tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76800347279881699802024-02-08T05:34:32.144+00:00Rise Up ComusOfficial Website for UK band ComusComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-71125169701603320892011-07-19T16:38:00.002+01:002011-07-19T16:43:54.102+01:00East Of Sweden - more reviews.Four more excellent reviews of 'East Of Sweden'; first, from Roadburn:<br /><br />Praise for Comus‘ East of Sweden from San Francisco’s aQuarius Records: “Live reunion album” aren’t three words (in sequence) that we normally get too excited about. But when the band is the legendary British pagan acid folk rock act Comus, who are responsible for having made one of our very favorite albums of ALL TIME (their 1971 debut on Dawn, First Utterance), one that Andee here in fact ranks as his absolute favorite record ever, well, that’s another story.<br /><br />With their cult following growing and growing over the years (with big fans like Opeth and Current 93 helping to keep their name out there), Comus finally reunited to play the Melloboat Festival in Sweden in 2008, and at the time we seriously considered buying plane tickets to fly over and attend. They’ve done some more gigging since, and Allan was in fact lucky enough to get to see ‘em at last year’s Roadburn festival.<br />He can attest to them being pretty darn incredible, it’s hard to imagine that their younger selves could have done much better of a job, though they might have looked the part of pixies and freaks a bit more – not everyone in the band still has long hair these days, though some of ‘em do, and actually their female singer Bobbie Watson looked like she practically hadn’t aged at all, still a bewitching blonde beauty, with a lovely lovely voice… and they really, really were enjoying themselves. As they obviously were at this historic Melloboat gig as well, and sounding fantastic especially considering it was the first time they’d played together in 34 years!!!<br />We’ve heard a bit of this recording already, the song ‘Diana’ from their Melloboat performance appeared on a limited edition split 7″ we listed a while back, and we noted that it sounded perhaps “even more woozy and carnivalesque and maniacal than they did back in the day”. They definitely nailed it, maybe it’s some pagan magic, ’cause remember, Comus is the ancient god of revelry, and he wasn’t gonna let anybody on that boat down.<br />While it’s not the same as having actually been there, of course, we figure some diehard Comus fans are gonna be curious to hear this. Especially since it includes, in addition to renditions of five of the seven songs from their debut, a cover of ‘Venus In Furs’ by the Velvet Underground! A song we guess they also did back the ’70s, the VU being an influence on them that we wouldn’t have considered, but it totally fits, creepy and catchy, with sawing violin, sounding like something that they could have written themselves for inclusion on First Utterance.<br />The full tracklist: ‘Song To Comus’, ‘Diana’, ‘The Herald’, ‘Drip Drip’, ‘The Prisoner’, ‘Venus In Furs’, ‘Song To Comus (encore)’. That’s right, they did ‘Song To Comus’ twice, but omitted two other songs from First Utterance, ‘The Bite’ and ‘Bitten’, oh well. At least they didn’t do a bunch of stuff from their not-so-critically-acclaimed second album… You can decide for yourself if you want to hear this, or just stick with the mystical original, some folks (including some of us) may prefer to leave live Comus to the incomparable realm of our own imaginations, where they have long dwelt…<br />Released on a new imprint co-run by C93′s David Tibet, this CD includes photos, lyrics and liner notes in the booklet.<br />At 40 years old, Aquarius is the oldest independent record store in San Francisco. We try to only carry music we love, and we’re always searching for more new, cool, weird and wonderful music. All of which we then share with you, our loyal customers.<br /><br /><br />Next,from Freqzine:<br /><br />Comus – East Of Sweden<br />Gnostic Dirt<br />Even in this age of Tunng, Espers and countless assorted other groovy out-there New Folk outfits who are busy fusing ancient melodies and instrumentation with samples, beats and all the trappings of hip urban coolness as fast as their little hands can programme, for most people the word ‘Folk’ still brings to mind images of worthy acoustic sing-a-longs, beards and real ale as relentlessly as driving rain on a Bank Holiday dowsing trip to Wessex. Let’s face facts, ‘Folk’ still too often struggles to shed the ‘hey nonny nonny’ and ‘all around my hat’ fuckery of its rather tiresome mid 20th Century incarnation. Don’t get me wrong, I love ‘Folk’ music, and its quiet but considerable influence in ‘Rock’ is often cruelly overlooked in favour of the more gritty and credible – and sexier – ‘Blues’ (…go out and play Traffic’s awesome “John Barleycorn (Must Die)”…), but it’s just so damned…nice. Isn’t it?