Blakfish was a

mathcore Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatur ...

band, also described as 'death pop' by the

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

, The band from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, England formed in the year 2000 after meeting and becoming friends at school, contrary to their frequent fabricated claims that they all met in juvenile prison. The band was perhaps best known for its live shows and relentless touring schedule, which led to it being labeled by many as one of the hardest-working bands in the country. In 2007 Blakfish became the full-time job of the members, and in 2008 they went on to play over 200 shows in over 10 countries topping that in 2009 with another 200 shows in 16 countries. They played shows with, amongst others, Hell Is For Heroes (on their farewell tour) and

Tubelord Tubelord were an English alternative rock band, formed in 2006 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. In 2009, the band signed a record deal with independent label Hassle Records and on 12 October 2009 they released their debut album '' Our First A ...

. In 2010 they achieved a support slot on the

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...

European tour, which ultimately led to the demise of the band, which they announced on their Myspace blog. The band split up mid-tour following the departure of guitarist and vocalist Sam Manville. They had been scheduled to play shows in Tokyo and

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

later in the year with

65daysofstatic 65daysofstatic (often abbreviated as 65dos, 65days, or simply 65) are a post-rock band from Sheffield, England. Formed in 2001, the band is composed of instrumentalists Paul Wolinski, Joe Shrewsbury, Rob Jones and Simon Wright. The band's mus ...

. Plans were also shelved to record their second album, again in Seattle with Chris Common. Seven instrumental demos were recorded in Lewes with producer Nick Kinnish, never to be released.

History

Formation (2000–2010)

Blakfish recorded their first EP, Dirty Import, in 2004, and followed this up a year later with the four-track ''myforteistimetravel''. In 2007 they recorded a gapless three-track EP named ''Gold''. After this they signed to

Big Scary Monsters Big Scary Monsters Recording Company (often known simply as Big Scary Monsters or BSM Records) is an independent record label based in Oxford, England. Its releases include American Football, Lambrini Girls, La Dispute, Modern Baseball, La ...

, and in 2008 their fourth EP, ''See You in Another City'', was released, to a largely positive reception. ''See You in Another City'' was produced by Jason Wilson at Stakeout Studios. The track "Jeremy Kyle Is A Marked Man" featured on the computer game '' Colin McRae: Dirt 2'', and the polish movie ''

Suicide Room ''Suicide Room'' () is a 2011 Polish drama thriller film written and directed by Jan Komasa, and starring Jakub Gierszał as a popular high school student whose life quickly deteriorates into ostracisation and depression. The film premiered on ...

'' as well as receiving airplay from 4 different presenters on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. 2009 saw the release of their one and only album, ''Champions'', recorded by Chris Common at the Redroom Studios

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. The band were stopped at an airport along the way and were questioned about the content of their lyrics book, which contained the dark lyrics to "9th Base". This experience was visited in the album track "Randy Sage – True American Hero" (Randy Sage was an airline pilot they met at the airport). The album for the most part was widely praised; ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' rated the album 4/5, and ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more " underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, ...

'' gave it a 9/10, whilst ''

'' was amongst the minority that did not enjoy the album, giving it a 1/10 rating, despite naming the band as "ones to watch" in 2009. The album was later re-released in a limited edition known as ''French Champions''. Each unit was handmade and used real gold leaf for the cover art. They also recorded a Christmas single for Christmas 2009 once again with Nick Kinnish, named "Missing You (The True Meaning of Christmas)", in which Rich and Wiz both sang as well as Thom and Sam. The single was released for free download on their website, along with an accompanying video.

Post-Blakfish (2010–2022)

In February 2010, Blakfish were touring Europe with

, playing shows in Germany,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and Spain. In Bilbao, Sam announced he felt he could no longer continue as a member of Blakfish, and left the band with immediate effect. The remaining three members decided they would continue as a band – but this band would not be Blakfish. The band pulled out of the remaining shows in

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

and

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, and canceled a UK-wide tour scheduled for March, as well as shows in Japan with

later in the year. A 'Blakfish and Friends' farewell show took place on 19 March 2010 at The Flapper in

, with friends of the band filling in for Sam's vocals and guitars. Guest performers included Toby Hayes of

Shoes And Socks Off A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

and

Meet Me in St. Louis ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' is a 1944 American Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis ...

, Steven Bachelor and Richard Buckley of Shapes, and members of Soni~Quella and The James Cleaver Quintet Jack Saunders (vox) Jimmy Diego (bass) Maud E Licious (guitar) Mackerel Skarrington (drums). Tickets for the event sold out on the first night they went on sale. Support came from Shapes, The James Cleaver Quintet and Conquistadors. Fifty screen prints of the poster for the show were made available, as was a re-issue of See You in Another City containing nine additional tracks of

