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Hector Bizerk were an
experimental hip-hop
Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that encompasses a wide range of styles that are not typically identified as mainstream. AllMusic defines it as comprising " hip hop groups that refuse to confor ...
group from
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland, featuring drummer
Audrey Tait
Audrey Tait (born 1987) is a Scottish musician and music producer from Rutherglen, Scotland. She is known for being the drummer in three Glaswegian bands, the experimental hip-hop group Hector Bizerk, Broken Chanter, and the rock band Franz Ferdi ...
and rapper Louie. Formed in 2011, they were initially a duo. However later recordings saw them add Jennifer Muir (Synth, Percussion, Vocals) and Fraser Sneddon (Bass). They have released five EPs and three albums, and their 2014 EP ''The Bird That Never Flew'' features guest vocals from Scotland's Makar
Liz Lochhead
Liz Lochhead Hon FRSE (born 26 December 1947) is a Scottish poet, playwright, translator and broadcaster. Between 2011 and 2016 she was the Makar, or National Poet of Scotland, and served as Poet Laureate for Glasgow between 2005 and 2011.
E ...
.
Their 2015 LP ''The Waltz of Modern Psychiatry'' was written as a soundtrack to Birds of Paradise Theatre Company's periodic play about the life of
Jane Avril
Jane Avril (9 June 186817 January 1943) was a French can-can dancer made famous by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec through his paintings. Extremely thin, "given to jerky movements and sudden contortions", she was nicknamed ''La Mélinite'', after a ...
. Both the play and album have recovered widespread critical acclaim.
They have been a regular feature of the UK's festival circuit since 2012. That summer saw the newly expanded quartet play the BBC Introducing stage at
T In The Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
and The Solus Tent at The
Wickerman Festival
The Wickerman Festival was an annual music festival held near Auchencairn in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dubbed "Scotland's Alternative Music festival", its motto was "The Wickerman Festival – it's better than it needs to be!"
It began ...
. They would later be asked to return to T in the Park to play the T Break stage in 2013. Coverage of their first performance at T In The Park was broadcast on
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
television's festival highlights of 2012. The band have also played the Insider Festival, Go North, Eden, Doune The Rabbit Hole, Audio Soup, Live at Troon, Knockengorroch, and Glasgow's West End Festival.
In 2015 they toured United States, particularly gaining plaudits at SXSW in Austin, Texas. Tait and Louie were appointed musical director for Birds of Paradise Theatre Company production Crazy Jane. Subsequently releasing concept album The Waltz of Modern Psychiatry.
Hector Bizerk have supported a number of well known hip hop artists including
Grandmaster Flash
Joseph Saddler (born January 1, 1958), popularly known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is an American DJ and rapper. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Hip Hop DJing, cutting, scratching and mixing. Grandmaster Flash and the Fur ...
,
Wu Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
,
Alt-J
Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwilym Sainsbur ...
,
MF DOOM
Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...
,
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
,
Immortal Technique
Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective.
Immortal Techn ...
and
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1994 by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic (DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Macf ...
.
Career
Early EPs
The self-titled Hector Bizerk EP was self recorded, and released on 5 June 2011.
The initial launch of Hector Bizerk was a sold out show at
13th Note in King Street, Glasgow. Their first national radio play came as the song 'Burst Love' was picked up by
Ally McCrae
Ally McCrae (born 1987) is a radio DJ best known for presenting the BBC Introducing show on BBC Radio 1 with Jen Long. He previously presented the BBC Introducing in Scotland show until it ended in June 2012. He is co-creator of Detour Scotland.
I ...
at
BBC Radio One
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
. The track was later selected as BBC Introducing's Track of the Month.
The Living Off Rhyme EP was again self released, and came out on 8 November 2011. It features the first appearance of Jennifer Muir, as guest vocalist on 'Hiatus'.
''Living Off Rhyme'' was officially released with a live session on BBC Introducing. The session first introduced Alt-J to Hector Bizerk who later requested Hector Bizerk to play alongside them.
Drums. Rap. Yes.
In 2012, the band played the BBC Introducing stage at T In the Park.
The band's debut studio recording was released on 13 August 2012. It was received well by critics, and achieved national radio play on BBC Radio 1.
The launch of ''Drums.Rap.Yes'' took place in
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts.
The Glasgow live music venue takes its name from a ...
. The show was included in The Evening Times' top ten gigs of 2012.
Nobody Seen Nothing
Following the release of ''Drums. Rap. Yes.'' the band were asked to play the T Break stage at T in the Park in 2013, one of around 100 live shows played that year.
