• Jim Knights - Vocals, guitars, synths, programming
• Scarlet - Bass, synths, programmining

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Reviews - Live

Atomic Cafe, Munich - 19th April 2006
Waiting for the main act excitedly, Iam surprised by three young musicians entering the stage: girl number one, the "gothtrashchic" with lots of eyeshadow, red hair and latex clothing-girl number two, the androgynous domina/teacher type with a stylish black jacket, glasses, a perfect parting and a face made of stone and last but not least Mr. Leadsinger, looking a bit like Paul Smith from Maximo Park, dressed in a suit. A nod - two, three, four... and a wall of sound starts. The finest electroclash. Catchy beats, hardly any guitar but synths which send a shiver down my spine and a crystal voice making its way through this rhythm and synth staccato. An intraveneous injection of adrenaline that directly goes into the legs. Nno long talks, no long breaks. Aafter ten minutes we finally get to know the name of the band: "Scarlet Soho", and the wild ride goes on.those bunnies are doing unbelievably well. After half an hour everything ends way too early, but they did a very good job: the audience warmed up, is in a good mood and ready for "I Am X". (This article has been translated from the original German)
jetzt.de

Southampton University - 9th March (supporting Delays)
Next up is Scarlet Soho, I love this band and tonight just intensifies this. Jim looks as confident and transfixing as ever. The crowd around me seem a little bemused and don’t quite know what to make of this electronic in your face blast back to the 80s but I’ve got a feeling they won over some new fans tonight. The three new tracks fit seemlessly with the set and I look forward to hearing them live again soon. Already, another album seems long overdue…
Southscene

Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 25th January 2006 (supporting Razorlight)
A quick question to begin with: Who would you pick to support Razorlight?
There must be countless generic indie bands across the South who'd comfortably warm up a crowd gagging for Johnny Borrell’s new material, right? So it’s more than a little surprising when only keyboards are brought on stage and three beings from a quasi-futuristic past (commonly known as the 1980s) enter the arena. Teutonic detachment abounds as they shuffle asymmetrically until a gargantuan guitar riff threatens to blow the roof off the Wedge. Instantly a communal ear takes notice and as though in some kind of mass indoctrination we’re instinctively dancing and singing along. We know little about what’s happening, and less about what’s coming up, yet that doesn’t seem to matter as chant-along choruses flow effortlessly between the band and the crowd. Through dirty bass-lines, electronic beats and squealing synths this is music with a neon glare, countered by an overtly seedy underbelly. Shifting a nonchalant gaze from the audience to one another and back again, over a looped beat, it’s clear self-assurance is no issue within the group. And when you do happen to catch their glance, such is their paralysing cool it may as well have been from Medusa. As the band drop their instruments and depart, leaving a drum-loop still running, an uncertainty as to when to applaud broke out. But when silence finally came it was instantly shattered by rapturous cheering. So, with the band’s melodies still swimming in my head, I waited for the main event with a warm glow and the peculiar realisation that a booking agent knew more about what I wanted to hear than I did. Still, fact is sometimes stranger than fiction, particularly in the world of Scarlet Soho.
The Fly

The Railway, Winchester - 28th May 2005
What a performance tonight! When I have seen Scarlet Soho play live before they have often lacked that extra something which turns a good band on record into a great band full stop! Frontman Jim gives us such a compelling performance, his enthusiasm only masking genuine joy at not only realising he is loving every minute of it, but also the realisation that so are the crowd in front of him!

The band as a whole is more engaging than I have seen previously. The songs as a result take on a whole new lease of life. More focused and direct than ever, to see such a cold band actually wear their heart on their sleeves makes all the difference. A thoroughly enjoyable gig.
Miek Spall
www.southscene.net

Moles, Bath - 4th May 2005
If you've got it, you don't need to flaunt it: a lesson learned by tonight's two execrably-named bands. Wherewithal don't have it, but they - or at least their mid-stage-hogging Rickenbacker-waggling Elvis Costello lookalike leader - are flaunting It like Babylonian backstreet booty shakers. The Hampshire five-piece's melodic, girlie indie gives off a strong whiff of The Primitives, or Sleeper, but ultimately no-one's buying.

Like Manhattan Magic or Ice & Fire, Scarlet Soho might be a fictional name from a 1980s sex-and-shopping novel - and, funnily enough, they sound a bit like one too. In a good way. With their lustrous, lacquered, slightly sterile New Romantic electro-pop a la Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and Human League, they have It - but hide their light under a (black PVC) bushell. Truly songs like 'Skin Trade' and ace new single 'Modern Radio' (Human Recordings) are worthy of the odd smile of arrogant pose - lots of strong Kraftwerky Korg lines, glam rock rhythms and tales of glitzy urban angst that never resort to silly parody or post-modern glibness. Their look impresses too; Jim Knights (guitar, voice) wears make up and has a floppy fringe but is far too tall and burley to be beaten up for it. Small, scowling dominatrix Scarlet (bass, keyboards) would almost certainly slap you for looking at her shadow the wrong way. Occasionally, however, another Scarlet Soho appears: in 'Fibre Optic', for example, all members strap on their guitars for some doomy, epic slowcore, utterly at odds with everything else, and handy only in that it provides a toilet break for confused audience members. Jackie Collins, of course, would edit out this narrative blip right away: if Scarlet Soho do the same and learn to show off, you'll be hearing a lot more of them.
-- Anna Britten
Venue Magazine
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Buffalo Bar, Islington, London - 26th February 2005
Electro is usually associated with vanity and tacky glamour, but that's not always the case. Despite being surrounded by eyelinered glitterati club visitors, Scarlet Soho are clad head to toe in black and ooze cool detachment. Songs like 'No Reception' and the utterly infectious 'Modern Radio' are the calling card of a new strain of creative music, and it's fanastic.
-- Jen Thomas
The Fly