b-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

and rarities. At the final show, Thom, Rich and Wiz debuted a track named "You're A Guy", the first public performance of their new material for a new three-piece band. After the band broke up, Thom, Rich and Wiz officially formed "&U&I" and released EP ''Kill the Man that Shot that Man'' on ondryland Records and LP ''Light Bearer'' the following year. Sam created two bands, one called "Vietwow!" with Toby Hayes (Meet Me in St. Louis, Shield Your Eyes, Shoes And Socks Off), Alex Wiezak (Youves) and Bob D'Mello (Super Tennis) and a two-piece named "†Hymns†" with former SOS drummer Peter Reisner. †Hymns† released their debut double album ''Cardinal Sins/Contrary Virtues'' in January 2012 on Big Scary Monsters. He also continues to work on his solo project "Greatest Hits". In 2010, Rob played drums on a project with On the Might of Princes guitarist and singer, Jason Rosenthal. Following Rosenthal's death in August 2013, plans were made to finish and release the material. On 24 August 2012, marking three years to the day since the release of Champions, Leeds-based magazine '' Musical Mathematics'' celebrated the first ever Blakfish Day, encouraging fans to celebrate the band's music and career. This was also the first and last time that Blakfish's second album demos were heard, via Musical Mathematics' website. Sam Manville reinvented himself as an electronic, house and garage producer under the pseudonym FTSE and has worked with MØ, Shola Ama, Burnaboy and Peking Duk releasing on labels including Ministry of Sound and Rinse. In 2017 he started his own record label, Roller Blaster Records. In 2019 Manville released an acoustic solo album of covers entitled ''Somebody Else's Songs'' under the moniker S.T. Manville.

Band members

In interviews and media, the band generally were generally referred to by their

stage names A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

. *Thomas Peckett ('Thomas Rock') – Guitar, vocals *Sam Manville ('Sammy Vile') – Guitar, vocals *Richard Lee ('Richard Hollywood') – Bass *Robert 'Wiz' Wisely ('Robert Fruit') – Drums

Lyrical themes

The lyrics to Blakfish songs were generally about things which annoyed them. Some examples include:- *At shows they said that "Economics" was "about money, cos we've got none" *"Ringo Starr – 2nd Best Drummer in the Beatles" is about their disdain for the music industry and

nightclubs A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

*"Your Hair's Straight But Your Boyfriend Ain't" is about fashion – Sam Manville said "clothes are just there to keep you warm, people take it so seriously. I guess it's just another jibe at the British public." *"I Saw A Car on Fire There Once" is about the band's hatred of driving through London *"Randy Sage – True American Hero" is about the band's struggle with officials at an American airport when trying to enter the country to record their album *"Preparing For Guests" is about the process of tidying the house for visitors, and how "it's like we're lying to all of our friends" *"Scotland's Worst Invention" is about dislike for television, and includes the line "What's with all these f***ing soaps, I want

Ray Mears Raymond Paul Mears (born 7 February 1964) is a British woodsman, instructor, businessman, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques. He is best known for the TV series '' Ray Mears' Bushcraft'', ' ...

not

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

" This was not the only inspiration for songs though, some other song meanings include:- *"...Rollerskates" is about a friend of the band, whose girlfriend went travelling *"I'm Laughing Now... But It's No Joke" is about the film ''Into the Wild''

Discography

Albums

*''Champions'' (2009) 01. Economics
02. Ringo Starr – 2nd Best Drummer in The Beatles
03. Your Hair's Straight but Your Boyfriend Ain't
04. If the Good Lord Had Intended Us to Walk He Wouldn't Have Invented Rollerskates
05. We Beg, We Borrow, We Steal
06. I Saw a Car on Fire There Once
07. The Closer to the Bone, the Sweeter the Meat
08. Randy Sage – True American Hero
09. I'm Laughing Now... But It's No Joke
10. 9th Base
11. Scotland's Worst Invention

EPs

*''See You in Another City'' (Re-release, 2010) 01. Preparing For Guests
02. My Stomach Feels Like My Throats Been Cut
03. Jeremy Kyle Is A Marked Man
04. Make Your Bed And Lie in It
05. Carnival of Carnivores
Bonus tracks:
06. Leaving Home (Dirty import, 2002)
07. 22nd (myforteistimetravel, 2005)
08. Death of a Soap Star (myforteistimetravel, 2005)
09. Captain Burns (Gold, Live, 2007)
10. The Curriculum Vitae of Uri Gagarin (Carnival of Carnivores demo, 2008)
11. Sh*t on My Face and Tell Me I'm Simon Cowell (Ringo Starr – 2nd Best Drummer in the Beatles demo, 2008)
12. Jeremy Kyle Is A Marked Man (Game version, 2009)
13. Charmer (

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in 1999. The band includes brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern roc ...

cover – Rollerskates b-side, 2009)
14. A Day in the Life (un-used b-side, 2009) *''See You in Another City'' (2008) 01. Preparing For Guests
02. My Stomach Feels Like My Throats Been Cut
03. Jeremy Kyle Is A Marked Man
04. Make Your Bed And Lie in It
05. Carnival of Carnivores (listed in some places as 'Carnival Carnivore') *''Gold'' (2007) 01. Captain Burns
02. Merry Fucking Xmas
03. Planes, Trains And Obese Women *''myforteistimetravel'' (2005) 01. 22nd
02. Superpowers
03. Death of a Soapstar
04. Cooking Can Be Child's Play *''Dirty Import'' (2004) 01. Leaving Home
02. Senile
03. Clifton

Other

*Missing You (The True Meaning of Christmas) – Free download Christmas single (2009)
Captain Burns
– (Appears on) Various Artists ''Vol.11'' (Sotones Records; 1 August 2007; STCD001). MP3 and CD (numbered edition of 1000). Reissued 2009 (without ''Captain Burns)''

References

{{Authority control English math rock groups Rock music groups from Birmingham, West Midlands Musical groups established in 2000 Musical groups disestablished in 2010