The Utopia Strong

Lore & Background

The Utopia Strong originated from an experimental improvised session in Glastonbury on the evening of 2 January 2018, where they left a recorder running through their 13-hour session. Steve Davis, a six-time World Snooker Champion, was recognised for his love of progressive rock, soul and jazz-funk. He booked the French progressive rock band Magma to play three sold-out nights at the Bloomsbury Theatre and later became a DJ with the radio show Interesting Alternative on Phoenix FM. At a Magma gig, Davis bonded with Iranian-born musician Kavus Torabi, a storied guitarist with Gong and Cardiacs. Davis and Torabi met multi-instrumentalist Michael J. York of Coil after DJing at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival, and the three decided to form a band. In the Utopia Strong, Davis plays analogue modular synth.

The Utopia Strong’s debut gig was a modular synthesiser trade show, in surroundings 'so cramped that Davis kept thinking of the scene in Airplane! when a flailing guitar results in the sick child losing his drip.' The band released the ten-minute long track 'Brainsurgeons 3' on 11 June 2019, and their self-titled debut album on 13 September 2019 on Rocket Recordings. The album features a guest vocal appearance by Mediæval Bæbes' Katharine Blake. The Utopia Strong's second album International Treasure was released in 2022. The Quietus listed the album at number 25 on their Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022. The band appeared on BBC Breakfast on 25 March 2023. They supported Steve Hillage's 2023 UK tour, with Torabi also a member of Hillage's backing band.

The Utopia Strong played a live set at Acid Horse 2025, a Wiltshire festival co-organised by John Doran of The Quietus, for which Torabi had been on a previous bill. The band headlined the 2025 Angel Field Festival at Capstone Theatre in Liverpool Hope University's creative campus. Their third or fourth album Doperider was released on 10 October 2025 on Rocket, with the first single 'Harpies' featuring vocals by Blake. Torabi has said that the Utopia Strong influences his work with Gong, and vice versa.

Reader's Guide

The Utopia Strong represent a notable intersection of popular culture and experimental electronic music, primarily due to the involvement of Steve Davis, a six-time World Snooker Champion. Their formation from an improvised 13-hour session in Glastonbury underscores their commitment to spontaneous creation. The band's discography includes studio albums, live albums, and singles, with releases on Rocket Recordings and self-released projects. Their significance lies in bridging the worlds of sport and avant-garde music, as well as bringing together musicians from diverse backgrounds—Davis from snooker, Torabi from progressive rock, and York from industrial/experimental circles. The band's work has been recognized by outlets like The Quietus, and they have performed at festivals and on BBC Breakfast. Their legacy is one of cross-genre collaboration and sustained output into the mid-2020s.

Did You Know?

• The band formed after a 13-hour improvised session on 2 January 2018 in Glastonbury.
• Steve Davis is a six-time World Snooker Champion and plays analogue modular synth in the band.
• The band's debut gig was at a modular synthesiser trade show, described as cramped.
• Their album International Treasure was listed at number 25 on The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022.

Formation & Origins

The Utopia Strong trace their roots to a single evening on 2 January 2018 in Glastonbury, England, when an experimental improvised session stretched to thirteen hours with a recorder left running. The trio's assembly was as organic as it was unlikely. Steve Davis, a six-time World Snooker Champion with a deep affection for progressive rock, soul, and jazz-funk, had booked the French progressive rock outfit Magma for three sold-out shows at the Bloomsbury Theatre. At one of those concerts he struck up a connection with Kavus Torabi, the Iranian-born guitarist celebrated for his work with Gong and Cardiacs. The third piece fell into place when Davis and Torabi encountered multi-instrumentalist Michael J. York of Coil after Davis was DJing at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival. The three decided to form a band, and the supergroup was born.

Musical Identity & Sound

Often labelled a supergroup, The Utopia Strong bring together three musicians whose individual histories span snooker, electronic music, and decades of avant-garde rock. Davis handles analogue modular synthesiser, Torabi covers guitar, bass, harmonium, and voice, while York contributes modular synth, percussion, duduk, and pipes. The band's sonic palette draws from progressive rock, jazz-funk, and experimental electronic traditions, filtered through artists who have already built reputations in very different worlds. Torabi has noted that his work with Gong and his work with The Utopia Strong feed into each other, suggesting a creative cross-pollination that keeps both projects evolving. Davis channels his love of soul and jazz-funk through the modular rig, while York brings the textural depth of his Coil background. The result resists easy categorisation, blending structured composition with the spontaneity of their original thirteen-hour improvisation.

Discography & Career Arc

The Utopia Strong's recorded output began with the ten-minute track "Brainsurgeons 3," released on 11 June 2019, followed by their self-titled debut album on 13 September 2019 via Rocket Recordings, featuring a guest vocal from Mediæval Bæbes' Katharine Blake. The band also released several self-released live albums between 2020 and 2023, including Alphabet of the Magi, Dreamsweeper, Ninth Art, and Gyre, before The BBC Sessions arrived on Rocket in 2024. Their second studio album, International Treasure, dropped in 2022 and earned a spot at number 25 on The Quietus' Albums Of The Year So Far Chart for that year. By 2025 the group had released two more studio albums: Collapse, a self-released record, and Doperider on Rocket, the latter's first single "Harpies" again featuring Blake on vocals. Singles such as "Shepherdess," "Castalia," "Gatekeeper," "Lamp of Glory," and "The Atavist" have punctuated the releases, while a remix with Snapped Ankles and appearances on compilation projects like Rocket's Launch300 and Ein Null's 10 Years Of Sprechen show the band's willingness to collaborate across genres.

Live Performance & Cultural Presence

The Utopia Strong's first public performance took place at a modular synthesiser trade show in a space so tight that Davis recalled the chaotic Airplane! scene where a flailing guitar causes a sick child to lose his IV drip. From that cramped debut the band steadily expanded their live footprint. They appeared on BBC Breakfast on 25 March 2023, and Torabi doubled as a member of Steve Hillage's backing band while the group supported Hillage's 2023 UK tour. In 2025 they played a live set at Acid Horse, a Wiltshire festival co-organised by John Doran of The Quietus, a venue where Torabi had previously appeared. They also headlined the 2025 Angel Field Festival at the Capstone Theatre on Liverpool Hope University's creative campus. Davis's broader cultural footprint includes his radio show Interesting Alternative on Phoenix FM and his role in bringing Magma to London audiences. The band's trajectory from a cramped trade-show gig to festival headliners and a national television appearance in just a few years underscores how quickly they carved out a distinctive place in the British electronic and progressive scene.

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