Knife Party break silence on Phoenix Pk stabbings
Rob Swire on the issues arising from recent stabbings at two Swedish House Mafia gigs...
The Hot Press Newsdesk, 08 Aug 2012
Rob Swire, of the electronic dance duo Knife Party, has broken his silence on the issues arising from the stabbings that took place at the Swedish House Mafia gigs in Phoenix Park and Milton Keynes recently.
Swire's Knife Party outfit collaborated with the stars of both shows, Swedish House Mafia, on the latter's biggest track to date, 'Antidote' – a track that was credited to Swedish House Mafia vs Knife Party – and which effectively launched the Knife Party 'brand' to international prominence.
The video for the track has been viewed 8,252,389 times on YouTube (and rising) – a reflection of its vaulting success. It went to No.4 in the UK singles charts and was No.3 in the Billboard Hot Dance Songs in the US.
Almost inevitably, links were subsequently made between the band's association with Swedish House Mafia and the stabbings. However, when Hot Press first contacted representatives for Swire, we were told that he would be unavailable for comment as the group doesn't do interviews.
On the basis that there is a major issue of public safety being debated in Ireland as a result of the stabbings, Hot Press decided to send a series of questions through to the musician – best known to date for his work with the highly respected Australian outfit Pendulum, who had a No.2 hit in the UK with their second album In Silico – both via his Facebook page and through his management.
The following day, we received an email back from a representative confirming that we would have a response to the questions after the weekend.
For a plethora of reasons, this is a difficult issue. "What's in a name?," Shakespeare once asked. It's a question which raises issues of potential negative influence on the one hand and artistic censorship on the other.
But that there is a genuine issue can hardly be dismissed: for millions of dance fans, Swedish House Mafia are very strongly associated with the name and presumably the idea 'knife party'. So were the stabbings just a horrible coincidence, or is there a connection? And if there is one, is that enough reason for a group to consider the appropriateness of the handle they have chosen – or are they better to carry on regardless, putting any violence down to the propensity of individuals? The questions covered these weighty matters in different ways.
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