The Utopia Strong

The Utopia Strong
The Utopia Strong at The Horn, St Albans in 2025
Background information
OriginGlastonbury, England
Genres
Years active2018–present
Labels
  • Rocket Recordings
  • GLS
Members

The Utopia Strong are a British electronic band formed in Glastonbury, England in 2018. The group consists of Steve Davis, Kavus Torabi, and Michael J. York. They released their self-titled debut album in 2019 and their second, International Treasure, in 2022.

History

The Utopia Strong originated from an experimental improvised session in Glastonbury on the evening of 2 January 2018,[2][3] where they left a recorder running through their 13-hour session.[4] Steve Davis, a six-time World Snooker Champion, was recognised for his love of progressive rock, soul and jazz-funk. He booked the French progressive rock band Magma to play three sold-out nights at the Bloomsbury Theatre and later became a DJ with the radio show Interesting Alternative on Phoenix FM.[5] At a Magma gig, Davis bonded with Iranian-born musician Kavus Torabi,[6] a storied guitarist with Gong and Cardiacs.[5] Davis and Torabi met multi-instrumentalist Michael J. York of Coil after DJing at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival, and the three decided to form a band.[5][7] In the Utopia Strong, Davis plays analogue modular synth.[8] The band have been described as a supergroup.[9][10]

The Utopia Strong’s debut gig was a modular synthesiser trade show, in surroundings "so cramped that Davis kept thinking of the scene in Airplane! when a flailing guitar results in the sick child losing his drip."[6] The band released the ten-minute long track "Brainsurgeons 3" on 11 June 2019, and their self-titled debut album on 13 September 2019 on Rocket Recordings.[11][12] The album features a guest vocal appearance by Mediæval Bæbes' Katharine Blake.[13]

The Utopia Strong's second album International Treasure was released in 2022.[14] The Quietus listed the album at number 25 on their Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022.[15] The band appeared on BBC Breakfast on 25 March 2023.[16] They supported Steve Hillage's 2023 UK tour, with Torabi also a member of Hillage's backing band.[17][18]

The Utopia Strong played a live set at Acid Horse 2025, a Wiltshire festival co-organised by John Doran of The Quietus, for which Torabi had been on a previous bill.[19] The band headlined the 2025 Angel Field Festival at Capstone Theatre in Liverpool Hope University's creative campus.[20] Their third[10] or fourth album[21] Doperider was released on 10 October 2025 on Rocket, with the first single "Harpies" featuring vocals by Blake.[22]

Torabi has said that the Utopia Strong influences his work with Gong, and vice versa.[23]

Members

Adapted from The BBC Sessions (2024) liner notes.

Discography

Studio albums

  • The Utopia Strong (Rocket, 2019)
  • International Treasure (Rocket, 2022)
  • Collapse (self-released, 2025)[24][25]
  • Doperider (Rocket, 2025)

Live albums

  • Alphabet of the Magi (self-released, 2020)[26]
  • Dreamsweeper (self-released, 2020)[27]
  • Ninth Art (self-released, 2021)[28]
  • Gyre (self-released, 2023)[29]
  • The BBC Sessions (Rocket, 2024)[30]

Singles

  • "Brainsurgeons 3" (2019, The Utopia Strong)[31]
  • "Konta Chorus" (2019, The Utopia Strong)[32]
  • "Strange Altar" (2019)[33]
  • "Shepherdess" (2022, International Treasure)[34]
  • "Castalia" (2022, International Treasure)[35]
  • "Gatekeeper" (2023, Golden Lion Sounds)[36]
  • "Lamp of Glory" (2024, The BBC Sessions)[37]
  • "Harpies" (2025, Doperider)[38]
  • "The Atavist" (2025, Doperider)

Remixes

  • "Rechargeable" (2019, with Snapped Ankles)[39]

Appearances

  • "Harpies" (2023, Rocket Recordings: Launch300)[40][41]
  • "Old Mathers" (2025, Ein Null: 10 Years Of Sprechen)[42]

