Hookworms were an English five-piece

neo-psychedelic rock Neo-psychedelia is a diverse genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the sounds of 1960s psychedelia, either updating or copying the approaches from that era. Originating in the 1970s, it has occasionally seen mainstream pop su ...

band from

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

/ Halifax that formed in 2010. Between 2010 and 2018 the band released 3 studio albums and became known for their live shows. Anonymous allegations of abuse by an unnamed woman that were reported by a third party against the band’s singer saw the dissolution of the Hookworms in 2018.

Biography

Hookworms released their first tape cassette EP on Sun Araw's Sun Ark/Magic Lantern label in August 2011. They were known for their live shows. They released live recordings (including a CD release of their

WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, in ...

live session) and several other releases through

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 t ...

. In 2013 Hookworms signed with the

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...

imprint Weird World; they also joined the

Too Pure Too Pure was a London-based independent record label formed in 1990 by Richard Roberts and Paul Cox. The label gained prominence after the release of PJ Harvey's debut album '' Dry'' in 1992, and subsequently found further success in the late ...

roster with their single "Radio Tokyo." Hookworm's 2013 LP ''Pearl Mystic'' was widely praised. It was named the number 1 album of 2013 by

Loud and Quiet ''Loud and Quiet'' is a British bi-monthly music magazine that focuses on new music from underground indie, alternative, electronic and hip hop artists. History and profile The magazine was founded in January 2005 by Stuart Stubbs as a home-print ...

BrooklynVegan ''BrooklynVegan'' is an American online music magazine founded in 2004 by David Levine. The company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, United States and originally focused on vegan food and the music community in and around New York City, ...

, and

Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...

. Their second LP ''The Hum'' also received positive critical reviews. The band was composed of EO, JN, JW, MB, and MJ. They produced through MJ's own Suburban Home Studio in Leeds. All related art was done through JW'
Idiot's Pasture
Fans of Hookworms included

Bobby Gillespie Robert "Bobby" Gillespie (born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer, founding member, and primary lyricist of the alternative rock band Primal Scream. He was also ...

Charlotte Church Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed, 21 February 1986) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress, television presenter and political activist from Cardiff. Church rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching i ...

, and

Julian Cope Julian David Cope (born 21 October 1957) is an English musician and author. He was the singer and songwriter in Liverpool post-punk band the Teardrop Explodes and has followed a solo career since 1983 in addition to working on musical side proj ...

, who described their 2011 EP as "an epic 26 minutes of sub-

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ambient road-movie heat haze-on-the-road sonic wipeout of the post-

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variety." On 30 October 2018, Alanna McCardle - formerly a member of Welsh group

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and a former partner of Hookworms singer Matthew Johnson - took to Twitter to post a series of tweets on behalf of another unnamed woman, referred to only as 'L', who had also been in a relationship with Johnson. In the tweets, McCardle reported allegations made to her by 'L' of her experience of sexual assault by Matthew 'MJ' Johnson. Johnson issued a statement denying the accusations. In her assessment of the allegations, McCardle called attention to the frequent and strident messages posted by the official Hookworms social media accounts as well as Johnson's own personal accounts regarding their staunch feminist and anti-abuse ethic - particularly in the context of the music industry. McCardle suggested that this was a strategy intended to somehow mitigate or distract from Johnson's alleged history of abusive behaviour. The next day, the band announced their breakup. In the aftermath of the widely covered allegations made against the singer on Twitter which resulted in the band's breakup - Johnson appeared to remove himself entirely from social media. The website for, and most references to, his recording studio business also appear to have been largely removed from the internet. In March 2020, Johnson brought legal proceedings against McCardle and ‘L’ for malicious falsehood and defamation. This litigation was subsequently withdrawn in May 2021, following the withdrawal of the McCardle's blogpost. To date, 'L' remains anonymous.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Pearl Mystic'' –

(UK), Domino Records (rest of world), LP/CD/MP3 (2013) *''

The Hum The Hum is a name often given to widespread reports of a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise audible to many but not all people. Hums have been reported all over the world, including the United States, the Un ...

'' – Domino Records, LP/CD/MP3 (2014) *'' Microshift'' – Domino Records, LP/CD/MP3 (2018)

Full lengths

*''Hookworms'' – Sun Ark/Magic Lantern, Cassette (2011) *''Hookworms'' –

/Faux Discx, 12" LP/MP3 (2011)

Singles

*Split w/ Kogumaza –

, 7"/MP3 (2012) *''Radio Tokyo/On Returning'' –

Singles Club release, 7" (2013)

Live releases / Compilation appearances / Remixes

*"''Starting Line''": Runners Remix – Dummy Mag, 12" single/MP3 (2011) *''Live Vol. 1'' – Self release, Cassette/MP3 (2012) *''Spur: Volume One'' Compilation, w/ "''Deu''" – Magnetic Tapes, Cassette (2012) *''Live Vol. 2'':

session – Cardinal Fuzz, CD & DVD (2012) *"''Bodies''":

Mazes A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...

Remix –

Fat Cat Records FatCat Records is an English independent record label based in Brighton. The label's output reaches into many styles including experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic folk, contemporary classical, noise and post-punk. Notable artists that ...

, Cassette/MP3 (2012) *"''Run To Your Mama''": MJ

Goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

Remix – Rocket Recordings

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

release, 12"/CD (2012) *''Psych For Sore Eyes'' EP compilation, w/ "''The Correspondent''" – Sonic Cathedral, 7" (2013) *''Live Vol. 3'' – Domino Records, Rough Trade exclusive "The Hum" bonus CD (2014)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hookworms English psychedelic rock music groups Neo-psychedelia groups English space rock musical groups Musical groups established in 2010 Musical groups disestablished in 2018 Musical groups from Leeds 2010 establishments in England