Biography
Mark Sharp & the Bicycle Thieves emerged from West Lothian, Scotland, in early 2017 as purveyors of danceable indie rock that shifts between brooding and feelgood moods. They joined a regional circuit already featuring the rising profiles of Lewis Capaldi and the Snuts. By late 2019 those two acts had elevated the band's visibility through high-profile support opportunities, underscoring how live shows drove their progress; from their inception through the August 2023 arrival of the U.K. Top 20 album Unmask the Circus, every headline date they performed reportedly sold out completely.
What began as Sharp's solo endeavor acquired its full name after he noticed a poster for Vittorio de Sica's 1948 neorealist film. Sharp handled vocals and rhythm guitar while Conor Ward took bass, Cameron McKay played lead guitar, Darren Moran covered keyboards and trumpet, and Michael McCrossan sat behind the drums. Their first release, the lushly produced and slow-building single "Fool," appeared in 2017 and was followed months later by the Arctic Monkeys-inspired "All the Good Times Have Gone." July 2018's "Firewater" introduced a piercing synth riff and nods to U.S. heartland rock that later shaped their wider appeal, after which they closed the year with "Warpaint," a dark account of a failed relationship, before retreating into the studio.
Reappearing in August 2019, they pushed the bright, synth-led single "Tippy Toes" alongside support dates for Capaldi at his large Edinburgh Summer Sessions shows and a headline slot on the second stage of Linlithgow's Party at the Palace. A September U.K. tour behind the Snuts preceded the year's close with their debut EP, MS&TBT, and a performance at Glasgow's St. Luke's. They then headlined a brief March 2020 run across England that was later documented on the digital-only MS&TBT Live in London, captured at the Hope & Anchor. Around the same period McCrossan departed and was succeeded by James Grant, a drummer and studio owner whose prior credits include work with the Snuts and Stuart Dougan's the Quilter.
During 2021 the band issued the singles "Sink or Swim" and "Today. Tomorrow. Forever.," with much of that year and the next devoted to studio work and regional appearances aimed at strengthening their Scottish audience. 2023 opened with a concert at Glasgow's King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, followed by a major European tour supporting Capaldi. The singles "Superman," "(All That) Northern Soul," "Big Star," and "Stubborn" paved the way for Unmask the Circus, which reached number 12 in the U.K. and number one in Scotland.
What began as Sharp's solo endeavor acquired its full name after he noticed a poster for Vittorio de Sica's 1948 neorealist film. Sharp handled vocals and rhythm guitar while Conor Ward took bass, Cameron McKay played lead guitar, Darren Moran covered keyboards and trumpet, and Michael McCrossan sat behind the drums. Their first release, the lushly produced and slow-building single "Fool," appeared in 2017 and was followed months later by the Arctic Monkeys-inspired "All the Good Times Have Gone." July 2018's "Firewater" introduced a piercing synth riff and nods to U.S. heartland rock that later shaped their wider appeal, after which they closed the year with "Warpaint," a dark account of a failed relationship, before retreating into the studio.
Reappearing in August 2019, they pushed the bright, synth-led single "Tippy Toes" alongside support dates for Capaldi at his large Edinburgh Summer Sessions shows and a headline slot on the second stage of Linlithgow's Party at the Palace. A September U.K. tour behind the Snuts preceded the year's close with their debut EP, MS&TBT, and a performance at Glasgow's St. Luke's. They then headlined a brief March 2020 run across England that was later documented on the digital-only MS&TBT Live in London, captured at the Hope & Anchor. Around the same period McCrossan departed and was succeeded by James Grant, a drummer and studio owner whose prior credits include work with the Snuts and Stuart Dougan's the Quilter.
During 2021 the band issued the singles "Sink or Swim" and "Today. Tomorrow. Forever.," with much of that year and the next devoted to studio work and regional appearances aimed at strengthening their Scottish audience. 2023 opened with a concert at Glasgow's King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, followed by a major European tour supporting Capaldi. The singles "Superman," "(All That) Northern Soul," "Big Star," and "Stubborn" paved the way for Unmask the Circus, which reached number 12 in the U.K. and number one in Scotland.