The band's second full length recording was released at an event the band called 'The Hectember Weekend' on 21 and 22 September 2013. To the original line up of Audrey and Louie were added Jennifer Muir (synth, vocal) and Fraser Sneddon (bass). As with ''Drums. Rap. Yes.'' the album was received well critically, and was later shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2014.
Later EPs
In September 2014, the band released ''The Fish That Never Swam'' (EP), followed by ''The Bird That Never Flew'' (EP) in November 2014. The titles of these EPs are a reference to Glasgow's coat of arms and the
Miracles of St Mungo.
The second EP was released at an event at The Poetry Club in Glasgow.
The EP was accompanied by a film based on the work of Pearl Kinnear, who designed their logo and often produces artwork onstage during their live shows. However the EP is particularly notable for the appearance of
Liz Lochhead
Liz Lochhead Hon FRSE (born 26 December 1947) is a Scottish poet, playwright, translator and broadcaster. Between 2011 and 2016 she was the Makar, or National Poet of Scotland, and served as Poet Laureate for Glasgow between 2005 and 2011.
E ...
on the track 'Trouble is not a Place'.
In January 2015 it was announced that the band would perform at South by Southwest 2015, with support from
Creative Scotland
Creative Scotland ( gd, Alba Chruthachail ; sco, Creative Scotlan) is the development body for the arts and creative industries in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, it is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government.
The o ...
, along with other Scottish artists including
The Twilight Sad
The Twilight Sad are a Scottish post-punk/indie rock band, comprising James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar), Johnny Docherty (bass), Brendan Smith (keyboards) and Grant Hutchison (drums). They have released five studio albums, as well ...
and
Roddy Hart & The Lonesome Fire.
February 2015 saw the release of The Bell That Never Rang EP, the third instalment of the bands Glasgow Series, based in the tales of St Mungo.
In April 2016, the band released the last of the four "Glasgow EPs," entitled The Tree That Never Grew. This EP was notable for its collaborations, including with
RM Hubbert
RM Hubbert (Robert McArthur Hubbert, born 12 May 1974 in Glasgow, Scotland), commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, ...
on the title track,
Be Charlotte
BE or be may refer to:
Linguistics
* ''To be'', the English copular verb
* Be (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet
* ''be'' (interjection), in several languages
* Be language or Ong Be, a language of northern Hainan province, China
*Bl ...
on "Empty Jackets" and
Pronto Mama
Pronto, stylized as PRONTO, is the second-generation contactless payment system for automated fare collection on public transit services in San Diego County, California. The system is managed by the San Diego Association of Governments, opera ...
vocalist Marc Rooney on two tracks.
Tracks from The Fish That Never Swam, The Bell That Never Rang and The Tree That Never Grew were subsequently compiled on the band's final album "The Second City Of The Empire," released in April 2016.
Awards
The band won the 2014 ''Best Hip Hop'' Award at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards, and were shortlisted for the 2014
Scottish Album of the Year Award
The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is an award given annually for an outstanding album produced by a Scottish artist. The award was launched in 2012 by thScottish Music Industry Association(SMIA) in partnership with Creative Scotland
Cre ...
, alongside
CHVRCHES
Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriving f ...
,
Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogw ...
and
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have r ...
. Audrey was a finalist in the 2014 international ''Hit Like A Girl'' competition for female drummers, coming 12th overall.
Logo and Artwork
Pearl Kinnear
The Hector Bizerk logo and ''Nobody Seen Nothing'' artwork are by Scottish visual artist Pearl Kinnear, with whom the band have a long relationship.
Kinnear studied to gain her B.A. (Hons) at
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) is part of the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. It is ranked as one of the top schools of art and design in the United Kingdom.
History
Attempts were made to establish an art scho ...
, Dundee and went on to complete an MFA at
Belfast College of Art
The Belfast School of Art, is a School in thUlster University Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciencesand is physically located at the Belfast campus. Following the results of the Research Excellence Framework 2014 Ulster is ranked within ...
.
Discography
Hector Bizerk EP (September 2011)
Living Off Rhyme EP (November 2011)
Drums. Rap. Yes. (August 2012)
Nobody Seen Nothing (February 2014)
The Fish That Never Swam EP (September 2014)
The Bird That Never Flew EP (November 2014)
References
Evening Times interviewInterview with National Geographic
External links
BBC, Hector Bizerk Clips
{{Authority control
Scottish hip hop groups