The Big Pink are an English

electronic rock Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrum ...

band from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Robertson "Robbie" Furze, Akiko Matsuura and Charlie Barker. Initially a duo, they signed to

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

4AD in 2009 and won the '' NME'' Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act. To date, they have released five singles, with their debut album '' A Brief History of Love'' released in September 2009 and its follow-up, ''

Future This ''Future This'' is the second studio album by English electronic rock duo The Big Pink, released on 11 January 2012 by 4AD. The album was preceded by the release of lead single "Stay Gold" on 14 November 2011. Track listing Sample credits ...

'' released in January 2012.

History

Beginnings and early singles

Robertson "Robbie" Furze and Milo Cordell started working together as The Big Pink in 2008, taking their name from the debut album by The Band. Furze used to play guitar for

Alec Empire Alec or Aleck is a Scottish form of the given name Alex. It may be a diminutive of the name Alexander or a given name in its own right. Notable people with the name include: People * Alec Aalto (1942–2018), Finnish diplomat *Alec Acton (1938– ...

and run the record label Hate Channel with Cordell. Cordell (son of

Denny Cordell Dennis Cordell-Lavarack (1 August 1943 – 18 February 1995), known as Denny Cordell, was an English record producer. He is notable for his mid-1960s and early 1970s productions of hit singles for The Moody Blues, Leon Russell, The Move, Procol ...

and brother of

Tarka Cordell Tarka Clay Cordell-Lavarack (28 July 1966 – 28 April 2008) was an English musician, writer, record producer, and model. The son of record producer Denny Cordell, Cordell was born in Westminster, Greater London, and was educated at Harrow School ...

) had also been releasing records through his own label Merok Records, which featured early

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...

releases by

Klaxons Klaxons were an English rock band, based in London. Following the release of several 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles " Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut ...

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

, and

Crystal Castles Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were know ...

. After joining forces in mid-2007, the band issued their first single " Too Young to Love" on 7" vinyl in October 2008 on the House Anxiety label.The Big Pink "Where Can Noise Go?" , Dummy Magazine
The single was limited to 500 copies worldwide, and features a

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homo ...

photograph by

Dennis Cooper Dennis Cooper (born January 10, 1953) is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor and performance artist. He is best known for the ''George Miles Cycle'', a series of five semi-autobiographical novels published between 1989 and 2000 and describe ...

as its cover. Similarly, a limited edition 12" single for "Too Young to Love" released only in Japan features more of Cooper's photography as its cover. The Big Pink signed with British record label 4AD in February 2009. On 25 February 2009, The Big Pink won the prestigious Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act at the NME Shockwave Awards. The duo were presented the award by James Allan and Caroline McKay of Glasvegas, who had won the award in 2008. In April, 4AD issued the duo's first single for the label, "

Velvet Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

," which

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

described as "undeniably immense, but it's a tribute to the Big Pink's skill and maturity that it still manages to sound intimate", and awarded the track a 7 out of 10 rating. The single was again produced by the band and mixed by

Alan Moulder Alan Moulder (born 11 June 1959) is an English record producer, mixing engineer, and audio engineer. Early life Moulder was born on 11 June 1959 in Boston, Lincolnshire. He was educated at Boston Grammar School. He had an interest in music fro ...

. A 7-minute remix of "Velvet" by Gang Gang Dance followed as an online-streaming single. The Big Pink provided a cover of " Lovesong" for

The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

tribute album ''Pictures of You: A Tribute to Godlike Geniuses The Cure'', which was made available with the 25 February 2009 issue of '' NME''. Following the releases, the duo opened for

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

in Europe before embarking on their first headlining UK tour.4AD – The Big Pink – Debut 4AD Single, UK Tour, NME Award
A second single on 4AD, the non-album track " Stop the World", was released as a limited edition 7" single on 29 June 2009. It was co-produced with

Paul Epworth Paul Richard Epworth (born 25 July 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, musician, and remixer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Rihanna, and Maxïmo Park, among many others. He is a member o ...

''A Brief History of Love''

The Big Pink's debut album ''A Brief History of Love'' was released on 14 September 2009, the fourth single " Dominos" having been released a week before. The band produced the album themselves at

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten we ...

in New York City, and it was mixed by

Rich Costey Rich may refer to: Common uses * Rich, an entity possessing wealth * Rich, an intense flavor, color, sound, texture, or feeling **Rich (wine), a descriptor in wine tasting Places United States * Rich, Mississippi, an unincorporated commu ...

. Cordell told

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available only ...

that the album encompasses "every different aspect of love... The good, the bad, the boring, the exciting, the dreams, the nightmares, the whole thing." Nationwide tours of Europe, Japan, and the United States occurred August through the end of 2009, with dates in Australia and a second North American tour set for spring 2010. They also supported

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...

on their UK arena tour in November, and in turn, provided a remix of Muse's song "

Undisclosed Desires "Undisclosed Desires" (also known as "Undisclosed") is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, '' The Resistance'', on 16 November 2009. The song was written by lead vocalist Matth ...

