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Formed at the dawn of 2008, hewn out of igneous alternative rock, The Out Last Knights have been intensively living, cooking and jamming together in the leafy Dublin suburb of Stoneybatter for the last year. Ridiculously eager, hopelessly naive, but strangely talented, the band have been belting out the songs around Dublin and beyond over the last few months to a happy and curious public, maybe just a little bored of the indie-by-numbers brigade.

Arising from Kerry, Kilkenny and of course the birthplace of the blues, Tuam, the Out Last Knights serve a four-course meal of unpretentious alternative rock, singing about anything that comes to mind, whether it be the simple experience of just walking down the street or faux-philosophical attempts at glimpsing the very foundations of our universe.

The current climate of joblessness has been a great friend of TOLK, contributing some much-needed artistic space and time in their westinnercity enclave for the researching, writing and recording of the spritely debutante "Recession EP" , which was released at the tailend of November 2008.

Its follow-up, "Lock Me Up/The Mundanities" was released on May Day 2009. Heralded as the greatest double A-side since "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever", its launch was the most eagerly-awaited since that of Apollo 11 - the very idea of it bringing a glint of hope to an increasing number of recession-saddened punters across the land, whose glance now turns dreamy when they're asked that ultimate inane question: "were y'out last night?"

LIVE REVIEW

1st MAY 09 - RADIO CITY - DOUBLE A-SIDE LAUNCH

Were you Out Last Knight?! The main event of the evening and The Out Last Knights take to the stage like a burlesque troupe from Marc Bolans nightmare. Billy is wearing Dame Edna’s spectacles and a fur-collared coat, Anto looks heroin chic in a ladies scarf, Tom is sporting a yellow blouse that formerly belonged to artist formerly known as Prince and Elton John is still threatening to sue bassist Mike Wallace with copyright infringement of his image.

TOLK waste no time and launch straight into the single ‘Lock Me Up’ which is a brooding, angst-fuelled tune that takes no prisoners. Billy Benner provides the vocals for this track and then vocal duties are alternated through the rest of the set between Billy and guitarist Anto Hanrahan. They blast through several original numbers –riding momentous waves of urgent guitar riffs all the while creating menacing rock without missing a beat. These boys are not accomplished lyricists nor do they pretend to be - they are out and out grunge-inflected, substance fuelled lunatics who really were out last knight! Just before the end of the set they perform an unexpected and surprisingly enjoyable cover of ‘Why Does It Feel so Good’ (Groovejet feat. Spiller) with vocals supplied by drummer Tom Gibbons and their reworking of the song is greeted with a great response from the audience. For the grand finale, the lads play an original number called ‘Majority’ – a savage tune matched only by ‘Lock Me Up’.

The gig itself was a great success but the quality of their single release is a real coup de grace. With Sin Cityesque artwork on the sleeve by Killer and top notch production by Martin Quinn recorded out at JAM Studios it is one of my favourite pieces of work by an unsigned band. My advice? Get your hands on a copy, put it on your iPod and stalk the streets with a bottle of whisky and a Bowie knife inciting fear and confusion into the hearts and minds of those you meet…

- Guerilla Review

LIVE REVIEW

27th NOV 08 - RADIO CITY - RECESSION EP LAUNCH

"It's all about smoking and joking around, but this band don't mess about. They got straight into the set with the new songs from their EP Recession and there was no cut backs in the sound that pumped out of the band - it was full of colour and some very interesting grooves. One tune really caught my ears on the night was Majority... it was clean cut with a mean southern blues feel from the tone, with a hint of earl 90's grunge... this would be an area the band should look more into, great gig and stage presence was top form."

Rank : ***** 5 out of 6

- Trevor Halpin, Musicreview magazine

www.musicreviewunsigned.com

SINGLE REVIEW

STATE MAGAZINE - State.ie

"Stoneybatter-based alternative rock outfit The Out Last Knights have bravely released an EP in keeping with the current climate. ‘Lock Me Up’ is tinged with gloom, angst and hints of alienation; perfect for these recessionary times indeed! Undoubtedly influenced by the purveyors of grunge and the Seattle sound, The Out Last Knights have refined their rock roots for this quite polished EP. With a title track resting on lines like “Think I’d rather be dead”, The Out Last Knights are shameless in their melodrama but thankfully they have enough musical mettle to back it up. ‘The Mundanities’ continues the theme of despair and mocks the trivialities of modern living. More upbeat than its predecessor, it contains a semi-comic chorus that reveals the origins of the band’s interesting moniker. Although there is nothing particularly ground-breaking about this four-piece, their EP is a consistent and promising sampler and, on the whole, not a bad first step."

www.state.ie