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Homegrown - Copyleft - because property is theft!


OFFICERS emerged from the industrial landscapes of Northern England - an uncompromising fusion of electronic innovation and art rock rebellion that would challenge the boundaries of alternative music. 

Founded in 2006 across the creative nexus of York, Leeds and Manchester, their story began not in conventional record label boardrooms or indie pub circuits, but in the digital underground of MySpace.

Their raw home recordings - a blend of machine-driven rhythms and human vulnerability - caught the ear of industry legends, leading to incendiary debut performances at Alan McGee's legendary Death Disco and Client's Being Boiled club nights, in London's Notting Hill Arts Club. 

The band's unorthodox approach and fierce originality quickly attracted Riverman Management, the visionaries who had previously orchestrated the UK breakthrough of grunge titans such as Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins and who also manage International rock band Placebo.

At the helm of OFFICERS' are Matthew Southall and James Baker, whose creative partnership is enhanced by the acclaimed British artist Stuart Semple. This triumvirate has shaped not just their music, but a complete artistic universe that defies any easy categorisation.

The band's lineup has evolved over the years, previously featuring current Placebo drummer Matt Lunn. The current incarnation includes guitarist Dan iV, ex-Client bass player Emily Mann, and keyboard player Steven Metcalfe.

OFFICERS' artistic footprint extends far beyond conventional boundaries. Their signature sound - electronic experimentation, enduring melody and starcutting guitars - has manifested through multiple channels: collaborations with electronic pioneer Gary Numan, haunting soundtracks for prestige television and film (BBC Earth, The Blacklist), and their notorious 'annihilation' remixes - sonic deconstructions that transform familiar tracks into entirely new entities. 

Their early live shows, meanwhile, became legendary for their intensity, sometimes blurring the line between performance fiction and unpredictable electro-shock reality.

2011 saw the release of their debut album 'On The Twelve Thrones' through PIAS/Rough Trade - a record that captured the imagination of critics and earned Rock Sound writers' 'Album of the Year'. Self-produced across multiple studios, the album's creation became a journey in itself, with engineer Matt Sladen (known for his lead vocals on The Streets' 'Dry Your Eyes') joining their live lineup for European tours and festivals.

The album's final form was shaped in London's legendary Metropolis studios by two luminaries: Dave Bascombe, whose credits read like a history of music (Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, Suede, Kylie Minogue), and the late, great John Davis, whose mastering expertise produced award winning works from U2 to Led Zeppelin, The Prodigy to Dua Lipa.

The band's early transmissions and press reviews caught the attention of tastemakers across the spectrum - from MTV's alternative underground to XFM's wave of new noise, and Virgin Radio's influential Eddy Temple Morris. It was Morris who served as the crucial link to Numan, leading to OFFICERS joining the stage on his Machine Music tour - a partnership that would evolve into something far more significant.

This alliance first bore 'Petals' - a collaboration that reached No. 2 on the German Airplay Charts while serving a higher purpose: raising awareness for the suicide prevention charity CALM for which Baker and Southall are official ambassadors. 

The single, coupled with a video that evoked an android Mary Shelley and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari alongside remixes from Losers and legendary electronic architect and producer Jagz Kooner (Sabres of Paradise, Primal Scream, Oasis), demonstrated OFFICERS' ability to balance artistic ambition with social consciousness.

Their further reimagining of Numan's 'The Fall' became his preferred live arrangement on subsequent tours. This version, released on the Dead Moon Falling album, exemplified OFFICERS' talent for respectful deconstruction and bold reinvention.

Beyond the music, OFFICERS craft a parallel artistic universe through their limited-edition companion releases. Some pieces, meticulously handcrafted by the band and Semple, have become coveted artefacts among collectors, commanding premium prices in the digital marketplace - physical totems of their artistic vision.

Their reunion with Bascombe in 2016 birthed 'Attack' - an explosive audio-visual statement accompanied by carefully curated physical artifacts: limited edition 7-inch vinyl, Semple-designed prints, cracked mirror sculptures, and merchandise that bridged the gap between music and visual art.

In 2017 Southall and Baker joined Death in Vegas's Tim Holmes at the hallowed Contino Rooms. The resulting session yielded 'Born In May' - a track that revealed the band's krautrock and psychedelic DNA. This creative momentum carried them into sessions with longtime Numan producer Ade Fenton for what was be their anticipated sophomore album 'The Jackal'.

The record included tracks that were initially pitched to Liam Gallagher for a post-Beady Eye collaboration, though they were ultimately deemed 'not quite right' for the Oasis icon.

Additional songs from these sessions - 'Shallow Grave', 'Frozen', 'Silence the Frightening' and 'When is Phantom' - remain unreleased, victims of the band's own exacting standards and their resistance to diluting their vision in pursuit of commercial success.

OFFICERS maintained their creative pulse through remixing work, and a crucial contributions for Stuart Semple's 'My Sonic Youth: Ten Songs of Summer' installation in Los Angeles. This multimedia experience pinned an eclectic constellation of artists together including Maxim (The Prodigy), Charlotte Church, Sneaker Pimps, Jim Jones and Sam Forest (Nine Black Alps).

Their commitment to CALM continued to manifest itself through organisation of clandestine DJ aftershow parties featuring Placebo, Reverend and the Makers, and Project Alpha - a groundbreaking photography exhibition showcasing iconic work from Scarlet Page, Jennifer Patterson Helena Berg, and featured Professor Green, Frank Turner, which catalysed the CALM photography movement.

Operating in the shadows between underground credibility and mainstream recognition, often with little online presence, OFFICERS have become something of an industry secret - 'your favourite band's favourite band'. 

Their uncompromising vision and experimental spirit have earned them cult status among fellow musicians and critics, and exemplify the kind of fearless innovation that’s often repackaged to define tomorrow's sounds.

Their two-decades of activity has seen them share stages and studios with an impressive roster of alternative music royalty including: Placebo, Jagz Kooner, Courteeners, The Music, Primal Scream, The Cooper Temple Clause and Linkin Park. Their recent motorik reimagining of Shed Seven's 'In Ecstasy' found its way onto the bootleg edition of the UK No. 1 album Liquid Gold - a testament to their enduring influence on the fringes of mainstream success.

As the world emerged from the global pandemic, OFFICERS reflected on the creative, emotional and societal impacts alongside the digital warfare the world now finds itself contending with. 

Now, in 2025, they’re preparing to challenge, provoke, and redefine the boundaries of electronic art rock.

peoplelikenuri@gmail.com
nurimixtape.blogspot.com

I make music that I like the sound of!

I hope you like it as well.

We are a four piece band. We are from York. We are Rory. We are Dan. We are Holly. We are James. We are Noise Rock. We are Grunge. We are Worm(s)

Alternative music and culture for the North of England and worldwide.


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