Twelfth Night (band)

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Twelfth Night
Country	United Kingdom
Years active	1978-1987
Genres	neo-progressive

Twelfth Night are an English progressive rock or neo-progressive band of the 1980s.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation 1.2 Twelfth Night 1.3 Coming to notice 1.4 Success 1.5 Consolidation 2 Discography 3 External link

[edit] History

[edit] Formation

The seeds of Twelfth Night were sown when Andy Revell and Brian Devoil joined forces in February 1978 to win a talent competition at Reading University. The road crew included Geoff Mann as backdrop painter, and Rick Battersby as dry ice engineer. Devoil's previous musical experience was of various local bands in Reading, including Trash with whom he recorded a single "Priorities" released by Polydor in October the previous year. Revell's previous bands (in Bournemouth) included Joe Soap and The Bubbles and Abraxas. Later in 1978 Clive Mitten wandered into a rehearsal and asked for a job. (Devoil described Mitten as being very good in creating opportunities, convincing them when he said "you need a bass player".^{[citation needed]}) Mitten had previously played with local bands in Brighton, including Luna Hare.

[edit] Twelfth Night

Following a couple of gigs as the "Andy Revell Band", the band changed their name to Twelfth Night. They played one notable gig in the period: a Midsummer Rock Concert at Reading University where friend Mann guested on vocals - Summer 1979. Around this time the band did its first recording which resulted in the 'legendary' SKAN demo. (Line-up: Devoil, Mitten, Revell.)

After a couple of open air concerts in the summer, the band retired to Mann's parents home in Manchester for rehearsals taking Battersby with them. While there they played a gig in Salford to an audience of 10 year olds!

When Battersby and Mann joined the band it was their first musical venture, although Battersby had previously been classically trained in the piano. However, Mann decided to remain in Manchester to paint and work with a close friend, Peter Lawrence, in a two-piece "off the wall" band called the "God Stars". So Twelfth Night, having decided to forge ahead as an instrumental band, started gigging in earnest early in 1980. These early gigs were mainly pubs in the Home Counties.

[edit] Coming to notice

The band's first recorded material was released in January 1980. This was an album featuring live versions of Fur Helene and Encore along with studio tracks Freddie Hepburn and Sequences. It was only available as a cassette. their first major breakthrough came when music paper "Musicians Only" voted this tape its "Demo of the Week". This was followed by an ecstatic gig review and full page article - the band's first national press!

To find a vocalist the band advertised in "Melody Maker" and during that summer recruited American singer Electra MacLeod. They recorded a second album (tape) together which was released to coincide with an autumn tour. However, this didn't work out and she left during November 1980. Despite this, a single was released that December - Fur Helene/Cunning Man (TN001).

Following Electra's departure the band quickly recorded a live album - Live At The Target (TN002). This album was released in February 1981 and was promoted by extensive live dates on a couple of which support was provided by "God Stars". This tour included the band's first gigs at the Marquee Club, London.

[edit] Success

The album Live At The Target was recorded over two days in January. This led to a publishing deal with Neptune - signed in March 1980 - and the initial success of the album prompted Pinnacle Records to offer a distribution deal which meant the band had product available nationally for the first time. It appeared in both Heavy Metal and Hippy charts in both Melody Maker and Sounds.

Once again the summer saw them searching for a vocalist and eventually they recruited Mann once again, with whom they opened the Reading festival in August '81, making history as the first local band to appear at the event. After this they disappeared into the studio to demo some new songs. During this period Battersby left the band to pursue some solo projects. Some of the tracks from these demos were released on an LP length tape early in December '81. Entitled Smiling At Grief (TN003) it also included Helene 2, one of the earliest tracks written in 1978 and never previously released. By this time, Live At The Target had also enjoyed significant sales in America, Scandinavia and Europe.

The band spent most of 1982 writing and recording the Fact and Fiction (TN006) album. Commenced in May it wasn't finally finished and released until December. Mitten doubled on keyboards in Battersby's absence and a few gigs were done as a four piece that autumn.

During the summer an offer to appear on TV came "out of the blue" and so the band performed East of Eden on the first ever David Essex Showcase. It was screened on BBC1 on June 26th, 1982.

Two tracks which didn't find room on the Fact and Fiction album, Eleanor Rigby and East of Eden were released on single (REV009) in October 1982. Battersby then rejoined in December 1982 - completing the line-up for the Fact and Fiction Tour which began in January '83 and included the band's first headline gig at the Marquee. Bullet & Pinnacle Records took over distribution of the new album. Then in August '83 the band played again at the Reading Festival. CBS records seemed poised to offer a recording deal.

[edit] Consolidation

In November 1983 Mann left after two sell-out gigs at the Marquee, which were recorded for a "live" album. He was replaced by vocalist/songwriter Andy Sears (ex Canis Major, Isis, Rapid Apple, and Silva) in December.

