Katie Harkin


Katie Harkin is an English musician and songwriter, originally from Leeds, England. She is best known as the guitarist of Sky Larkin and as a touring member with Courtney Barnett, Sleater-Kinney and Wild Beasts.

Biography

Harkin was a founding member of Sky Larkin from 2005 to 2014, performing guitar, keyboards and vocals while acting as the band's main songwriter. She formed the band while attending university with her childhood friend Nestor Matthews. The group released two singles on Dance To The Radio and three albums on Wichita Recordings.
In 2011 Harkin toured with Wild Beasts in support of their album Smother and composed the score for 2016 Turner Prize winner Helen Martin's CGI animation Dust and Piranhas for The Serpentine Gallery in London.
Beginning in 2015, she was a touring member of Sleater-Kinney, appearing on their live album Live in Paris.
In 2016, Harkin worked with Waxahatchee on their album Out in the Storm, performing on the album and also contributing to some of the songwriting process.
In 2017, Harkin toured with Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett in their backing band to promote their album Lotta Sea Lice. She also soundtracked British comedian Josie Long's podcast All Of The Planet's Wonders Shown In Detail the same year.
In 2018, Harkin toured with Courtney Barnett in her backing band in the US and Europe to promote her album Tell Me How You Really Feel.
On 24 April 2020 she released her first solo album, Harkin.