Algiers

Algiers is an American-English post-punk band formed in 2007 in London, with roots in Atlanta, Georgia. The group is active from 2007 to the present and is based across London, the United States, and other locations associated with its members.

Line-up

The band consists of Franklin James Fisher, Ryan Mahan, Lee Tesche and Matt Tong. Fisher handles vocals and also plays guitar, bass, cello, double bass, piano, keys, sampling, Wurlitzer, tambourine, percussion and drum programming. Mahan plays bass, synths, baritone guitar, guitar, backing vocals, drum programming and samples. Tesche plays guitar, prepared guitar, prepared piano, saxophone, harmonium, synth, music box, tape loops and electric cymbal, as well as backing vocals. Tong plays drums, guitar, glockenspiel, drones, chimes and backing vocals.

Sound and influences

Algiers is described as an experimental rock group whose music draws on indie rock, noise pop, post-punk and soul, with wider references to gospel, noise rock and post-industrial music. The band’s own descriptions connect its sound to experimental gospel, noise and soul, alongside influences from Southern Gothic writing, Black politics, French popular culture, and artists including Paul Robeson, Lee Moses, Selda Bağcan, Nina Simone, Public Enemy, James Baldwin, Fred Hampton, DJ Premier and Fela Kuti. Other names linked to its aesthetic include Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, Saint-Just, Frantz Fanon, Alain Badiou, Jean Baudrillard, William Faulkner, Nick Cave and Flannery O’Connor.

Background

The group identifies strongly with Atlanta, Georgia, the city where its members are born and from which the project emerges, while its working life spans London, New York and France. Its music is presented as a response to the history and atmosphere of the American South, combining political and spiritual themes with dense, layered instrumentation and vocal arrangement.