Bio

Moulded by Post-punk, New Wave, and Two-tone, matured through Grunge, guided by John Peel, and mellowed with age, The Argent Grub creates music that at one turn is left-field singer songwriter, at the next is Post-rock, and the next is ambient and experimental. Sometimes loud. Sometimes quiet. Sometimes loud. Inspired by DIY culture and the belief that we are stronger if we work together, the creative process embraces the free culture movement. Behind The Argent Grub is musician David Carpenter, who first picked up a guitar back in 1988 in order to “make a noise like the Jesus and Mary Chain”. While not religious, a church based upbringing as a son of a preacher man instilled a lifelong commitment to social justice. His first job was sexual health education in the 1990’s around HIV/AIDS and this was the start of a career in the youth, community, and voluntary sectors where he has weaved music, sound, the environment, health, radio and IT into that work. Most recently he has been supporting young musicians through a project at the local community radio station. Born in the south, raised in Yorkshire, schooled in London and Leeds, reprogrammed in Coventry, Scotland, and Massachusetts, David is now settled in Bradford. David began releasing music as The Argent Grub in 2020 with his Listen Up EP that set the words of Greta Thunburg’s speeches to music to try to get ‘people like me’ to listen to her words in full. ‘Listening fully’ is at the heart of the music, whether it be in the lyrics of songs like Walk (about valuing our time together), or through ambient field recording soundscapes, or through layers of loud distorted post-rock guitars and drums. Free and open source software is at the heart of the production process, and all music and video are licenced for reuse. The Argent Grub is based in Juliusstrasse Studios in Bradford, UK.