Forging punk, industrial, blues, and electro-pop into a defiant sound they call "future rock," the Los Angeles-via-London duo
Bones UK features vocalist
Rosie Bones and guitarist
Carmen Vandenberg. On their 2019 self-titled debut, the pair set their attacks on sexism -- and celebrations of sexuality and individuality -- to equally fierce music.
Bones UK formed in 2014, soon after
Bones and
Vandenberg met in London's Camden Town district. As a child growing up in Italy,
Vandenberg first studied violin, but switched to classical guitar after her father showed her
Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock performance. Later on, she studied at London's Academy of Contemporary Music; while still in her teens, she played sessions with
Kate Nash and
Dave Stewart. Meanwhile, London native and former art school student
Bones began her musical career as a drummer, but soon opted for guitar to better accompany herself on the songs she was writing. The pair combined
Vandenberg's technical know-how with
Bones' flair for imagery, and the duo started playing live in 2015. After one of these early gigs made a fan of
Jeff Beck,
Vandenberg and
Bones worked with him on his 2016 album
Loud Hailer and toured with him. When they returned to their work as
Bones UK, the pair wanted a change of scenery.
After a move to Los Angeles in 2017,
Vandenberg and
Bones began work on their first album with producer
Filippo Cimatti, one of
Vandenberg's former Academy of Contemporary Music classmates. Recording in spaces that ranged from bathrooms to their basement studio,
Bones UK's self-titled debut combined industrial and rock sounds with a feminist viewpoint. Sumerian Records released
Bones UK in July 2019. At the end of the year, the pair were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. ~ Heather Phares