"They could be the best non-indie shmindie band to leap from the realm of Oxfordshire"
(BBC Oxford)
*****
BIO:
Once upon a time, in the shadowy, more seductive corners of England's seat of learning, in the winter of discontent (2003), out of a mutual love of the Cure, Placebo, Garbage, a hefty dose of sexual deviancy and the odd splash of baby oil, At Risk was conceived.
After just a few fervent live explorations, they made 'The First Touch EP', their virgin recordings, with Quickfix producer Lee Christian (The Rock of Travolta, Meanwhile Back in Communist Russia). This demo quickly gained them a great reputation as the city's newest and best purveyors of dark, melodic, serated pop rock ("Killing Beauty" was one of the highlights of that season's Oxfordbands.com compilation) and a strong following through local radio and rock club airplay.
The next year was spent honing their live act - supporting the likes of Kasabian, Chikinki, King Adora and the Glitterati - and cohesifying their sound through a wealth of new material, the best of which were lovingly recorded in the start of 2005 in the serene snowscape of the Somerset countryside, produced by Lee Christian and Rich Haines (Supergrass, Radiohead) and audio-sweetened by Fran Ashcroft (Blur/Gorillaz, the Dandy Warhols) and released in May 2005.
From the enticing Blondie-esque classic pop opening of "The Easy Way" to the dynamic, epic closing of "The Rundown", the record reveals an intoxicating blend of enchanting melodies, pop sensibilities, desolate majesty and impassioned heartfelt alt-rock that leaves the listener beguiled.
Following the release of "Faith in Fairytales", At Risk has undergone a line-up change, involving original guitarist Joe-Joe rejoining the band, this time on bass. Since then, the band have returned to the live circuit - including supporting Inkubus Sukkubus - and focused on writing new material. Copies of "Faith in Fairytales", have now sold out, but all the songs from the EP are available to download at Karmadownload: http://www.karmadownload.com/artist/?27985
A new EP, 'Skyward', has just been recorded (April 2006), which features 4 tracks: 'Sin Before Sunrise', 'Sou Nyuu', 'My Darling My Angel', and 'Miles to Go Before I Sleep', all of which are available to listen to on this page.
*****
As of the summer of 2006, At Risk have split. Updates about the new projects of the members will be featured on this page, so do check back for those - and of course to listen to the songs! Comments and feedback are still appreciated from anyone who wishes to give their opinion, and thanks to everyone who liked and encouraged us.
*****
"Fronted by effervescent and coolly glamorous singer Cat, At Risk cut out smoky, bolshy slabs of distorted pop of a slightly darker shade, the fizzing guitars providing a solid but unobtrusive canvas for Cat's alternately girlish or soaring vocals. At their best, as on the billowing, haunted pure pop of 'Frostbite', they're somewhere between Bang Bang Machine's epic art-grunge and Strawberry Switchblade's polka dot pop." - Nightshift
"The fresh faced Oxford quintet lurk at the poppier end of the goth spectrum. And as far as that goes they lurk there pretty well. Some nicely sinister basslines, alternately choppy and chiming guitars and a lulling, dreamy vocal." - Soundsxp (www.soundsxp.com)
