Thistle Sifter

Thistle Sifter is the cinematic post-rock project of English musician Pete Barnes (Utrecht,
NL).

Catapulted into disarray following a serious cycling accident in November 2020, Thistle
Sifter became a platform for Barnes to express his personal struggles and emotions,
transporting listeners into an ethereal world of serene post-rock, spacey synth ambience,
evolving soundscapes & lo-fi folk.

Heavily inspired by writers Jay Griffiths, George Monbiot, Omar El Akkad and Siddharth
Kara, the eight compositions touch on themes such as land use, animal rights, cobalt mining
in the Congo, climate breakdown, neo-liberalism and the media’s complicity in genocide.
Each track on the album is accompanied by thematic visuals.

Thistle Sifter has been captivating audiences with its immersive audiovisual live experience
throughout Europe in recent years, including AFAS Live in Amsterdam (with Sigur Rós), Le
Guess Who? Festival (Utrecht) & Roadburn Festival (Tilburg). The band has shared a stage
with Oh Hiroshima (Sweden), Midas Fall (UK), Törzs (Hungary) & Mother of Millions
(Greece). The live line-up features Pete Barnes (guitar & synths), Nils Breunese (guitar), Alex
Rushmer (bass & synths), Koen Klarenbeek (drums).