Bloody Knees

Bloody Knees
Bloody Knees performing live in 2016
Background information
OriginPapworth Everard, Cambridgeshire, U.K.
Genres
Years active2012–present
LabelsDog Knights, Art is Hard, Distiller
Spinoff ofFive Minutes of Fame
Members
  • Bradley Griffiths
  • Sam Conway
  • Christian Wilkes
  • Tom Wilkes

Bloody Knees are an English rock band formed in Papworth Everard in 2012. Combining elements of emo, grunge, Britpop and indie rock, they helped to establish the 2010s British emo and lo-fi music scenes. They released three solo extended plays, as well as a split EP with Brighton band Birdskulls. Their debut album What Else was release on 13 March 2016.

Bloody Knees has its origins in indie rock band Five Minutes of Fame, which disbanded when its members began attending various universities across the United Kingdom. The band's vocalist Bradley Griffiths soon dropped out of his university in Portsmouth, and began writing music. Discussing these songs with Five Minutes of Fame bassist Sam Conway and, their childhood friends, brothers Christian "Scotchy" Wilkes (guitar) and Tom Wilkes (drums), the four formed Bloody Knees upon returning home during their 2012 Easter holidays. They released their debut, self-titled EP the next year, followed in 2014 by their split EP with Birdskulls and solo EP Stitches. During the 2010s, the band toured extensively, their 2016 tour with Wolf Alice and Swim Deep being the subject of the docu-drama On the Road (2016). Their fourth EP You Can Have It was released in 2018. Around 2019, the entered an informal hiatus, performing live sporadically. They announced the end of their hiatus in January 2026.

History

2012: Formation

The members of Bloody Knees met while attending primary school in Papworth Everard.[1] Vocalist and guitarist Bradley Griffiths and bassist Sam Conway formed their first band together, Five Minutes of Fame, when they were thirteen years old. The band played indie rock and were a part of the blog rock movement.[2]

Five Minutes Of Fame disbanded when the members began attending separate universities across the United Kingdom. Soon, Griffiths dropped out of university, but stayed living in his university town of Portsmouth, where he began to write music again. Discussing his writing with Conway, as well as brothers Christian "Scotchy" Wilkes (guitar) and Tom Wilkes (drums), they planned to record the songs when they returned home for the Easter holidays.[2] Bloody Knees officially formed in 2012.[3] Publications variously described the band as based in Brighton,[4] London,[5][6] Southsea[7] and Cambridge,[8] in a 2014 interview with Punktastic they called Brighton their home scene.[9] Their name was dervied from how the band's early were songs were written while Griffiths had cuts on his knees, sustained from skating. In a 2026 interview with Boys by Girls, he stated of the name "it was quite reflective of being young, skating and not really giving a fuck".[2]

2013–2016: Bloody Knees, split EP and Stitches

On 6 June 2013, they released the single "Dead", premiered by Punktastic.[10] The song was a part of their debut, self-titled EP, released on 17 June.[11] On 24 February 2014, they released a split EP with Birdskulls.[12] On 29 July, they released the EP Stitches through Dog Knights Productions.[13] The band had been recommended to the label by signees Nai Harvest.[12] On 23 and 24 August, they performed at Reading and Leeds Festivals.[14] On 11 September, they release the single "Daydream".[15] Between 11 and 28 September, they toured the United Kingdom supporting Honeyblood.[16] Between 23 March and 10 April 2015, they supported Wolf Alice on some dates of their UK tour with the Magic Gang.[17] On 5 August 2015, they released the single "Stitches" and embarked on a UK tour with Cerebral Ballzy, concluding on 14 August, then performing at Reading and Leeds Festivals.[18]

During March 2016, they supported Wolf Alice on their UK headline tour, alongside Swim Deep.[19] The tour was the subject of the docu-drama On the Road,[20] which premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October of that year.[21] On 24 March, they released the single "I Want It All".[22] On 4 and 5 December, they took part in the Bands 4 Refugees concert, raising money for global refugee crisis, alongside Wolf Alice, the Vaccines, Soft Play and Alt-J,[23] at London venue Kamio.[24]

2017–present: You Can Have It, hiatus and What Else

On 7 Augusy 2017, they released the single "Not Done", announcing it would a part of their upcoming EP Maybe It’s Easy, set for a release on 13 October, through Distiller Records.[25][26] On 6 October 2017, they released the single "Maybe It's Easy".[27] The Maybe It's Easy EP was premiered on 12 October by DIY.[28] Between 14 October and 9 December, they toured the United Kingdom.[27] During their April 2018 European headline tour, their equipment was stolen, leading them to launch a crowdfunder on 9 April. Wolf Alice lent them guitars for the remainder of the tour.[29] On 13 August, they released the single "Spinning", premiered by BBC Radio 1 on Daniel P. Carter's Show Show.[30] in addition to a music video directed by Samuel Taylor.[31] On 6 September, they released the single "Reel", premiered by Wonderland magazine.[8] Which was released as a part of their third EP You Can Have It, set for release on 5 October through a Distiller Records. Between 8 and 27 October, they headlined a tour of England.[32]

