ARCHITECTS OF SOUND: S.C.U.M
The ethereal hand gestures and slender frames of the members of S.C.U.M belie the heady density of their much-accoladed wash of vaporous sound - not to mention the weight of the musical genealogy behind them. Bassist Huw Webb is the younger brother of the Horrors’ Rhys Webb; keyboardist Samuel Kilcoyne is the son of Add N to (X)’s Barry Smith. The lean frontman, Thomas Cohen, is no blood relation to but the spitting image of Nick Cave – with whom they coincidentally share a producer in legendary drummer Jim Sclavunos. Despite this web of associations, S.C.U.M are more than capable of holding their own, attracting collaborations from the Venice Biennale to artists such as Grinderman and Matthew Stone. Here, the East London group talk about building their sound, working with Sclavunos, and where they're going next.