Railway Inn, Winchester - 19th December 2004
Scarlet Soho's Christmas homecoming gig climaxed a year in which they played more gigs than virtually any other UK indie band, promoting their great new album, Divisions Of Decency. With trademark cuddly pink flamingos dangling from the ceiling among the streamers, Scarlet Soho evoke the spirit of Erasure and The Human League, with a healthy chunk of Black Box Recorder, to break the golden rule that bands without drummers can never be any good. Intriguingly androgynous, guitarist Nick Haynes is inscrutable, while Scarlet plays the ice maiden bassist role to a T. But the indisputable focus is the mascara-decorated Jim Knights, whose bizarre trademark is a tendency to play most of the show facing the stage from the front row of the audience. Scarlet Soho's synth-drenched take on New Romanticism, plus their astonishing work ethic, mean that they can only get bigger this year.
-- Oliver Gray
Record Collector
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Metro, London - 2nd November 2004
Scarlet Soho are more energetic, all 80s keyboards and catchy guitars. Jim (guitars/vocals) makes a dynamic, bouncy frontman, floppy fringe and trashy dandy look all over; Scarlet (bass/keyboard) is a delicate, poised creature. Their debut album Divisions of Decency is out now and "sounds fatter than it sounds tonight" as Jim promises, refering to the poor quality of the sound tonight.
-- Fabienne Tartarin
www.lamagicbox.net

The Joiners, Southampton - 15th April 2004
Headlining on familiar territory, Scarlet Soho managed to maintain the level of quality set by Die So Fluid. Playing a completely different style to the previous rock/metal, SS were an electronic act that could easily be compared to Depeche Mode. However, that would be both too easy and a great injustice.

It may well be the case that the material in their set was similar to the Electro-Pop of the early eighties, but whereas acts such as Gary Numan and early Ultravox attempted to drain the emotion out of the music, Scarlet Soho seem to be injecting it back in.

Songs such as "Isolation" were excellent, but the performance was the decisive factor. Two guitars, one bass and lots of keyboards seems to be the order of the day, with an aloof Scarlet stoically hitting keys and providing bass, Lee Kinrade swaying Stefan Oldsal style with guitar and keys and Jim Knights pushing loads of energy off the stage with amazingly clear vocals.

Not all the songs were destined to stick in the brain, but the good songs were really good. Don't be put off by all the references to Depeche Mode that seem to have accumulated in the press, there is more to Scarlet Soho than that comparison allows.
-- Steve Fenton
The Mag

The Joiners, Southampton - 15th April 2004
I have made no secret in the past of my admiration for their music on record, although live they have always lacked something for me. Tonight they are much better than when I have seen them before. Their backing tracks have obviously been worked on and they sound much beefier and better for it. The need for a live drummer is now a distant memory. Jim is as confident as always and his voice just gets better and better. It is also good to hear it without half a ton of vocal distortion slapped all over it. Their songs are great and their ‘disconnected’ vibe works well up to a point…

This is the one thing about Scarlet Soho that has always divided opinion. Whilst some people like the unhinged, almost distant, arrogant vibe they give off, it personally bugs me after a while. The music does enough talking for me, so an injection of movement would NOT go amiss. They are at their most entertaining when they start to rock out a bit, but it is so infrequent. The worst of it is, is I almost sense the band themselves want to get off on their music much more, but refrain from doing so for fear of ruining the ‘vibe’ they want to give off. Well, forgive me for being so bold, but I don’t think a few more rock poses and even the odd smile would go amiss. If Scarlet Soho looked like they are enjoying it more, then I see no reason why a lot more people wouldn’t start enjoying it more also. Maybe it’s ultimately a mute point, but when I see bands like this that have so much potential to be AWESOME, I just end up being a lot harder on them. It’s a compliment!
-- Mike Spall
Southscene

The Barfly, Camden - 8th February 2004 (Isolation EP launch)
The Scarlet Soho set contained moments of Placebo like riffery combined with a throbbing bass line all built on a solid foundation of good songs.

With recording well under way and plenty of interest in the industry, Scarlet Soho could soon be sparking off a whole horde of copy cats, so remember who was doing this first!
-- Steve Fenton
The Mag

Beanos, Croydon - 7th February 2004 (Instore acoustic)
Scarlet Soho came on stage with just two guitars, instead of their regular set up which would include their pianist, Scarlet. They played a short acoustic five song set. A crowd of shoppers and fans gathered around the stage and waited in anticipation for the gig to begin. Their songs were melodic and had a slight melancholic feel. The first song they played was entitled 'Fade to Grey' and reminded me of 'Street spirit (Fade Out)' by Radiohead - musically haunting with an esoteric feel to it. 'Isolation' was sung with such conviction that it seemed as if the lead singer, Jim, could really feel what he was singing. The last song, 'City Behaviour', was a catchy tune crying out for airplay that took us on a wonderful audio journey.

One member of the audience, a teenage girl, said that Scarlet Soho's sound reminded her a bit of a mix between Placebo and Radiohead.

The band line-up consists of: Jim Knights (vocals, guitar, drums, programming, synths, lyrics, samples, FX), Lee Kinrade (guitars, synths, piano, programming, FX, samples) and Scarlet (bass, lyrics, synths, piano, samples). They are currently signed to 'Human-recordings' and have just released a limited edition EP. For more information visit their official website at: www.scarletsoho.com
A totally mesmerising gig. I felt enchanted by their lyrics and have a feeling they'll be big in the not too distant future. Remember, you read it in BNEWS first!
-- Jean Graham
Beanos

Reviews

• Modern Radio
• Divisions Of Decency
• Isolation
• Live