On 19 November 2018, they released the single "Something Nice". They entered the studio in March 2020 to record their debut full-length album,[33] In the following years, the band entered an informal, infrequent hiatus, performing sporadically.[34] On 8 January 2026, they released the single "What Else".[33] The following day, they announced the album's release. It was released as What Else on 13 March.[34] On 19 January, they released the second single "My Paradise", followed on 19 February by the ballad "Be More". Soon, they announced a United Kingdom comeback tour, between 21 and 27 May, organised by Outbreak Festival.[33]

Musical style and legacy

Critics have categorised Bloody Knees' music as emo,[35][14] emo grunge,[36][37] indie rock,[38][39] skate punk[18][40] and garage punk.[41][32] Asier Lozano, co-founder of Spanish magazine Dod called them "brit-grunge",[42] while DIY called the band "slacker-punk", mentioning their embrace of elements of the garage rock revival, as well as "what Nathan Williams fronting the Misfits would sound like".[7] Vice Media described them as "Not dissimilar to gritty UK pop-punk bands like Gnarwolves and Birdskulls", but with "surf-pop guitar hooks that crash into a very British kind of melancholy".[13] Counterfeit magazine called them "a less polished version of Eagulls".[19] Stereogum called them "like Blue Album era Weezer if they'd hewed closer to Nirvana than Pavement".[43]

Their music incorporates garage rock-inspired vocal melodies,[44] grunge elements,[45] distorted guitars with lead guitar hooks[46] and gritty vocals.[47] Often songs feature high tempos,[48] although some songs are slower, particularly "Spinning".[30] Their earliest material was garage punk, evolving by 2018 to also include elements of pop-punk, grunge and Britpop.[34] In a 2018 interview with DIY, Griffiths said their songs are often written to encourage the live atmosphere.[49]

Bloody Knees cite influences including Jimmy Eat World, Saves the Day, Alkaline Trio,[12] Nirvana, Oasis,[1] Don Broco,[50] the Misfits[2] and Lemmy of Motörhead.[51] On What Else (2026), they were influenced the Dandy Warhols and DMA's.[33]

The BBC credited the band with helping to establish a resurgence of emo and lo-fi music in the United Kingdom,[14] with a 2014 Vice article called them and other signees of Dog Knights Productions "the shining light in the UK’s recent bleeding guitar resurgence".[52] In a 2016 article, Vice called them "the gnarliest, most hard-working and reckless crews in British music".[53] A 2015 NME article noted them as a forefront band in the British DIY music scene of the 2010s, alongside Birdskulls and Nai Harvest.[54]

Members

  • Bradley Griffiths – vocals, guitar
  • Sam Conway – bass
  • Christian "Scotchy" Wilkes – guitar
  • Tom Wilkes – drums

Discography

Studio albums

  • What Else (2026)

EPs

  • Bloody Knees (2013)
  • Birdskulls / Bloody Knees (2014; split EP with Birdskulls)
  • Stitches (2014)
  • You Can Have It (2018)

