The Pineapple Thief
The Pineapple Thief performing live in 2013, Steve Kitch (keyboards), Bruce Soord (vocals, guitar) and Jon Sykes (bass, vocals)
The Pineapple Thief performing live in 2013, Steve Kitch (keyboards), Bruce Soord (vocals, guitar) and Jon Sykes (bass, vocals)
Background information
OriginYeovil, Somerset, England
GenresProgressive rock[1]
Years active1999–present
LabelsKscope, Cyclops
MembersBruce Soord
Jon Sykes
Steve Kitch
Gavin Harrison
Beren Matthews
Past membersKeith Harrison
Wayne Higgins
Matt O'Leary
Dan Osborne
Darran Charles
George Marios
WebsitePineapplethief.com

The Pineapple Thief are a British progressive rock band, started by Bruce Soord in 1999 in Somerset, England.

History

Early years

Founder Bruce Soord started The Pineapple Thief as an outlet for his music back in 1999. Initially, the band's name was simply Pineapple Thief, after a dialogue in the movie Eve's Bayou. Soord later changed it to its current from in part to differentiate the initials PT from Porcupine Tree, another English band in the progressive rock scene.[2] Soord released the debut Abducting the Unicorn on Cyclops Records, which created enough interest to establish a small but loyal fan base. Soord returned to the Dining Room studios to work on the next album, titled 137. During this time, several major labels started to take an interest causing a delay in the release which arrived over two years after the debut. However, it was arguably the album Variations on a Dream that gave the band the boost it needed to reach out to more people all over the world. By this point, they were consistently the top sellers on their label; Cyclops.

In the spring of 2002, after releasing their third album Soord decided to form a band to take his music to the fans. The band consisted of his close musical friends – former university bandmate Jon Sykes on bass, Wayne Higgins on guitars, Matt O'Leary on keyboards and Keith Harrison on drums. As a full band, they released 12 Stories Down in 2004, later re-recorded and remixed as 10 Stories Down in 2005 after Soord was unhappy with the final sound. Matt O'Leary subsequently left the band, and Steve Kitch, who co-produced and mixed 10 Stories Down, joined to play keyboards.

Following the release of Little Man in 2006, the band released What We Have Sown in late 2007 as a final Cyclops release before being signed to Kscope, a division of Snapper Music. In 2007 The Pineapple Thief's music featured on the final Episode of the MTV show The Hills. The song 'Snowdrops' can be heard on episode 28 during a scene between Lauren & Jo.[3]

Wayne Higgins left the band in March 2008, but the group continued as a four-piece live act, playing gigs across Europe, Canada and the US throughout much of the following years.

The Kscope years

The Pineapple Thief playing at Lunario in Mexico City (2019)
The Pineapple Thief playing at Lunario in Mexico City (2019)

In May 2008, The Pineapple Thief helped relaunch the Kscope label with the album Tightly Unwound, which was marked by launch shows at Witchwood in Manchester on 17 May 2008 and at the Water Rats Theatre in London on 22 May 2008. The same day as the album's release, a mini-documentary filmed at The Half Moon, London, was released through the band's website, featuring interviews and two exclusive live tracks.[4]

This was followed in 2009 by The Dawn Raids EPs and 3000 Days, a 2-CD re-mixed and re-mastered collection of songs from their ten-year history to date. In January 2010, their 2006 album, Little Man was also fully remixed by Bruce Soord and Steve Kitch and released through Kscope with new artwork. There are plans to gradually give all of their back catalogue the same treatment as the Cyclops albums are no longer available and sell for large sums in the second-hand market. 2009 also saw them supporting Riverside on the UK leg of their European tour.

Someone Here Is Missing was launched at a show at Bush Hall, London on 19 May 2010 whose attendees included Kscope labelmates Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and Daniel Cavanagh of Anathema.[5] The album also features artwork by the legendary designer Storm Thorgerson. The album continues to nurture the band's trademark ‘bittersweet’ progressive sound.[6]

2010 saw a number of European festival appearances and a full 2-week tour of mainland Europe. This was recorded and released as the download-only album Someone Here Is Live.

