The Invisible, “Surrender”

The Invisible, “Surrender”

The Invisible began in 2006 with Okumu, who – encouraged by Matthew Herbert to record solo material – soon realised he required the input of friends Leo Taylor (formerly of Gramme and Zongamin) and Tom Herbert (a member of Polar Bear (British band) and Acoustic Ladyland) to make real the sounds inside his head. Herbert’s Accidental Records spawned the production of the band’s first official release, the one-track 7 inch vinyl “Constant” in early 2008.

The name arrived after the three began writing. The moniker is a nod to the writing of Irish philosopher and poet John O’Donohue, who articulated the notion that humans exist in parallel worlds – the visible and the invisible; one physical, one spiritual.

The Invisible’s second album, Rispah was released on Ninja Tune in August 2012, having been recorded in Brighton – with producer Richard File. The album’s first single “Protection” was premiered through online music magazine, The Quietus] Rispah was named after frontman Dave Okumu’s mother, Rispah Achieng Okumu, who died during the making of the second album. Rispah is, in the words of singer-guitarist Dave Okumu, “a love letter to grief.”