Levitation (band)

Levitation
Levitation, 1991
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Alternative rock, Indie rock, Psychedelic rock
Years active	1990–1994
Labels	Ultimate Records Rough Trade Records Capitol Records Chrysalis Records
Associated acts	Dark Star, The House of Love, Cardiacs, Dragons, Mikrokosmos, Zag and the Coloured Beads, Ring
Past members	Terry Bickers David Francolini Christian Hayes Laurence O'Keefe Robert White Joe Allen Johnny T Steve Ludwin

Levitation were an English psychedelic rock band, formed in 1990 in London. The band consisted of frontman Terry Bickers (formerly guitarist with The House of Love), drummer David Francolini, guitarist Christian Hayes, bassist Laurence O'Keefe and keyboardist Robert White.

Bickers announced his departure from the band onstage at Tufnell Park Dome in north London on 14 May 1993. The release of the band's already completed second album Meanwhile Gardens was shelved. The band enlisted former Some Have Fins frontman Steve Ludwin to replace Bickers, which saw a remixed version of the album with new vocals from Ludwin released in Australia the following year. The band split in October 1994, leaving their second album remaining unreleased. Hayes, Francolini and O'Keefe regrouped in 1996 to form Dark Star. They released Twenty Twenty Sound in 1999 before disbanding in 2001.

Following his departure from The House Of Love in 1990, Terry Bickers began forming a new band with drummer David Francolini. The pair met during Bickers' last tour with his previous band in December 1989, on which Francolini was playing with support band Something Pretty Beautiful whom he joined just days before going out on tour. They first enlisted Christian Hayes, who had played with Ring and Panixphere, played bass in The Dave Howard Singers and was currently playing guitar in Cardiacs and working as a courier. Bickers knew Hayes through musical friends in South London, and when Bickers and Francolini spotted Hayes on his courier bike by chance in Covent Garden, London they arranged to meet up in the studio. Hayes' former Ring bandmate, keyboardist Robert White (also formerly of Zag and the Coloured Beads) soon joined along with bassist Joe Allen and violinist Johnny T, a member of The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra.