Biography

The English “prog-post-mathcore-rock-stuff” quintet aka YMSS (see also “Youthmovies”) was formed in Oxford, UK in 2002 by Andrew Mears (guitar and vocals), Al English (guitars, synths and samplers), Stephen Hammond (bass), Graeme Murray (drums) and Sam Scott (Trumpet, Flugelhorn & Organ), displaying much early promise with the restless, wildly eclectic sound of 2003’s mini-album Let’s Get Going… You’re Fracturing Me With This Misery. Subsequent releases included splits with cult Math Rockers The Edmund Fitzgerald (whose members with Youthmovies’ Andrew went on to found Foals), further EP releases and collaborations with the American spoken word artist Adam Gnade, by which time they had shortened their name (see Adam Gnade & Youthmovies).

The full-length Good Nature followed in March 2008 under the shortened name Youthmovies, showing the band’s sound progressing into a less-harsh but still thoughtfully artful direction, with the Polyp EP coming later that year. In December 2009 the band announced their split. A farewell tour is planned for March 2010.

Their sound has previously included blasts of cathartic noise mingling menacingly with brooding soundscapes, disturbing spoken-word samples and a sharp, technicolour canopy of feedback, drone and nerve-chilling atmospherics. though with 2004’s mini-album Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; the Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness (on the fierce panda label) and the 2005 single “Ores”, things began to move into a more positive (but no less excellent) direction. Songs like “Last Night at the Proms”, “The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor” and “Protest into Stars Remaining” became live favourites despite remaining unreleased offically. Unofficially, Youthmovies also have the Homeless Musics, CD collections of live songs, outtakes, demos, alternate versions and peeks into the future offered solely at gigs.

The band toured extensively with Hope of the States, 65daysofstatic and ¡Forward, Russia! (the latter claming Youthmovies a formative influence: “We basically formed out of me & Rob following Youthmovies around the North of England. We spent all the train journeys taking everything in and planning our next move”) among many others . They were also a hit at the truck, latitude, W.H.O.R.E., All Tomorrow’s Parties, reading and leeds festivals; at Leeds improvising as Hip-Hop poet Saul Williams’ backing band.