Turin Brakes

Turin Brakes, comprising Ollie Knights (guitar/vocals) and Gale Paridjanian (multi-instrumentals), grew up in Balham, South London.

They were members of their local church choir and in 1989 sang in front of the Queen at the Marchioness riverboat tragedy memorial service.

Paridjanian moved to Toronto, where he played with a band, before returning to England to team up with Knights.

The pair began to play, sing, jam and improvise together and in August 1999 released the four-track EP “The Door” from the Brighton-based Anvil label. This led to a recording contract with Source Records.

In August 2000, Turin Brakes released “The State of Things” EP in the UK and played at the Reading and Leeds festivals. The “Fight or Flight” EP followed.

Turin Brakes’ debut album, The Optimist, came out in 2001 and proved to be a commercial hit, selling in excess of 200,000 copies. The album was also nominated for a Mercury Award.

Their style has drawn comparisons to bands associated with the US alt-country scene and the UK’s New Acoustic Movement.

The band had a UK Top 5 hit in February 2003 with their single, “Pain Killer.”

The New Album “Ether Song” was released in March 2003 and the third single from the album “Average Man” was due for release in May.

Website: www.turinbrakes.com