BIOGRAPHY

The music of “Union of Knives” is a meld of analogue riffs, beautiful voices and guitar abstractions over a dirty backbeat of programmed drums. It was designed to hypnotise and offer a true ode to life in all its dark beauty.

The instigators met while working in Glasgow’s infamous musical melting pot Nice’n’Sleazy. Dave (Mclean) was doing sound for the downstairs venue while Chris (Gordon) was tending bar. Chris was cutting his teeth as a producer doing demos for local acts while Dave had years of experience as an engineer in various Glasgow studios.

They decided to set up shop together opening their own place (The Beef Room), out of which they could record cheaply for bands they liked and, in between sessions, work on their own stuff. Making albums for the likes of “Terra Diablo” and “Dead Fly Buchowski” and doing remix work and b-sides for among others Craig Armstrong, El Presidente and Snow Patrol, helped to pay the bills; the real work, was the as yet un-named “Union of Knives” project.

They fought for a year trying to find the sound they knew they were looking for but had never heard. It was a strange time of back and forthing; pieces were written and then twisted, reworked then destroyed but there were often hints of what they were after. By 2003 they had three tracks they truly believed in. They were, in their opinion, a unique glimpse of what they had to offer; in a world of the same, it was different.

They sought out collaborators (mainly singers to add to the vocal textures) and Chris’ contacts among local artists proved a big help. Chief among the recruits was Craig Grant whom Chris first encountered fresh off the Bus from Aberdeen at the aforementioned Nice’n’Sleazy. Liking what he heard in Craigs’ voice and sense of melody he offered to record his band for a bottle of Canadian Club.

Craig then added his voice, words and tunes to a few pieces they had in the furnace and these turned out so well that Dave and Chris decided they had to get him in on the set up. He brought a new flavour that further inspired the original two and more than that he absolutely got what they were doing.

They chose their name after his arrival. Chris, being of more of a lyrical bent than Dave, bounced idea after idea off Craig until, walking for a train he made his mind up and realised no-one could tell him otherwise. It was, he realised, a “Union of Knives”.

Sep 2005