[[Category:Australian male songwriters]]
[[Category:Australian male songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian bass guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian bass guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian songwriters]]
Gareth McGrillen (born 16 October 1981) is an Australian musician, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. He is best known as a co-founder, bassist, and producer of the electronic rock band Pendulum, and as one half of the electronic music duo Knife Party alongside Rob Swire. McGrillen and Swire originally formed Pendulum in Perth, Western Australia, in 2002. The two later created Knife Party in 2011 as a dedicated electronic side-project.
Early life and career
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Prior to forming Pendulum, McGrillen and Rob Swire were heavily involved in the rock and metal music scene in Perth, playing together in a metal band known as Xygen.[1] McGrillen has cited his early musical influences as diverse, including punk, metal, and electronic music. He recalled the first album he bought was Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien and cited Led Zeppelin’s III and The Prodigy’s Experience as among his favorite albums.
The direction of his career shifted after he and Swire heard the aggressive energy of drum and bass music, particularly the track “Messiah” by Konflict, which they felt carried a similar intensity to the rock and metal they enjoyed.[2]
Pendulum was formed in 2002 in Perth with McGrillen, Rob Swire, and local DJ Paul “El Hornet” Harding. McGrillen primarily served as a producer and writer during the band’s initial period as a DJ trio.[3]
When Pendulum transitioned from a DJ act to a six-piece live electronic rock band in 2006, McGrillen took on the role of bass guitarist for live performances and studio recordings. He has explained that the band utilizes a complex live setup, integrating their rock background with electronic production.[4]
In 2011, McGrillen and Swire launched the electro house/dubstep side project Knife Party. The duo stated that Knife Party was created as an outlet to produce electronic music that did not fit the Pendulum sound, allowing them to explore genres like dubstep, electro house, and drumstep.[5]
In 2025, it was announced that McGrillen co-produced the studio album Edge of the Abyss for the British rock band Calva Louise.[6]
