Pest

Pest grew out of the SpynaWorkshop collective in South London in the late 1990s where their genre-bending grooves and “let’s give music a good kick up the arse” ethos brought them together – and has kept them together.

An unexpected union, Pest are: progressive techno head Ben Mallott on keyboards, jazzman Matt Chandler on guitar, Bollywood funkster Tom Marriott on trombone, classical groovemeister Wayne Urquhart on cello, master beatbuster Vesa Haapanen on drums and recent addition Ed Tender on sax. Together they deliver an unabashed mix of big bass, bold beats, sweet guitar, playful harmony and funky cheeky riffs, to challenge your assumptions, put a groove in your step and slap a smile on your face.

Pest have toured extensively as a headline act across the UK and Europe, as well as supporting artists including Nitin Sawhney, DJ Food, Soweto Kinch and Roni Size to name a few. With two previous acclaimed album releases through Ninjatune, Pest are always developing, always writing, and may often be found lurking round a corner ready to say “Boo!” to the obvious.

In 2003 they released their celebrated debut album “Necessary Measures” through Ninjatune, followed by their second in 2005 – the widely acclaimed “All Out Fall Out”. Since then, and since the beginning, Pest shine brightest at their live gigs, having headlined many UK venues such as Koko, Cargo and The 100 Club in London, The Tuesday Club in Sheffield, and have rocked many festivals across Europe including Les Transmusicales in Rennes, as well as completing a short tour of Japan in 2009, for which they independently released the limited edition EP “Meanwhile Backstage”.

All five band members are prolific writers, which goes some way to explain their unflinching acceptance of diversity, their continuous development and combined originality.

For 2013, Pest are presenting a fresh track online on the 1st of every month.