Formed in March 1996 out of a common desire for improvisation, originality and a love for the classic music of the 20th Century - Miles Davis, Steve Reich, Sonic Youth, Philip Glass, Stravinsky, Glenn Branca, Nation of Ulysses, John Coltrane & The Fall - Nøught have warped the conceived boundaries between rock, jazz and the avant garde and welded a jet engine to Oxford's already musical rollercoaster ride.

Nøught are an instrumental three-piece who eschew the traditional confines of guitar-based rock & roll, choosing instead to fuse improvisational noise experimentation onto a clinical endo-skeleton and coating it all in an unholy racket.

In March 97 they released their debut CD single, 'Cough Cap Kitty Cat' on Oxford's Shifty Disco, finding the label's 'anything goes' attitude perfect for their eclectic, experimental sound. 'Ignatius', the second track on the CD may well be the only piece of music ever to feature a power drill solo.

Live, Nøught continue to explore any and all musical possibilities while hardening their sound to a point where its density threatens to crush the universe around it to a point of singularity; forever aware of new boundaries, and always willing to break them.

The band's second release, the four track EP 'Red Rag', again on Shifty Disco, was released to coincide with Oxford Radio 1 Sound City 97 in October of that year and found Nøught's sound even darker and more claustrophobic than ever. So enamoured was John Peel of the band's extreme sound that he invited them to record a session. Guitarist James Sedwards has appeared on national television interviewed by Peel, who, talking about James' playing, declared that James was "the first person who's not been a footballer that I've been jealous of." The broadcaster's support for the band, confirmed by his playing mixes of the band's music and giving them the opportunity to play the Meltdown '98 festival at London's South Bank Centre and Sound City in Newcastle. James again demonstrated his musical prowess at the end of the year when he was runner up in the National Guitarist of the Year competition at Wembley; the judges finding 'Cough Cap Kitty Cat' the perfect blend of technical expertise and inventiveness.

1999 saw the band in the studio for the most of the year. Now with new drummer Jonny Mitchell and bassist Santiago Horro they have re-located to London. Luke Barlow joins them on keyboard duties for live performances. A sophomore album is forthcoming, but fans are advised not to hold their breath for an imminent release.

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