Pendulum

Fusing drum'n'bass with alternative and hard rock while occasionally dipping into dubstep and trap, Pendulum rose to massive popularity as an electronic rock outfit. Although formed in Perth, Australia, the band operates from a United Kingdom base and pursued an ambitious, pop-minded aesthetic right from the start, mirroring the drum'n'bass counterpart to the KLF's stadium house. Their debut album Hold Your Colour arrived in 2005 to strong results, prompting the addition of several members and elevating the group into a major worldwide touring act. They further bridged into rock audiences via 2008's In Silico and 2010's Immersion, the latter reaching the top of the U.K. albums chart while weaving in metal and industrial rock influences. Pendulum entered a hiatus so founding members could focus on their successful EDM project Knife Party, yet they resumed live performances in 2015 and issued the EPs Elemental in 2021 and Anima in 2023.

The ensemble came together in Perth during 2002, initially consisting of producers Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen alongside local DJ Paul "El Hornet" Harding. Among the team's earliest outputs, "Vault" created a stir within the drum'n'bass scene in 2003, aided by its prominent placement opening Andy C's Nightlife mix album. The track also secured licensing on multiple additional compilations, among them Adam F and DJ Fresh's Breakbeat Kaos mix album for Ministry of Sound. Further early productions, including 2003's "Spiral" and 2004's "Another Planet" on the Breakbeat Kaos label operated by Adam F and DJ Fresh, likewise earned favorable reception inside the drum'n'bass community.

Pendulum delivered their first full-length album, Hold Your Colour, in 2005, spotlighting the singles "Tarantula" and "Slam." That year the group achieved a significant success with a remix of the Prodigy classic "Voodoo People," which entered the Top 20 of the U.K. singles chart. These 2005 accomplishments led to an Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1 late in the year. The band followed with standalone singles "Painkiller" in 2006 featuring the Freestylers and "Blood Sugar" in 2007, then integrated emcee Ben Mount, guitarist Peredur ap Gwynedd, and drummer Paul Kodish as permanent members. After signing with Warner Music U.K. and Atlantic in the U.S., they issued their major-label debut "Granite" in 2007, a U.K. Top 30 hit. Their next Warner release, "Propane Nightmares" in 2008, climbed even higher into the Top Ten and paved the way for the second album In Silico, also released in 2008. Yielding four singles, In Silico attained platinum status in the U.K. while narrowly missing the top album chart position. Live at Brixton Academy appeared on CD and DVD in 2009, after which KJ Sawka took over drumming duties from Kodish. Pendulum then prepared their third album, Immersion, which topped the U.K. albums chart upon its 2010 release and included collaborations with the Prodigy's Liam Howlett, Porcupine Tree's Steven Wilson, and Swedish metallers In Flames. To promote the record, the band undertook a world tour that encompassed two sold-out shows at London's Wembley Arena plus headline appearances at major U.K. festivals.

Pendulum paused live activity at the close of 2011, allowing Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen to direct attention toward their electro-house/dubstep project Knife Party. Marking the tenth anniversary of their debut album in 2015, the group reunited for a DJ set and later performed as a full band at the 2016 Ultra Music Festival along with additional festival dates. They also declared their exit from Warner to concentrate on their own imprint, Earstorm. In 2018 the career-spanning vinyl box set The Complete Works was issued alongside their first remix album, The Reworks, which featured reworkings of greatest-hits and personal favorites by leading drum'n'bass figures plus Skrillex, Moby, and prog-metal maestro Devin Townsend.

The tracks "Driver" and "Nothing for Free" surfaced in 2020 and appeared on the 2021 EP Elemental, which included a collaboration with Hybrid Minds and was succeeded by a remix EP. In 2023 the group released another EP, Anima, showcasing guest appearances by metalcore group Bullet for My Valentine and trap-metal rapper Scarlxrd. They additionally unveiled the short documentary Pendulum: The New Era and delivered a cover of Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" for Australian radio station Triple J's Like a Version segment.