<br />Roger Wootton, however, always had other ideas. Forming a band with several compadres in 1968, he took their name from a lesser-known 1634 work by John ‘Paradise Lost’ Milton – commonly known as Comus – in which the titular character is a malign, debauched necromancer intent on having his wicked way with the female protagonist, ‘the Lady’, and slaking his considerable libidinous appetite. For those paying attention at the time, the clue was really all in the name; that and the fact that their early rehearsals centred around acoustic jamming to Velvet Underground numbers.<br />Wootton and his fellow malfeasants, finding too much that was soft, cosy, cloying and false in the contemporary Hippy movement instead took the left-hand path, constructing a sound that was aggressive and confrontational, with lyrics that dwelt deep, deep in the woods, all brutal imagery of mental rage, abduction, violence, violation and murder. Wootton sublimated his difficult relationship with his mother into the band’s twisted approach, and though it doubtless made Sunday lunch a rather uncomfortable affair, it enabled him to enter fully into his jet black stage persona, their singular take on ‘Folk’ music making the band much more akin to the Punk movement of later years than to any of their Hippy peers. One key early champion was David Bowie, then beginning the early phase of his post-Space Odyssey ascent to the Rock firmament, who gave the band both an early residency his Beckenham Arts Lab and a support slot at his prestigious South Bank gig in November 1969. Legend has it that he was more than slightly aggrieved when Comus proceeded to blow him offstage. Ungrateful sprites.<br />The band’s first album, First Utterance, duly appeared in 1971. The sleeve featured a stark, black biro drawing by Wootton, a hairy, twisted Comus, all jutting ribs and priapic leer; it looks more Rudimentary Peni than Pentangle. The music contained within the grooves was, for the simple Hippy folkie, no nicer than the cover, seven original compositions of woodland Paganism and violent physical communion. This was no ‘getting it together in the country,’ no peaceful rural backdrop for a sunshine dream of self sufficiency and dilettante agriculture. This was the dark, evil spirit of the forest coming to defile you, slit your throat and dump the body deep amongst the trees where it would never be found. Perhaps unsurprisingly, hostile critical reviews and general public revulsion soon terminated the band’s existence, with their last live performance taking place in 1972. Two years later the rump Comus did reunite, with assistance from members of Henry Cow and Gong, but the resulting album To Keep From Crying fared no better than its predecessor. And that, as they say, was the end of that. Except, of course, that it was not.<br />All through the shock and awe of the Punk years, the Eighties alternative and the Nineties million fractured sub-genres, Comus’ reputation grew steadily attracting audiences drawn by their unforgiving musical danse macabre. When Current 93 covered “Diana” on their 1990 Nurse With Wound/Sol Invictus split LP set, Comus’ status as neglected British experimental progenitors was complete.<br />In Sweden too, the legend of Comus had done nothing but prosper like a strangling vine over the intervening decades, spearheaded by the unflagging patronage of Mikael Akerfeldt, leader of progressive Death Metal outfit Opeth. Then in 2007, Akerfeldt’s friend and promoter Stefan Dimle decided to take proceedings one step further, and, with huge amounts of cajoling and pleading, persuaded the slumbering homunculus of Comus to awaken from its long sleep in order to perform at his Melloboat Festival. Finally, in March 2008, over thirty five years after their last performance, Comus once more appeared live, leading their deathly chant across the Melloboat, which took place over 40 hours onboard the Silja Symphony, a 204m luxury cruiser, and the largest ferry on the Baltic Sea. East of Sweden captures the band’s set, as uncompromising in 2008 as it had been almost forty years beforehand.