The Utopia Strong consists of Steve Davis who applies the same painstaking approach which made him six-time World Snooker Champion to creating sounds from modular synths, Kavus Torabi who is currently guitarist and vocalist with Gong and who was previously in The Cardiacs, and Michael J. York from Coil and Current 93, recognised as one of the UK’s foremost bagpipes players. They released their self-titled debut album in 2019 their second, ‘International Treasure’, in 2022 and their latest album ‘Doperider’ in October 2025.

The band 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. Davis bonded with Iranian-born musician Kavus Torabi at a gig by seminal band Magma. Davis and Torabi then met Coil’s Michael J. York after DJing at the 2017 Glastonbury Festival, and the three decided to form a band. They have been described as a supergroup and their improvised shows spring from the innate chemistry between the trio, allowing them to take extensions through dimensions that frequently end up as much of a surprise to the band as the listener.

The band released their self-titled debut album on 13 September 2019 on Rocket Recordings. Their 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 and they supported Steve Hillage’s 2023 UK tour, with Torabi also a member of Hillage’s backing band. Their third album Doperider was released on 10 October 2025.

The Utopia Strong’s latest release ‘Doperider’ is inspired by the skeletal psychonaut character in the Paul Kirchner graphic novel compendium, ‘Awaiting The Collapse’. Kavus reflects: “Well, we are making psychedelic music or, if you will, head music. We put an awful lot of detail into each piece. It’s certainly not minimalist. Often after our shows people will remark that we had made them feel like they were on drugs. That’s the idea really. We’ll take you on a voyage of self-discovery that won’t preclude showing up to work on time the next day. Although really the core message of our music is ‘Quit your job and start a commune.” Steve adds: “Hopefully we’ve done justice to the comic book character Dope Rider and that he’d have loved riding along on his Harley Davison on another quest, with the wind blowing through his rib cage, listening to this album. if the audience choose the psychonaut road, then we are delighted to have been of service.”

Live support comes from Bruise Blood, the latest project from Mike Bourne from experimental psychedelic band Teeth of the Sea, making this evening a deep dive into cosmic realms.

This event is a fundraiser for community radio station Phonic FM.

Venue: Auditorium, Exeter Phoenix

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>