Kneejerk were formed in the mid nineties by three friends at school who had developed a love for hardcore. They became enamoured with the emo of the time and coloured the more abrasive aspects of their music with such sensibilities. The band had an odd vocal approach of one main singer (Frank Turner) being beset by the two other members’ vocal lines. This style was once described in Fracture zine as being “like pterodactyls fighting.” The line up never changed despite what it says on their official website ( www.geocities.com/nowwemust ). The details on there are the result of mischief making by two members of the band and the inability to remember passwords years later.
They self released the self-titled “Helpless I Cry” in 1998, the “Don’t clap it startles me” split EP with Abjure on Skipworth Records in 1999 and the final “Half-life of kissing” record on Sakari Empire in 2001, splitting before the release of the record.
Singer Frank Turner and drummer Ben Dawson went on to form the more melodic punk bandMillion Dead. Tom Fowler, the guitarist in Abjure would later go on to be the second guitarist in Million Dead as well as forming Palehorse with Ben Dawson. Frank Turner is now pursuing a successful solo career. |
