Knives share new track ‘The Dagger’ from upcoming debut album

Bristolian noise-collective Knives have announced their debut album, “GLITTER“, scheduled for release on Marshall Records on 2 May 2025. This announcement coincides with the band’s new single, “THE DAGGER“, a caustic and riotous anti-anthem that perfectly sets the scene for what’s to come.

Along with the announcement, the band has shared UK/EU headline tour dates starting in April 2025. Fans can find ticket information, stream the new single and pre-order the album HERE.

Knives isn’t just a band; it’s a movement. Their music serves as a manifesto for inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment within the alternative music scene. Through their music and live performances, Knives aims to cultivate a community that celebrates marginalised voices—an inclusive space of rebellion for people of colour and the LGBTQ+ community.

“We’re all completely different people, from different backgrounds“, bassist Ben Marshall comments. “It’s a space I’m happy to have curated because growing up and listening to Metallica, I would never find other black people in that audience. Now we have so many queer and people of colour coming to our shows, and it feels nice to have been able to cultivate a place like that. Creating a place where people feel they belong“.

“GLITTER” was recorded in the Welsh Valleys at Giant Wafer Studios in Llanbadarn Fynydd, under the watchful eye of producer-engineer, close friend and collaborator Dominic Bailey-Clay (Death Goals, Dream Wave, The Byker Grove Fan Club). The album channels the band’s diverse influences, pooling from hardcore, post-punk, alt-rock, and experimental jazz—into a cohesive yet unpredictable experience.

Drenched in angular flashes of anger, “GLITTER“ remains deeply rooted in overwhelming positivity. Knives want to be a tool for good in a scene that often forgets its roots. By promoting inclusivity and diversity and celebrating this as much as possible in their art, the band understands that it is an ongoing commitment.

Knives’ latest single, “THE DAGGER“ addresses—through gritted teeth—the cultural divide immigrants encounter upon arriving in the UK and how the rise of extremist right-wing political influence fosters a hostile environment for those searching for a better life.

“The lyric ‘what’s a knight to a king to a queen to a pawn’ is a crucial reference to how right-wing groups manipulate their influence over the working class, leading them to believe that immigration is to blame for their rising bills and the increase in crime.These voices seek to evade all responsibility after neglecting to lead the country for the past 14 years! This is my favourite lyric on the track, written during the rise of Islamophobia in 2024 when the horrific riots swept across the country.”

Formed in 2022 by vocalist Jay Schottlander and drummer Erin Cook whilst at university in their hometown of Bristol, a chance to make their stamp on the city’s uniquely bold music scene, the pair set out to find more likeminded individuals to make their vision a reality. From their various peer groups around campus to those standing in the crowds at their early shows, talent and tenacity were everywhere, ready for reaping. Before long, their monster had grown a whole set of new limbs with a whole host of new perspectives and backgrounds.

The result is a melting pot of inspiration and innovation, pushing and pulling between different lived experiences and musical journeys. From punishing bouts of hardcore fury to gritty flourishes of post-punk intensity, loose strands of quick-witted alt-rock to shimmering waves of free-flowing experimental jazz, the eventually assembled sextet proclaimed to leave no stone unturned, unafraid of leaping over boundaries in pursuit of covering previously unchartered ground.

Such exuberance and excitement for crafting a whole new space resulted in the swift creation of 2023’s debut EP, ‘Newshounds‘, a raw and rallying burst of fresh and fierce energy. 2024 saw the band build on those foundations with ‘What We See In Their Eyes’, a collection of songs that burrowed even deeper into the subconscious, a sign of what happens when you allow different energies to co-exist in their unique harmony.

“We’ve always had the same ideologies and ideas of what we think, believe in, and stand for,” guitarist Dan Farren comments. “I think that’s why we are so close as a band, because of how we view the world in general, and that comes across in the music we make, why we can bring so many different ideas to life. There is a method to the madness.”

With their debut full-length ‘GLITTER‘, their first release as part of the Marshall Records roster, the band have fine-tuned their bedlam into something truly spectacular, from lining up seven guitar pedals at a time to seeing what unrelenting noises could be conjured from them to making sure that nobody was left to track their parts alone – someone always on hand to offer up suggestions, advice or support – collective creativity and unbridled confidence were at an all-time high. The floodgates were constantly open, the potential of something making the final cut always lingering.

To deliver something unlike anything you have heard before, to offer a space where diverse opportunities are scarce, and to foster a community where anyone can play their part is only the tip of the iceberg for what Knives can do. Throw in performances at 2000trees Festival and Forwards in the UK, along with Loose Ends in the Netherlands, and shows alongside DZ Deathrays, CLT DRP, Wargasm, and Enola Gay, and the band quickly established themselves as a true force to be reckoned with. As they set sail into new unexplored waters, with every avenue before them there for the taking, there is just one question to ask. Are you going to join them?