The Pineapple Thief was formed by founder member Bruce Soord, back in 1999. Initially a solo studio project, the band has grown into a globally gigging outfit, with 7 albums under their belt and legions of fans throughout the world, from the sunny hills of San Francisco through to the cold tundra of Siberia. The band name is derived from an obscure American film called Eve’s Bayou, in which there is a scene where a young girl steals a pineapple (Scene 29 on the DVD release is titled ‘Pineapple Thief’).

The band grew from humble beginnings. The first album ‘Abducting the Unicorn’ rose from the ashes of Bruce’s former band, ‘Vulgar Unicorn’ and was released on a tiny underground label called Cyclops Records. The idea was to create a vehicle to realise Bruce’s personal musical ambitions. Initial sales were slow. However, a glowing review in a major Dutch publication pushed the band through to a waiting and eager fan base. Encouraged by this, Bruce ventured back into the studio and released the follow up, ‘137’ in 2001. ‘Variations on a Dream’ followed in 2003. Remarkably on such a small label, sales continued to grow and fans continued to climb on board. The increasing demands from fans and promoters for a live performance inevitably led to the formation of a full band, which originally consisted of former university mate Jon Sykes (bass), Wayne Higgins (guitars), Matt O'Leary (keyboards) and Keith Harrison (drums).

By now, the band was by far the largest seller on Cyclops and performing regular shows across the UK and Europe as well as festival appearances in North America. Two albums followed, 10 Stories Down (2005) and Little Man (2006). During this period the band line up shifted around with Wayne Higgins and Matt O’Leary leaving and Steve Kitch (who co-produced and mixed the albums since 10 Stories Down) stepping in to replace Matt on keyboards. In 2007 the band took a vital step that was to propel them into much wider and deeper waters. Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), after hearing ‘Little Man’, made contact with the band and advised them to approach Kscope, a brand new division of Snapper Music. It was clear to him that the band had outgrown Cyclops and needed the backing of a large label. In an instance, Kscope made an offer to the band and they have never looked back since. After delivering a special album to Cyclops to fulfill their contractual obligations (‘What We Have Sown’ in 2007) the band returned to the studio to record their seventh album, ‘Tightly Unwound’. This became the very first release on Kscope. The label was later to feature releases by Anathema, Lunatic Soul (Riverside) and Steven Wilson among others.

Tightly Unwound was released in 2008 and has sold extremely well in the UK and throughout Europe, with North America now emerging as a major territory for the band. This latest album marks a significant step forward in the band’s development and highlights the maturity of their song writing. Previous reviews have drawn comparisons to Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Porcupine Tree, Pink Floyd and Elbow but Tightly Unwound proves that Bruce and the band have moved beyond these influences to create their own unique sound. Add to this a live show that is currently wowing crowds across Europe and you have a perfectly oiled machine ready to embark on it’s latest and most ambitious journey.

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