The band entered the studio in January 2012 to record their ninth album which included (for the first time) a 22-piece orchestra and choir. All the Wars was released in September 2012 and followed by a UK tour.[7]

On 8 February 2014 the band announced that Dan Osborne had replaced Keith Harrison on drums.[8]

The Pineapple Thief's tenth studio album, Magnolia, was released on 15 September 2014. It peaked at number 55 on UK Album Chart.[9]

In August 2016 the band released the album Your Wilderness, featuring Gavin Harrison on drums, through Kscope.[10][11]

On the last day of August 2018, the band released their 12th studio album, Dissolution. Gavin Harrison returned on drums, this time taking a more active role in the songwriting. The band embarked on a European tour with Gavin Harrison on drums and George Marios on guitars, and LiZzard as the support act.[12]

On 4 September 2020 their 13th studio album Versions of the Truth was released.[13]

Members

  • Bruce Soord – vocals (1999–present); guitars, keyboards (2002–present); all instrumentation (1999–2002)[14]
  • Jon Sykes – bass guitar, vocals (2002–present)
  • Steve Kitch – keyboards (2005–present)
  • Gavin Harrison – drums (2017–present); session drums (2016–2017)

Session/live

  • Beren Matthews – guitar, vocals (2021–present)

Former

  • Wayne Higgins – guitars, vocals[15] (2002–2008)
  • Keith Harrison – drums, vocals[16] (2002–2013)
  • Matt O'Leary – keyboards (2002–2005)
  • Dan Osborne – drums, vocals[17] (2013–2016)

Former session/live

  • Darran Charles – guitars, vocals (2014–2017)
  • George Marios – guitar, vocals (2018–2021)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums and videos

  • Live (2003) – DVD/CD + 4 new studio tracks
  • Live at the Half Moon, Putney (2008) – video
  • Someone Here Is Live (2010) – download only, recorded October 2010
  • Live at the 013 (2013) – download only, recorded November 2012
  • Live 2014 (2014) – download only, recorded November 2014
  • Where We Stood (2017) – DVD/CD, recorded February 2017
  • Hold Our Fire (2019) – CD, recorded September 2018
  • Nothing but the Truth (2021) – DVD/CD, live in the studio recording

Compilation albums and Box Sets

  • 3000 Days (2009)
  • Introducing the Pineapple Thief (2013)
  • How Did We Find Our Way (1999 - 2006) (2023)

EP albums

  • 4 Stories Down (2005)
  • The Dawn Raids Volume 1 (2009)
  • The Dawn Raids Volume 2 (2009)
  • Show a Little Love (2010)
  • Build a World (2013)
  • Uncovering Your Tracks (2020) – re-recorded songs

Singles

  • "Sherbert Gods" (2001) – 7" single
  • "Shoot First'" (2008) – download only single
  • "Nothing at Best" (2010) – download only single

Music videos

  • "Shoot First" (2008)
  • "Nothing at Best" (2010)
  • "Show a Little Love" (2010)
  • "Someone Here Is Missing" (2010)
  • "All the Wars" (2012)
  • "Someone Pull Me Out of Here" (2012)
  • "Build a World" (2013)
  • "Simple as That" (2014)
  • "A Sense of Fear" (2014)
  • "In Exile" (2016)
  • "Try as I Might" (2018)
  • "Demons" (2020)
  • "Break It All" (2020)
  • "Versions of the Truth" (2020)
  • "Driving Like Maniacs" (2020)

References

  1. ↑ "The Pineapple Thief - Biography, Albums, Streaming Links - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Soord, Bruce (3 June 2015). "The Pineapple Thief name". brucesoord.com. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Music by The Pineapple Thief". Tunefind.com. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "Latest news". Pineapple Thief. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  5. ↑ "The Pineapple Thief's Someone Here is Missing". Kscopemusic.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "The Pineapple Thief – Someone Here is Missing". Rock Sound. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "Interview – Bruce Soord". Love-It-Loud.com. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Beleña, Pablo M. (12 February 2014). "The Pineapple Thief anuncian su primer cambio de formación tras casi 10 años de estabilidad" [The Pineapple Thief announces its first line-up change after almost 10 years of stability]. Rock-Progresivo.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Kscope - The Pineapple Thief". Kscopemusic.com. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Rebel Noise – Your Wilderness". Rebelnoi.se. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "Kscope - The Pineapple Thief returns with new album 'Your Wilderness'". Kscopemusic.com. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "Kscope - The Pineapple Thief". Kscopemusic.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "Progressive Music Planet - The Pineapple Thief – "Versions of the Truth"". progressivemusicplanet.com. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  14. ↑ The Pineapple Thief - 137, retrieved 15 July 2022
  15. ↑ Pineapple Thief - Live 2003, retrieved 15 July 2022
  16. ↑ Pineapple Thief - Live 2003, retrieved 15 July 2022
  17. ↑ The Pineapple Thief - Magnolia, retrieved 15 July 2022

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