"Black Olives from London, fuse alternative grunge with elements of classic rock & brit pop, crafting high-quality songs which combine irresistible melodies with aggressive & articulate guitar sound"
BLACK OLIVES formed in London in 2002 headlining for the QUEENS GOLDEN JUBILEE on 2nd and 3rd of June 2002 at TIN PAN ALLEY JUBILEE STREET PARTY, supported by BBC Music Live. The band also played for the Mathew Street Festivals 2002 & 2003 and other venues across London and beyond.
In October 2002 Black Olives recorded their debut album “How About” in Kent, with 13 original songs. The album was released on the 1st of August 2003. The most stand-out tracks were THOSE GONE DAYS, HOW ABOUT, A BETTER LIFE and ABOVE AND BENEATH. On the 21st of August 2003 BLACK OLIVES had a rare opportunity to perform and record live at Abbey Road Studios as part of the follow-up Matthew Street Festival to be held in Liverpool the same month.
In April 2006 the band embarked on a BARFLY TOUR of England, opening for Fratellis at Barfly in Birmingham. In 2007 Black Olives released 2 new singles FLYING AWAY and EVERYBODY FEELS THE SAME. This was followed by another single SAME OLD HOLE/HERO OF MANKIND, recorded in autumn 2008.
In 2011, Black Olives released 2 new singles, TAKING A WHILE and SAIL MY WAVE, wrapping up the work on their 2nd UK record due for release in 2013. Again, the band has consistently proven their knack for crafting high-quality songs that combine irresistible melodies with meticulous lyrical detail.
On the 11th of June 2012, Black Olives played for Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee at the British Embassy in Chisinau, Moldova, followed by a show at the Albion venue in the center of the city.BLACK OLIVES continue playing in London as well as UK and Europe venues building up a steady following. On the 22nd of January 2013, the band launched their 2nd album SAIL MY WAVE at the legendary venue The Borderline, featuring original 13 songs. This album was taken on the road throughout Europe where the band performed with great success in front of growing audiences. In June 2014, the band set about recording their 3rd album, Double Standards at NMP Studios in Limehouse, London. Here the members dedicated more time to exploring different angles at approaching the arrangements of the new songs. Apart from turned-up-a-few-notches heavier guitar sound, the album features unexpected styles which hail back to the 70’s & 80’s & 90’s with the highlights such as ELECTRIC FACE, SACRED KARMA, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT and RUNNING MACHINE to name a few. The album was released on i-Tunes in April 2017. The launch took place @ Bush Hall, London on 23 April 2017 which was a sold out show.
On 24th of October 2017, Black Olives supported an acoustic/unplugged show of the world-famous reggae artist, Joss Stone, at the Philharmonic Hall in Chisinau, Moldova. The band opened the evening with a set of stripped down versions of their most popular songs from all 3 albums: THIS TIME AGAIN, NOT A BAD THING, ELECTRIC FACE, THOSE GONE DAYS, HOW LONG, DAY BEFORE TOMORROW, SOONER OR LATER. In December 2018 Black Olives embarked on a small European Tour followed up by a German tour in March 2019.
At the moment BLACK OLIVES continue playing regularly various London and UK venues building up a steady following, as well as writing and recording new songs for the next 4th album. Their sound is continuously changing due to their ability to explore various styles of music. Black Olives prove that the rock music of the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s is still viable, that it is still rife with influence and when a talented band is influenced by such eras they too can make amazing, original music that will hopefully go on to inspire future generations.