Often compared to Coldplay and Travis, Turin Brakes were an English, folk-inspired duo that hailed from Balham, London. Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian were friends in elementary school and decided to try out for the cathedral choir because it would perform in front of the Queen of England, which it eventually did. The two aspiring musicians, influenced by a unique range of artists that included Sebadoh, Truman's Water, Prince, and the Black Crowes, formed a band and recorded their freewheeling jam sessions. One of those sessions became their first release, The Door EP, which was released on Anvil in 1999. The State of Things EP followed the next year on the Source label. Turin Brakes began playing full-band live shows at the Reading and Leeds festivals. A third U.K.-only EP, Fight or Flight, was released later in 2000, as the band was opening for the likes of Kathryn Williams, Doves, and Lowgold. The debut Turin Brakes full-length, The Optimist LP, was released in 2001 through Astralwerks. 2003's successful Ether Song brought the group more fans and was followed by the more polished Jackinabox two years later. In 2010, Turin Brakes returned to it's melodic folk-inflected roots with the album Outbursts.~ JT Griffith