References

  1. ^ a b "In The Moment – With Bloody Knees". Vice Media. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d Mayanne, Sophie. "BBG Presents: Bloody Knees". Boys By Girls. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  3. ^ Daly, Rhian (13 October 2014). "Bloody Knees to play London Halloween show". NME. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Bloody Knees create the mother of all freakouts with 'Daydream' video". DIY. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  5. ^ "So Young Magazine - Bloody Knees release video for new single 'Spinning' - A fully illustrated new music magazine". So Young Magazine. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  6. ^ Daly, Rhian (8 April 2018). "Bloody Knees launch GoFundMe page after van full of gear stolen". NME. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  7. ^ a b Walters, Tom (8 October 2012). "Bloody Knees". DIY. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Bloody Knees premiere visuals for "Reel" | Wonderland Magazine". Wonderland. 6 September 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  9. ^ Bradley Griffiths, Sam Conway (4 September 2014). Bloody Knees - Interview at Reading Festival 2014 (interview). Punktastic. Event occurs at 5m. Retrieved 25 February 2025. I don't really I don't really care that's fair we're not really massively involved in any particular scene like we have our little all the Brighton bands... I wouldn't say like we're part of like ten bands that are bringing back some grunge revival
  10. ^ Aylott, Tom. "Bloody Knees post brand new song online with Punktastic". www.punktastic.com. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Bloody Knees EP Stream". Vice Media. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  12. ^ a b c Jones, Ross (21 July 2014). "LISTEN: BLOODY KNEES - DAYDREAM". Wax Music. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  13. ^ a b "Catalogue #16: Bloody Knees - Stitches EP". Vice Media. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  14. ^ a b c "Reading + Leeds 2014 - Bloody Knees". BBC. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  15. ^ "New Bloody Knees Video '(Daydream')". Already Heard. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  16. ^ "Bloody Knees to Support Honeyblood on UK Tour". Already Heard. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  17. ^ "The Magic Gang, Crows and Bloody Knees to join Wolf Alice on UK tour". DIY. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  18. ^ a b "Bloody Knees Posts 'Stitches' EP Title Track". Already Heard. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  19. ^ a b SYKES, GARY (30 March 2016). "Wolf Alice: O2 Academy, Leeds — Counterfeit Magazine". Counterfeit Magazine. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  20. ^ Felperin, Leslie (9 October 2016). "'On the Road': Film Review | London Film Festival 2016". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  21. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (10 October 2016). "On the Road review – Michael Winterbottom's erotic music doc is a euphoric joy". the Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  22. ^ Tipple, Ben. "Bloody Knees return with 'I Want It All'". www.punktastic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  23. ^ Roberts, Sarah (1 December 2016). "British music gets its act together for a good cause". GQ. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  24. ^ Daly, Rhian (10 February 2017). "VO5 NME Awards 2017: Relive what happened the first time Bands 4 Refugees got together". NME. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  25. ^ Lohan, Aaron. "Bloody Knees release video for 'Not Done'". www.punktastic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  26. ^ Murray, Robin (5 October 2017). "The New Bloody Knees Video Is Utterly Ridiculous". Clash. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  27. ^ a b Lohan, Aaron. "Bloody Knees release new video for 'Maybe It's Easy'". www.punktastic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Stream Bloody Knees' new EP 'Maybe It's Easy' in full". DIY. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  29. ^ "Bloody Knees are crowdfunding to replace stolen kit". BBC. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  30. ^ a b Forrest, Jo (23 July 2018). "Bloody Knees return with new single 'Spinning'". TotalNtertainment. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  31. ^ "Bloody Knees 'Spinning' by Samuel Taylor | Videos". Promonewstv. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  32. ^ a b "Bloody Knees unveil video for new single 'Reel' and announce new EP 'You Can Have It'". DIY. 7 September 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  33. ^ a b c d Shah, Rishi. "Looking Back to Look Forward: Inside The Long-Awaited Return of Bloody Knees - Stereoboard". Stereoboard.com. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  34. ^ a b c Silbermann-Schön, Jonas (9 January 2026). "UK-Grunge-Punks Bloody Knees kündigen Debütalbum nach Bandpause an". VISIONS.de (in German). Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  35. ^ Bhandari, Ashwin. "LIVE: Bloody Knees / Abattoir Blues / Birdskulls / Broadbay @ Sebright Arms, London". www.punktastic.com. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  36. ^ "Bloody Knees – Stitches EP". [sic] magazine. 26 August 2014. UK emo-grunge from the rather excellent Dogs Knight Productions stable
  37. ^ "2016 Tasting Notes". [sic] magazine. 22 November 2015. Better than most all the same, which can equally be said of touring machine Bloody Knees. To their credit they are currently in the studio, but have yet to share any results. When that session does drop though, you can most assuredly expect more emo-grunge pogoing aplenty
  38. ^ Murray, Robin (24 July 2018). "Listen: Bloody Knees - 'Spinning'". Clash. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  39. ^ "Bloody Knees - 'Spinning'". When The Horn Blows. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  40. ^ "TOUR NEWS". NME: 61. 30 August 2014. Bloody Knees: The Cambridge skatepunk quartet
  41. ^ Tipple, Ben. "Bloody Knees reveal video for 'Daydream'". www.punktastic.com. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  42. ^ Lozano, Asier (6 August 2017). "Conoce el enérgico brit-grunge de Bloody Knees con su nuevo single 'Not Done'". dod Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  43. ^ DeVille, Chris (29 July 2014). "Bloody Knees - "Stitches" (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  44. ^ Smith, Thomas (8 August 2017). "Bloody Knees go exploring in the wild video for 'Not Done'". NME. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  45. ^ Daly, Rhian (16 November 2013). "Cerebral Ballzy kick off the Monster NME Radar tour with sweaty Cambridge show". NME. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  46. ^ Lloyd-Kinnings, Lewis (20 April 2015). "Outside the Bubble: Live Review – Wolf Alice + The Magic Gang + Bloody Knees @ The Junction, Cambridge, 10/4/15". The Bubble. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  47. ^ Tipple, Ben. "LIVE: DZ Deathrays, Bloody Knees @ The Shacklewell Arms, London". www.punktastic.com. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  48. ^ "Live Report: Southsea Fest 2014". Clash. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  49. ^ "Bloody Knees return with new single 'Spinning'". DIY. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  50. ^ "BAND OF THE MONTH...BLOODY KNEES". London On The Inside. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  51. ^ "Bloody Knees". Fred Perry. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  52. ^ Bassil, Ryan (7 July 2014). "PREMIERE: Bloody Knees - "Daydream"". Vice Media. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  53. ^ "Get Your Plasters at the Ready, Bloody Knees are Back with New Track "I Want It All"". Vice Media. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  54. ^ Daly, Rhian (18 May 2015). "MIA, Mac DeMarco, Lana Del Rey And More: This Week's 20 Most Essential New Tracks". NME. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
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