References

  1. ^ "Kavus torabi". Prog Magazine. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024 – via Readly.
  2. ^ "The Utopia Strong and Dextro at The Cluny, Newcastle". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  3. ^ Trenwith, Roger (1 October 2019). "The Utopia Strong – The Utopia Strong [plus interview with Steve Davis]". The Progressive Aspect. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  4. ^ Allen, Jeremy (27 August 2025). "How The Utopia Strong made International Treasure". Prog. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Buchanan, John D. "The Utopia Strong Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b Smith, Aidan (4 April 2021). "Steve Davis: From snooker to DJ to having his own prog rock band. Interesting!". The Scotsman. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  7. ^ Marszalek, Julian (10 January 2024). ""Is it a strange fusion that manifests and reveals itself with repeated listens? The result is the kind of weirdness that ran through the works of HP Lovecraft": The Witching Tale's What Magic Is This?". Prog. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  8. ^ Davis, Steve (21 October 2025) [feature originally appeared in Classic Rock 181, pubished in March 2013.]. "Steve Davis: My 10 favourite pieces of experimental music". Classic Rock. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  9. ^ Pearis, Bill (10 October 2025). "Album reviews (10/10): Besnard Lakes, Richard Ashcroft, more". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  10. ^ a b Marszalek, Julian (23 October 2025). "The Utopia Strong's Doperider is an epic psychonaut's journey". Prog. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  11. ^ Ewing, Jerry (11 June 2019). "Steve Davis and Kavus Torabi release first new music from Utopia Strong". Prog. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  12. ^ Matt, Butler (15 September 2019). "Snooker legend Steve Davis and his 'surreal journey' into releasing album of synth music on vinyl". i. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  13. ^ Martin, Liam. "The Utopia Strong - The Utopia Strong Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  14. ^ Hughes, Rob (10 June 2022). "The Utopia Strong - International Treasure: "a triumph of foraging spontaneity"". Prog. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  15. ^ Turner, Luke (4 July 2022). "The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022". The Quietus. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  16. ^ Askew, Robin (31 March 2023). "Review: The Steve Hillage Band/The Utopia Strong, O2 Academy". Bristol24/7. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  17. ^ Ewing, Jerry (7 September 2022). "Steve Hillage announces 2023 UK tour". Prog. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  18. ^ Dickson, Jamie (18 April 2023). "Six-string psychonaut Kavus Torabi on the mythology of Gong, Hotel California moments with Steve Hillage and his epiphany with scales". Guitarist. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Matmos, Scotch Rolex, The Utopia Strong and More to Play Acid Horse 2025". The Quietus. 28 February 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Snooker legend Steve Davis to headline Liverpool music festival". BBC News. 10 March 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  21. ^ Foster, Richard (13 October 2025). "The Utopia Strong – Doperider". The Quietus. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  22. ^ "New songs: Joey Bada$$, Amanda Shires, Geese, more". BrooklynVegan. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  23. ^ Hughes, Rob (1 October 2024). ""The interesting thing about going mad is you don't realise you are… I think I'd become unbearable to live with": Kavus Torabi's new solo album brought him back from insanity in an almost religious way". Prog. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  24. ^ https://theutopiastrong.bandcamp.com/album/collapse
  25. ^ https://theutopiastrong.bandcamp.com/community?sid=1822493&st=sm
  26. ^ The Utopia Stong (13 February 2020). "Alphabet of the Magi". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  27. ^ The Utopia Stong (14 July 2020). "Dreamsweeper". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  28. ^ The Utopia Stong (4 December 2020). "Ninth Art". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  29. ^ The Utopia Stong (3 February 2023). "Gyre". Bandcamp. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  30. ^ Ewing, Jerry (1 February 2024). "The Utopia Strong announce new BBC Sessions album". Prog. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  31. ^ Paxton, Gillian (11 June 2019). "LISTEN: Debut Single From The Utopia Strong". The Quietus. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  32. ^ Clarke, Patrick (13 August 2019). "Watch: New Utopia Strong Video". The Quietus. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  33. ^ Edwards, Briony (6 December 2019). "The Utopia Strong's track by track guide to their self-titled new album". Louder. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  34. ^ Ewing, Jerry (8 March 2022). "The Utopia Strong return with video for Shepherdess". Prog. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  35. ^ Ewing, Jerry (10 May 2022). "The Utopia Strong release video for optimistic new single Castalia". Prog. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  36. ^ "The Utopia Strong x DBH - GLS 014 | The Utopia Strong x DBH". Golden Lion Sounds. 24 February 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023 – via Bandcamp.
  37. ^ Ewing, Jerry (2 February 2024). "New prog music you have to hear from The Pineapple Thief, The Utopia Strong, The C Sides Project and more in Prog's Tracks Of The Week". Prog. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  38. ^ Ewing, Jerry (27 August 2025). ""We are making psychedelic music or, if you will, head music." Steve Davis, Kavus Torabi and Mike York announce new The Utopia Strong album and share new track Harpies". Prog. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  39. ^ "Rechargeable (The Utopia Strong Remix) | Snapped Ankles, The Utopia Strong". Bandcamp. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  40. ^ Kilkenny, James (29 June 2023). "Rocket Recordings: Launch300 – Album Review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  41. ^ Bočev, Danijela (30 June 2023). "Features | Reissue Of The Week | Compilation Of The Week: Rocket Recordings 25th Anniversary Launch300". The Quietus. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  42. ^ "Ein Null: 10 Years Of Sprechen | Various". Sprechen. Retrieved 5 August 2025 – via Bandcamp.
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