Escort Knights

Escort Knights are a band of electro misfits from the mean streets of Leeds. Their sumptuous brand of pop rooted electro rock has already earned them numerous local accolades but now it is time for them to cut their teeth on the hardened music lovers of the South as their tour bus rolls into The Fleece, Bristol.



The tunes are as well rehearsed and the band is as tight as necessary for this kind of music, which fuses catchy guitar hooks with atmospheric synth work and programming. There can be no doubt that Escort Knights know pop music because they have found that magic formula that so many artists crave.



The room comes alive with the huge soundscape which washed over the audience like electric sugar. Ewan Santer’s faultless transition through the octaves gives a great performance with the guitar, though without he looks a little awkward. Joe Montague’s sexy and flawless drumming style coupled with his facial expression and flamboyant stick spins were fantastically engaging.



The highlight is undoubtedly their single ‘I Don’t Know Your Name’ a dance floor confessional with a triumphantly catchy chorus that will knock your high top converses right off. Look to the Escort Knights if you are fed up with The Killers new stuff but still like Brandon Flowers and have serious relationships with New Order and The Cure.



Escort Knights are a mix of everything good from pop music and everything filthy from electro. So the lyrics are far from inspiring and the bassist is very guilty of playing the bass like a lead guitar, but since they can pull off an electro cover of ‘Kiss From a Rose’ they will be just fine. Their floor-filling danceable pop is dangerously fashionable in music right now. If their engrossing performance at The Fleece is anything to go by then we should expect to see names in lights soon.



Review by Chris Walker - Southsonic

Escort Knights – I Don’t Know Your Name / Hole in the Heart (Waltzer)

Leeds based apparently and used in a large advertising campaign to herald the arrival of the new Leeds super-arena-corporate music bowl? I missed that. But then I don’t get out as much as I should do. However, it’s fair to say that Escort Knights sport a nicely laid back indie funk groove, a little like The Sunshine Underground having undergone calmative hypnotherapy. It’s refreshingly grown up and well groomed stuff, even if ‘Hole in the Heart’ does sound a little 90’s pseudo Beatles retro. 7/10 - Tasty Fanzine

Leeds based quartet Escort Knights’ latest single ‘I Don’t Know Your Name’ was recently chosen as the soundtrack to an advert for the new Leeds Arena after the band won a major competition. Since then, the song has received significant airplay on radio stations across the UK and the band have continued to establish themselves on the UK gig circuit. ‘I Don’t Know Your Name’ is a catchy indie pop number that tells that old-school tale of boy-meets-girl, except with a less than romantic twist: ‘She’s no substitute but I guess that she’ll do/I’ll forget and pretend that she’s you’. Still, their unashamedly honest and frank lyrics are somewhat refreshing and mildly amusing. Combined with the funky chorus bass line and synth noises throughout, they provide the song with a more laid back feel overall. Whilst the song may not be a masterpiece, for a debut single it certainly shows what Escort Knights are capable of and proves that they are a band to look out for in the near future. - Shout4Music

Yeah, our job’s pretty cool. And one of our favourite bits of it is listening to up-and-coming bands in and around Leeds.

We get sent scores of CDs for our show on a Sunday night. There must be 80% of them that say something along the lines of “we’re the next big thing to come out of Leeds”.

But who will be big from the Leeds music scene in the near future? Who has the capability to strut their stuff at Bramham Park in years to come? You’ve got to look at Middleman as an option. If the current folk-revival continues, then surely the likes of Gary Stewart, Fran Rodgers, and Ellen and the Escapades should be big. We have our personal favourites too – Kasiuss, Escort Knights, The Dunwell Brothers, and Odi are among them.

Larry’s been pretty lonely recently. Paul abandoned him to take a trip to the States of United America. He then managed to blag himself a DJ gig at The Echo. Now, for those of you not in the know, The Echo is a funk and soul club on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. That, my friends, is just about the coolest thing in the world. Larry’s greasing the doors for Paul’s return.