In January 1984 the band began an extensive period of touring with Andy Sears, coinciding with the release of the Live And let Live LP on the "Music For Nations" label (Cat. No. MFN18). Highlights included a "support" slot at Hammersmith Odeon, London, in March and several more gigs at the band's second home the Marquee Club - including one which was filmed. This concert went out "live" in several European countries and was recorded for subsequent broadcast in the UK as part of a series: "Live From London". Twelfth Night's performance has never been broadcast, but was later released on video entitled "The Creep Show".

Immediately after touring the band signed a management and publishing deal with Hit and Run Music, joining Genesis and Peter Gabriel amongst others at the company.

While most of summer '84 was spent preparing new material (and hosting wild parties!) the band broke cover in July to play their first major London headline at the Dominion Theatre. It was a great success with some 1500 people turning up. In August the band travelled to Liverpool to record the Art and Illusion album with Gil Norton (of "Echo and the Bunnymen" fame) producing. Soon after its release in October it reached No. 83 in the national chart. The tour saw the band playing much larger venues than before and included the Dominion Theatre again and what turned out to be their only gig outside the UK, in Marburg, Germany.

1985 started with a couple of special birthday gigs at the Marquee under the pseudonym Jan Six and the Cryptk Clues which sold out in advance through the fan club. Most of the rest of the first half of the year was spent writing new material, some of which was tried out during the Corner of the World tour in May.

At last it seemed that the band was going to get a major record deal when Charisma Records decided to sign them. However, in July (while most of the band are on holiday) the company went bust. Not dispirited the band played a charity gig (Wycombe Live Aid) followed by three consecutive nights at the Marquee - their 14th, 15th and 16th successive sell-out gigs there.

September: the songs for the next album are selected and the band, with producer John L. Walters, begin pre-production. Virgin Records takes over Charisma.

November: recording of the album begins at Jacobs studios in Farnham, Surrey... and then finally, after years of waiting, the band sign a long-term, world wide, major record deal with Virgin. The date? 12th December, 1985.

1986: recording moves to Swanyard and Roosterstudios in London and the album is mixed at Wessex. Executive producer Richard Burgess doesn't last the course. April comes and the band premiere the album to "Virgin people" and a few invited fans at a special "showcase" concert at the Marquee.

In May, another special concert, this time at the Town and Country Club, London. Filmed by the BBC for "Old Grey Whistle Test" - Blue Powder Monkey is subsequently shown. Radio 1 also record the show but decide not to broadcast it. In June, Virgin release Shame as a single b/w Blue Powder Monkey. In July, the album Twelfth Night is released (Cat. No. CASG1174) followed soon after by Take a Look b/w Blondon Fair as the second single from it. Though receiving critical acclaim the overall sales of the album were disappointing, though it went straight in at No. 1 in Reading's local chart. Before the end of the year the band once again played Hammersmith Odeon in London.

1987: Andy Sears leaves the band, severely disappointed with the complete lack of direction and promotional strategy displayed by Virgin. Shortly after, the contract with Virgin is terminated and although the band make a final line-up change (bringing in Martyn Watson from "Pookah Makes Three") the "writing is on the wall" and by summer that year Twelfth Night is no more.

Although Mitten leaves (to run a recording studio) the last set of songs written by Revell, Devoil, Battersby and Martyn receive a live airing when the four of them support Geoff Mann at one of his, by now regular, Marquee gigs.

1988: During one of the frequent calls between band members the subject of the unrecorded Collector was discussed. Mitten offers studio time and so it is that in May the "original" line-up (Revell, Devoil, Mitten, Mann and Battersby) assembled to write that particular wrong. While there a "modern" version of Love Song was also recorded.

1989/90: After careful deliberation the band offer a compilation of these and others to M.F.N in the form of the album Collector's Item and in early 1991 it is finally released.

February 1993 - Mann died of cancer.

1996: Andy Sears goes to live in Spain, where he has become actively involved in various projects, including an appearance at the Tiana festival (Barcelona). In 2006 he is invited to supply all the backing vocals to a new Galadriel album.

In the period since the band's demise a number of archive live recordings have become officially available.

[edit] Discography

• SKAN March 1979 (48:28) (recorded in March 1979, in an empty hall at University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, England)
• Live at the Target (instrumental) 1981
• Smiling at Grief (originally cassette only, later on CD) 1982
• Fact and Fiction 1983
• Live and Let Live (live) 1983
• Art and Illusion 1984
• Twelfth Night 1986 (also know as XII)
  • Live at the Target and Fact and Fiction were previously released on CD without bonus material. All of the above albums have subsequently been reissued on CD with bonus tracks and sleeve notes by the band.
• Collector's Item (compilation with two new songs) 1991
• Collector's Item (reissue with some different material) 2001

The album Twelfth Night was not released on CD for almost two decades due to an apparent contractual dispute, although one track from the album appeared on the original version of the Collector's Item CD, and another was added on the reissue. The band indicated that if they were unable to reacquire the original recordings they might re-form in order to re-record the entire album for CD. In the event, the Virgin-EMI catalogue team invited Andy Revell, Andy Sears and Brian Devoil to meet with Peter Mew for a re-mastering session at Abbey Road Studios, and it was finally issued on CD in July 2005.

[edit] External link

• The Twelfth Night Collector; a fan site containing useful information.