The Pineapple Thief

Bridging the gap between the classic, theatrical psychedelic bands of the 1970s and Radiohead's more swirling, ambient moments, The Pineapple Thief deal in atmospheric, sprawling epics, and were seen as cult favourites leading a new generation of bands changing the face of progressive rock in the early 2000s.

Front man Bruce Soord started out as a guitarist with spacey, instrumental fusion outfit Vulgar Unicorn, but began crafting his own experimental soundscapes in his home studio in Somerset, releasing his first album 'Abducting the Unicorn' in 1999. Picking the name The Pineapple Thief while watching the movie 'Eve's Bayou', the music was initially only expected to be a solo side project, but really came together when bass player Jon Sykes, drummer Keith Harrison and guitarist Wayne Higgins joined in 2002 and the albums 'Variations On a Dream' and '10 Stories Down' sought to shake off the capes and tired cliches associated with prog rock.

Capable of heavy thunder, tranquil noodling or hypnotic meandering, they signed to Kscope Records for 'Tightly Unwound' in 2008, and 'Someone Here Is Missing' in 2010 was a critical high point, full of cinematic grandness and brewing intensity. By working with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, their sound became even more grandiose on 'All the Wars' in 2012, and Soord went on to form Wisdom of Crowds with Jonas Renkse from Katatonia, before releasing the tenth Pineapple Thief album 'Magnolia' in 2014. Line-up changes saw guitarist Darran Charles and King Crimson drummer Gavin Harrison join the group, but they remained full of dramatic shifts and ambitious, sonic caucophony on 2018's 'Dissolution'.