Biography
London's Trash Kit channel post-punk, no wave, and African elements through an energetic, kinetic approach centered on Rachel Horwood's commanding drums alongside Rachel Aggs' nimble guitar lines and vocals. Their 2010 self-titled debut album showcased the raw force of the trio's performance, yet subsequent releases revealed a more nuanced and expansive sonic palette. Elements of free jazz surfaced on 2014's Confidence, while mbira patterns and Zimbabwean guitar traditions informed 2019's Horizon, all without diminishing the group's initial drive.
Aggs and Horwood first connected as university students, drawn together by parallel musical upbringings. Aggs had studied violin and piano before taking up the mandolin, an instrument introduced through her father's affinity for folk and bluegrass that later shaped her guitar technique. Horwood, meanwhile, explored saxophone, violin, accordion, guitar, piano, and drums during her youth. The pair collaborated in multiple groups before launching a project that placed drumming at its core, drawing inspiration from African percussion traditions, street musicians playing on trash cans, and post-punk forebears the Slits and the Raincoats. They established Trash Kit in 2008, soon expanding to a trio by recruiting former Electrelane bassist Ros Murray. After uploading tracks and performing early shows, the band caught the attention of Upset the Rhythm through an appearance at the label's Yes Way festival, leading to a signing and the release of their self-titled debut, which fused post-punk with Afrobeat in explosive bursts.
In the wake of that album, Aggs and Horwood devoted time to parallel endeavors, including Aggs' work with Sacred Paws and Shopping and Horwood's involvement in Bamboo and Halo Halo. Their return yielded 2014's Confidence, a record that sharpened their collective method and featured saxophone contributions from Murray's former Electrelane colleague Verity Susman, colored by free jazz sensibilities. Further evolution arrived when Gill Partington, another Halo Halo member, assumed bass duties from Murray, while a support slot on the Ex's anniversary tour equipped the group with new strategies for stretching their material onstage. These developments fed into the creation of Horizon, which also drew thematic resonance from Afro-futurist science fiction writer Octavia Butler.
Aggs and Horwood first connected as university students, drawn together by parallel musical upbringings. Aggs had studied violin and piano before taking up the mandolin, an instrument introduced through her father's affinity for folk and bluegrass that later shaped her guitar technique. Horwood, meanwhile, explored saxophone, violin, accordion, guitar, piano, and drums during her youth. The pair collaborated in multiple groups before launching a project that placed drumming at its core, drawing inspiration from African percussion traditions, street musicians playing on trash cans, and post-punk forebears the Slits and the Raincoats. They established Trash Kit in 2008, soon expanding to a trio by recruiting former Electrelane bassist Ros Murray. After uploading tracks and performing early shows, the band caught the attention of Upset the Rhythm through an appearance at the label's Yes Way festival, leading to a signing and the release of their self-titled debut, which fused post-punk with Afrobeat in explosive bursts.
In the wake of that album, Aggs and Horwood devoted time to parallel endeavors, including Aggs' work with Sacred Paws and Shopping and Horwood's involvement in Bamboo and Halo Halo. Their return yielded 2014's Confidence, a record that sharpened their collective method and featured saxophone contributions from Murray's former Electrelane colleague Verity Susman, colored by free jazz sensibilities. Further evolution arrived when Gill Partington, another Halo Halo member, assumed bass duties from Murray, while a support slot on the Ex's anniversary tour equipped the group with new strategies for stretching their material onstage. These developments fed into the creation of Horizon, which also drew thematic resonance from Afro-futurist science fiction writer Octavia Butler.
Albums
Singles
