004, they were joined by classmates Chris Talbot on drums and Gareth Bullock on bass, prompting a name change to Wild Beasts. Their self-titled demo EP was recorded at Kendal’s Studio 6 in June 2004.

In September 2005, the band moved to Leeds, with Tom Fleming stepping in as bassist, replacing Bullock. They proceeded to produce two additional demo EPs titled Esprit De Corps and All Men. In August 2006, Wild Beasts signed with Bad Sneakers Records and subsequently released "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants" in November, which climbed to number 17 on the UK indie chart.

By February 2007, the band had secured a contract with Domino Records. Their follow-up single, "Through Dark Night," was issued in April of the same year. That year, NME recognized them as a promising act “tipped for the top.” Their first full-length album, Limbo, Panto, launched in June 2008, was met with critical acclaim. The sophomore album, Two Dancers, released in August 2009, received extensive praise and earned a Mercury Prize nomination.

Their third studio effort, Smother, came out in May 2011 and featured touring musician Katie Harkin from Sky Larkin. That year, Wild Beasts were honored with the London Awards for Art and Performance. The band’s fourth release, Present Tense, appeared in February 2014, followed by their fifth album, Boy King, in August 2016.

On 25 September 2017, Wild Beasts declared their decision to disband. They subsequently issued the EP Punk Drunk & Trembling in October 2017 and a live album titled Last Night All My Dreams Came True in February 2018. Their farewell performances featured selections from all five albums and culminated with a final festival appearance at the Rockaway Beach Festival.

Following the breakup, both Thorpe and Fleming embarked on solo ventures. Thorpe’s debut solo record, Diviner, was released in May 2019; he has since delivered two additional albums: Moondust for My Diamond (2021) and Ness (2024). Fleming reemerged under the moniker One True Pairing with his self-titled debut in September 2019 and released his folk-inspired second album Endless Rain in 2024.

Albums

EPs

  • Wild Beasts (2004)
  • Esprit De Corps (2005)
  • All Men (2005)
  • Reach a Bit Further (2011)
  • Punk Drunk & Trembling (2017)

Live albums

Singles

  • "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants" / "The Old Dog" (Bad Sneakers Records, 2006)
  • "Through Dark Night" / "Please Sir" (Bad Sneakers Records, 2007)
  • "Assembly" / "Sylvia, a Melodrama" (Domino Records, 2007)
  • "The Devil's Crayon" / "Treacle Tin" (Domino Records, 2008)
  • "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants" / "Mummy's Boy" (Domino Records, 2008)
  • "Hooting & Howling" / "Through the Iron Gate" (Domino Records, 2009)
  • "All the King's Men" (Domino Records, 2009)
  • "We Still Got the Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues" (Domino Records, 2010)
  • "Albatross" / "Smother" (Domino Records, 2011)
  • "Bed of Nails" / "Catherine Wheel" (Domino Records, 2011)
  • Reach a Bit Further EP (Domino Records, 2011)
  • "Stray" (digital release, Domino Records, 2012)
  • "Wanderlust" / "Byzantine" (Domino Records, 2014)
  • "Sweet Spot" (Domino Records, 2014)
  • "A Simple Beautiful Truth" (digital release, Domino Records, 2014)
  • "Mecca" (digital release, Domino Records, 2014)
  • "Woebegone Wanderers II" (digital release, Domino Records, 2015)
  • "Get My Bang" (digital release, Domino Records, 2016)
  • "Big Cat" (digital release, Domino Records, 2016)
  • "Alpha Female" (digital release, Domino Records, 2017)

Remixes

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