," which was made available on the single released on 16 November 2009. On 24 February 2010, "Dominos" won Best Track at the NME Awards. The Big Pink appeared at the 2010

Coachella Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. It ...

in April and once again opened for Muse at London's Wembley Stadium on 10 September 2010.

''Future This''

In an interview with '' NME'', Robbie Furze noted a strong hip-hop influence for the recording of the band's second album. However, he later retracted this statement regarding the band's musical direction in a further ''NME'' interview in October 2011 in which he wishes he hadn't made such a claim. He also stated that the band has approached Nick Launay and Dave Fridmann as possible producers, and added "I think we've got our heart set on

to mix it." The first single "Stay Gold" came out in October 2011, and was featured in

SSX ''SSX'' is a series of snowboarding and skiing video games published by EA Sports. It is an arcade-style racing game with larger-than-life courses, characters, and tricks. While the general focus of the series is racing and performing tricks on ...

. The band's second album ''

'' was released in January 2012. One of the songs "Lose Your Mind" started with a sample of the single " Happy House" by

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine ...

to get a certain vibe. The second single "Hit the Ground (Superman)" heavily sampled O Superman by

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

''Empire Underground''

In February 2013, Furze announced on the band's Facebook page that Cordell moved to New York permanently in order to focus on his label Merok Records and would no longer be an active member of The Big Pink. Despite this, production of a third album continued with various musicians and producers including The-Drum, Supreme Cuts, Van Rivers, John O'Mahoney and

Andrew Wyatt Andrew Wyatt Blakemore is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, he began his career playing in New York bands such as The A.M. and Black Beetle. He gained wider notability as the frontman ...

Miike Snow Miike Snow (pronounced "Mike Snow") is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Bloodshy & Avant and American singer Andrew Wyatt. The band is often represented by a silhouette image of a jackalope. In their ...

. On 26 January 2016 Big Pink released a video for the song "Hightimes" followed by a 4-song EP titled ''Empire Underground''.

''The Love That's Ours''

In 2022, the band released the single "No Angels", produced by Tony Hoffer, from their third album ''The Love That's Ours''.

Members

Current members * Robertson "Robbie" Furze – vocals, guitar, programming * Akiko Matsuura – drums, backing vocals * Charlie Barker – bass, backing vocals Former members * Milo Cordell – programming, keyboards, synthesizer, vocals * Lady Mary Charteris – vocals, programming Former additional personnel * Jo Apps (sister of Patrick Wolf) – backing vocals * Valentine Fillol-Cordier (model) – backing vocals * Daniel O'Sullivan (of

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album '' Bergtatt'', were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band ha ...

, Guapo, Sunn O))), et al.) – various instruments * Vicky Jean Smith – drums * Leopold Ross – bass * Adam Prendergast – bass (live)

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

* ''This Is Our Time'' (Beggars Japan, 24 June 2009) – Japan-only CD EP * ''Empire Underground'' (B3SCI Records, 4 March 2016)

Singles

Notes * – Originally released as non-album tracks, but were later added to the debut album ''A Brief History of Love''. * – Non-album single; released as a bonus track on the UK digital download edition and the Japanese CD pressing of ''A Brief History of Love''.

Compilations

* "Tapes" – !K7

Appearances on compilations

* ''Fragments from Work in Progress'' (4AD, 17 April 2010) ** A limited edition 12" EP released by 4AD for

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

2010, featuring session tracks and demos from five artists on the label's roster; includes "With You" by the band, which was previously released on the Japanese 12" for " Too Young to Love"4AD – News – Limited 12" EP from 4AD for Record Store Day 2010

Remixes

By other artists * "Velvet" (BDG Remix by Gang Gang Dance) * "Velvet" (Mount Kimbie Remix) * "Velvet" (Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid Remix) * "Too Young to Love" (Delorean Remix) * "Too Young to Love" (Too Fast to Die Remix by The Living Eye) * "Too Young to Love" ( UNKLE Surrender Sounds Session No. 14) * "Dominos" (Rustie Remix) * "Dominos" (

Switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

Remix) * "Dominos" (Switch Remix Instrumental) * "Tonight" (Coyote Clean Up Dirty Dub) * "Tonight" (Ghost Hunter Remix) * "Tonight" (oOoOO 2NITERMX) * "Tonight" (Von Haze Remix) ;Of other artists * " 22" (The Big Pink Remix) –

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...

* "Devil's Trident" (The Big Pink Reality Mix) – Telepathe * "Headlock" (The Big Pink Remix) – Esser * "

" (The Big Pink Remix) –

Music videos

Notes

References

External links

* (link broken)
The Big Pink on 4AD's website

The Big Pink – Tapes website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Pink, The 4AD artists English electronic music duos English electronic rock musical groups English indie rock groups Musical groups established in 2007 Musical groups from London NME Awards winners Rock music duos Shoegazing musical groups 2007 establishments in England Remote Control Records artists