biography
The Mystery Jets formed in the early ’90s when the group’s shock-headed frontman, Blaine Harrison, was only 12. The band was initially called the Misery Jets, in honor of the Heathrow-bound jets that habitually roared over their native Eel Pie Island, but they changed their name when Blaine (who, again, was very young at the time) misspelled ‘misery.’
The Mystery Jets were essentially a family project, with Blaine on drums, Blaine’s dad, Henry Harrison, on bass, and Blaine’s friend William Rees on guitar. Henry eventually switched from bass to guitar, Kai Fish joined up as the group’s bassist, and Blaine switched from drums to keyboards. The group tried out a drum machine and a local kid named Max before finally latching onto drummer Kapil Trevedi.
Their first ‘Five Tracks’ EP, recorded soon after Trevedi joined the group, was released on 679 Records in 2005, and their first full-length album, ‘Making Dens’, was released the following year. Their second album proper, ‘21’, was released on 679 in March 2008 with dance producer Erol Alkan at the helm and minus Harrison Snr for the first time.
In January 2009 the Mystery Jets signed to Rough Trade. At the time co founder Geoff Travis spoke for us all here when he excitedly stated that, “The Mystery Jets are in my opinion the best British group since the Libertines and I have been wanting to work with them for a very long time, so I am delighted they have chosen to join the roster.” Being a band that grow from strength to strength with steady certainty, we can’t wait for their first Rough Trade release as it’ll no doubt become their best work to date.
http://www.mysteryjets.com/