By the way, from this Saturday, you can hear more of Larry and Paul on 96.3 Radio Aire. We’ll be starting a new show on Saturday afternoons from 2-6pm. Yours, in funkiness, Larry and Paul. - Leeds Guide

Sometimes my pop world needs a little edge and four piece Escort Knights provide some much needed indie cool to my playlist. They have this really contaigious energy about their music which is filled with blinding choruses, fuzzy guitars, shuffling beats and witty, wry lyrics. Their very excellent single I Don't Know Your Name showcases all of these fine traits, while Summer Is Coming shows they are not afraid to show a different side to their music, adding an addictive bosa nova beat, a bit of romantic sax and a more laid back acoustic vibe. This is all lining up to be something very special indeed. - Fizzy Pop

Coco Cole has a chat with Leeds based Pop revivalists Escort Knights at their gig at Stereo, York…

After only forming in 2009, this year Escort Knights have already embarked on a UK tour and before their gig at Stereo, I took up a cosy corner with them in the Gillygate where I proceeded to discover a little more about this Leeds based four-piece. First it was noted that I was popping Alex’s (bass) interview cherry but luckily it was consensual and no charges have been pressed. As we chatted, it soon became clear that the boys are still in the beginning stages of their musical careers as both Ewan (lead) and Jon (Synths) hold day jobs and Joe (Drums) and Alex (Bass) still fall under the categorical status of students. This is however not to their disadvantage as despite being unsigned, having mish-mash of producers on their album and lacking a manager, Escort Knights seem to be succeeding with their admirably seamless self-sufficiency.

In comparison to their enjoyable, yet at times eyebrow-raisingly disjointed support acts, Escort Knights entertained the people of Stereo with a strong set complete with almost hypnotically catchy hooks and jazz-inspired drum beats; displaying a consistency and professionalism clearly expressing their dedication, ambition and indeed musical talent. I’ll hold my hand up and admit I’m not the biggest fan of pop music, which is probably the best term to define their sound, but with their moto “floorfillers with live instruments”, Escort Knights eased my scepticism of the questionable ‘stars’ of today’s pop sensations by creating a sound fit for the chart but minus those all too familiar auto-tuned vocals and that “pretentious indie band” demeanour.

Escort Knights have shed a promising light on the future of pop music as they too agreed that “pop has had a dull 3 years” (Joe) and they’re aiming to change just that. But this is as far as their hostility to the pop world stretches as Joe explained “we like to be friends with other bands cause it works in our favour, we’re good mates with Mean Poppalean in Brighton and it works out well for gigs because we know that if they come up here, we’ll pack a house full of people for them and they’ll do the same for us down there. We see it as camaraderie”. Escort Knights hope to inject fun into their genre, a view conveyed through their humorous lyrics and smile-fuelled set. But with so many pop acts today offering more than just a song recital in their live performances, I wanted to know if there were any theatrical aspects to Escort Knights; “Not really but I get to put my guitar down for some songs so I like to dance” (Ewan), “and Joe’s been known to have drumming orgasms”… (Jon). Theatrical, no but humorous…I’ll give them that.

The light-hearted nature of the boys is not just apparent in their comedic yet simultaneously genuine disposition; their band name also suggests a certain jovialness that has now become somewhat of a rarity in their field. In preparation for this rendezvous I thought I’d browse the net where to my surprise escortknights.co.uk was not their homepage but in fact a male escort agency. This I had to query. Unfortunately these strapping lads don’t offer a bit on the side but their somewhat provocative name does pose some relevance; “Well our name came about because our synth player Jon once signed up to an escort agency but wussed out when he got the call”. A decision well made as their ambitious plans for the band now include a remix competition for their latest single “I Don’t Know Your Name” in which the winning track will adorn the b-side of their release. Of course they’re not expecting a tidal wave of interest from all the leading DJs but for the purposes of reverie they said they’d “love to be remixed by Duck Sauce or A-Trak” (Ewan), “ yeah we’d love to get someone to do a real grimey remix” (Jon). With that in mind I asked if they’d thought about touring the likes of Germany and Italy where many a master of the remix reside; “I’d love us to do Germany but also Holland and Switzerland cause apparently they treat bands really well over there, really hospitable and they pay the bands them on time.” (Joe)

So with high aspirations, consistent professionalism and a kitsch-friendly sound, Escort Knights appear to be treading on the right track. It may be too early to tell how far up that track they’ll get but I wouldn’t be too surprised if in the not too distant future we find ourselves, willingly or not, singing along to such tracks as ‘I Don’t Know Your Name’ and their new single ‘Saturday’. - Haus Digital