!!!

Angular, funky, arty and mildly eccentric, !!! (pronounced chk-chk-chk) started making infectious, swaggering indie-dance music in the mid-1990s and helped pave the way for the likes of Klaxons, Animal Collective and a host of electro-rock acts. Formed in Sacramento, California when local bands Popesmashers and Black Liquorice came together to create aggressive, punk-disco jams, they recruited front man Nic Offer from hardcore act Yah Mos and set out to cross James Brown and Chic with Sonic Youth and Iggy and the Stooges.

Early single releases were raw and experimental, but they found a kinship with acts such as LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture and their self-titled debut album received a flood of good reviews. They signed to Warp Records for follow-up 'Louden Up Now' in 2004 and the single 'Me and Giuliani Down By the School Yard' became a cult favourite, before line-up changes, trend shifts and the death of drummer Jerry Fuchs took its toll on the group. They made a triumphant return to form though with 2010's 'Strange Weather, Isn't It?' and remained a pioneering force on New York's indie-dance scene before releasing seventh album 'Shake the Shudder' in 2017.