Comus (band)
| Comus | |
|---|---|
Comus c. 1971
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1969–1972, 1974, 2008–present |
| Labels |
Dawn Virgin Records |
| Website | www |
| Members | Roger Wootton Glenn Goring Andy Hellaby Colin Pearson Bobbie Watson Jon Seagroatt |
| Past members | Rob Young Gordon Caxon Keith Hale Lindsay Cooper |
Comus are a British progressive folk band which had a brief career in the early 1970s; their first album, First Utterance, gave them a cult following which persists. They reunited in 2009 and have played several festivals and released a new album.
Comus was formed in 1969 by fellow art students Roger Wootton and Glenn Goring who developed their musical style performing in folk clubs in and around Bromley in Kent. The band was named after Comus (a masque by John Milton), and is also from the name of the Greek god Comus. The band grew from the early folk duo to the six piece ensemble that David Bowie came to appreciate. They appeared regularly at his Arts Lab project in Beckenham, Kent. He also invited them as support act for a 1969 concert at London's Purcell Rooms.
Their first album, First Utterance, with cover art by Wootton and Goring, appeared in 1971. The music is largely acoustic art rock (also described as acoustic metal and acid folk) that blends elements of Eastern percussion, early folk and animal-like vocals. The lyrics involve violence, murder, mental disorder and the mystical.
After the album, woodwind player Rob Young was replaced by Lindsay Cooper, and the new lineup developed material for a never-released second album. No recording by this lineup would see the light of day for another 40 years. The group disbanded for a time, but Wootton, Hellaby, and Watson reformed the band with new members for their second album, To Keep from Crying, in 1974.
In 2005, a complete box set was released which featured both studio albums, their only single, "Diana", and a previously unreleased track called "All the Colours of Darkness". The liner notes feature an exclusive interview with some members of the band. They reformed for the Mellotronen Festival in Sweden in March 2008. They have continued to perform occasional gigs, including some new material.
On 13 June 2009 Comus performed for the first time in the UK in 37 years at the Equinox Festival at Conway Hall.
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