Sauna Youth were a London-based

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

band formed by ex-members of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

bands

The Steal The Steal were an English hardcore punk band, from Kingston upon Thames and Brighton. History They formed in late 2005, and were influenced by Minor Threat, 7 Seconds (band), 7 Seconds and Kid Dynamite (band), Kid Dynamite. In 2006 they compl ...

and

Captain Everything! Captain Everything! were a British punk band from Watford, England. Formed in 1998, the band play high tempo pop-punk, which was branded "Bubblegum Thrash". Renowned for their heavy touring schedule, they have played all over the UK and Europe, ...

in 2009. They released three albums, ''Dreamlands'' (2012), ''Distractions'' (2015), and ''Deaths'' (2018), plus various singles. Members of Sauna Youth also played in the group ''Monotony'', an

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

of sorts where they all switch instruments. The two bands released a split single on

Upset the Rhythm Upset The Rhythm is an independent record label based in London with a varied roster of leftfield artists and bands; they also operate as a diverse DIY live music promoter. Huw Stephens featured Upset The Rhythm as "purveyors of interesting indi ...

in 2015.

History

Sauna Youth formed in 2009 with members living between Brighton and London. The original lineup of vocalist Rich Phoenix (previously of

and

), guitarist Lindsay Corstorphine (previously of

), bassist Christopher Murphy, and drummer Reza Mirehsan, made a demo tape titled Planet Sounds, then followed it up with their first single, the self-released "Youth" in 2010. The "Mad Mind" cassette came out that same year, with their second single "Lists" and a split with Ale Mania in 2011. That year Mirehsan left, Phoenix moved over to drums, and Jen Calleja joined on vocals and sampler. Their first full-length album was co-released by Faux Discx and

Gringo Records Gringo Records is a British independent record label based in Nottingham, England, which was founded in 1996. It is known for releasing experimental rock and its DIY ethic. History The label formed in Colchester in 1996 from involvements in ...

in 2012. After a single in 2013, "False Jesii Pt. 2," the band began work on their second album. During the sessions they decided to switch instruments and form a second band, Monotony. Before the album's release in June 2015, their new label

put out a split Sauna Youth/Monotony single that May. Sauna Youth have recorded several sessions for

Marc Riley Marc Riley (born 10 July 1961) is an English radio DJ, alternative rock critic, musician, and former music businessman. He currently presents on BBC Radio 6 Music. Formerly a member of The Fall, he co-owned a record label, In-Tape, and also w ...

on his

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It primarily plays a wide range of alternative music, from established and emerging artists and bands. In 2002 it was the first national music radio station t ...

radio show from 2014 to 2016 (as well as one as Monotony). They also appeared as both incarnations on the made for

iPlayer BBC iPlayer (stylised as iPLAYER or BBC iPLAYER) is a video on demand service from the BBC. The service is available Over-the-top media service, over-the-top on a wide range of devices, including Mobile phone, mobile phones and Tablet computer ...

live music show he presented in 2015. In July 2018, the band announced their new album, ''Deaths'', with first single "Percentages". It was released on 7 September that year, again via Upset The Rhythm. In advance of the album’s release they toured the UK with

Protomartyr A protomartyr (Koine Greek, ''prôtos'' 'first' + ''mártus'' 'martyr') is the first Christian martyr in a country or among a particular group, such as a religious order. Similarly, the phrase the Protomartyr (with no other qualification of ...

in August, before which they also played the Visions Festival 2018 pre-party with

Fucked Up Fucked Up is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band consists of guitarists Mike Haliechuk and Josh Zucker, bassist Sandy Miranda, lead vocalist Damian Abraham and drummer Jonah Falco. From 2007 to 2021, t ...

in London. The following year they headlined a tour honoring the fifteenth anniversary of their label, Upset The Rhythm. Jen Calleja was one of several guest vocalists to contribute to ''Raise Your Voice Joyce: Contemporary Shouts From Contemporary Voices'', a compilation of music covertly recorded by the Canadian band

in 2018.

Discography

Albums

*''Dreamlands'' - Faux Discx/

, 12" LP, MP3 (2012) *''Distractions'' -

, 12" LP, MP3 (2015) *''Deaths'' -

, 12" LP, MP3 (2018)

Compilations

*''In Flux'' - Self released, MP3 (2020) *''The Void'' - Self released, MP3 (2020)

Singles and EPs

*"Youth" - Self released, 7", MP3 (2010) *"Mad Mind" - Suplex cassettes, Cassette, MP3 (2010) *"Lists" - Self released, 7", MP3 (2011) *"False Jesii Pt. II" -

Static Shock Records Static Shock Records is an English independent record label, gig promoter, and distributor specialising in underground punk founded in London in 2008. From 2012 to 2023 the label organised a 'Static Shock Weekend' festival most years, held at d ...

, 7", MP3 (2013) *"The Bridge" -

, 7", MP3 (2015)

Split releases

*''Split with Ale Mania'' - Faux Discx, 7", MP3 (2011) *''Split with Full Ugly'', Omi Palone, The Stevens - Paradise Vendors Inc, 7", MP3 (2012) *''Split with Monotony'' -

, 7", MP3, (2015)

References

{{Authority control Underground punk scene in the United Kingdom Musical groups established in 2009 Rock music groups from London English punk rock groups English post-punk music groups Post-punk revival music groups