Castrovalva are an English noise rock band, formed in 2007 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Originally a duo of Daniel Brader (drums) and Anthony Wright (bass guitar), they expanded to a trio with the addition of Leemun Smith (vocals) in 2009. Smith had previously guested on the band's self-titled debut album and provided the cover art."Castrovalva To Release Debut Album", Voxy.co.nz, 15 March 2010, retrieved 2010-09-11 The band is named after the M.C. Escher painting of the same name.
History In 2009 the band released their eponymous debut album and toured with bands such as Pulled Apart by Horses and Monotonix."Castrovalva: dividing opinions", BBC, 26 October 2009, retrieved 2010-09-11 Their second album, We Are a Unit was released in April 2010 on the independent label Brew Records, to positive reviews.Parker, Rob (2010) "Album Review: Castrovalva - 'We Are A Unit'", NME, 16 April 2010, retrieved 2010-09-11 The NME described it as "a fine display of this Leeds trio's skills", while Drowned in Sound called it "a breathtaking listen", Subba-Cultcha described the album as "a mind blowing sonic buffet"."We Are A Unit Castrovalva ", Subba-Cultcha, retrieved 2010-09-11 while Tasty described it as "raw punk music played with a metallic intensity by a group of individuals who are no doubt as drastically unhinged as their bizarre name suggests".Hiorns, Banjamin (2010) "albums - april 2010: Castrovalva - We Are A Unit (Brew Records) ", Tasty, retrieved 2010-09-11 Artrocker made it album of the month, giving it a 5/5 rating.Depares, Dave (2010) "Welcome to the F*ckfest", Artrocker
Discography Albums Castrovalva (2009), Brew We Are a Unit (2010), Brew You're Not In Hell, You're In Purgatory My Friend (2012), Brew
Singles "Thug Poetry" (2009), Brew "Senorita (on Brew/DTTR split)" (2011), Brew/DTTR "In Our Prime (on Brew split)" (2011), Brew "I Am The Golden Widow / Senorita" (2012), Brew
References
External links Castrovalva on Myspace