<br />Kicking off with “Song to Comus” in which our eponymous anti-hero enjoys some unabashed maidenhead puncture in the forest (“Naked flesh, flowing hair, her terror screams they cut the air”), the band follow with “Diana,” another threatening tale of chastity meeting with lust under the woodland canopy and coming off a distinct second best. Featuring some wonderfully evocative violin from Colin Pearson, “Diana” is pure Wicker Man, a cheery sing-a-long for a pleasant evening spent the lounge bar of the Green Man as a virgin policeman blazes away merrily outside. At the track’s end however, instead of a stentorian “You’ll simply never understand the true nature of sacrifice…” the band instead greet and acknowledge the audience, “You are amazing. Thank you. What a welcome.” It is a brief moment, but genuine and truly heartfelt. Comus may have been curled up asleep in his verdant woody bower these last thirty six years, but now he’s back, and his followers have at last gathered to worship and give praise.<br />“The Herald” follows, a beautiful and gentle respite from the business of depravity, sung with ageless grace by Bobbie Wilson, her voice belying the years with its clarity and purity. Still, after that brief moment of quiet contemplation it’s time to return to the business of the day once more; primeval explosions of lust amongst the trees. “Drip Drip” is truly Comus’ most demented piece of work, nine minutes of pure musical psychosis in which Wootton gives vent to every last piece of primitive evil dwelling within him, “Your lovely body soon caked with mud, as I carry you to the grave, my arms your hearse.” When he repeats “I’ll be gentle” over and over in a voice that sounds like it has cloven hooves, it is, quite frankly, difficult to believe him. Drip, drip from your sagging lip indeed.<br />Leaving the forest temporarily, “The Prisoner” is a tale of electro-shock therapy conducted on a mental patient confined to an institution and praying for release from the living Hell being endured. Clearly, even when Comus leaves his woodland lair for the city, nothing endured is any sweeter. Returning to the band’s very early days, “Venus In Furs” takes the Velvets’ magnum opus and runs it through the dark folk filter, turning Lou Reed’s tales of urban NYC sado-masochism into a natural descendant of traditional British murder ballads such as “Pretty Polly.” Finishing off with an encore reprise of “Song To Comus,” the CD ends with the band basking in the adulation that had been denied to them decades before, “Bloody Hell have we enjoyed it.” And why not? There can be fewer sweeter victories to savour than having been far ahead of the curve, and the opportunity to come back much later and be vindicated for it.<br />Coming only a week after a Justice Secretary has faced raging volleys of approbation for his comments on the nature of rape and the sexual exercise of power, doesn’t the music presented on this CD tread a much more ethically dubious line? Indeed it does, and no band recording their first album today could expect to produce such material and find any level of mainstream musical acceptance. Yet it has always been the business of traditional folk music to delve into the darkest recesses of the human psyche and explore the horrors that lurk there. Like myth in its wider sense, such folk songs were the framework in which the darkest human perception and behaviour were explored, codified and handed down as both example and warning. The music of Comus forms a seamless part of that continuum, as if it had been written in 1671 rather than 1971, and sounds as troubling, evil and thrilling as at any time since.<br />Just stay out of the woods, OK?<br />-David Solomons-<br /><br />Brainwashed:<br /> <br /><br />Recorded live on a boat in 2008, this CD documents the first performance of Comus in over 30 years. Evidently whatever pact they made to make First Utterance had a retirement clause in it as the band sounds remarkably potent here. Had this been an archive recording from their creative zenith, I would have been impressed but bearing in mind this is the first time they had taken a stage together in over 30 years, this is phenomenal.<br /><br />Playing at the request of Opeth’s Mikael Åkerfeldt (a massive fan of Comus to the point of naming their fantastic 1998 album My Arms, Your Hearse after Comus lyrics), the group made their way out to a metal festival based on a cruise ship setting sail from Stockholm where they received a rapturous reception based on the sounds of this recording. This set was originally issued as a DVD a couple of years ago and while this CD covers the exact same material, it is nice to have this music in a format that is more user friendly (I am not one for sitting down with music DVDs very often).<br />Opening with a powerful version of "Song to Comus," it is difficultto be anything other than blown away by the primal, sexual force of the music. Roger Wootton’s voice sounds as demonic here as it did on First Utterance and he sounds like the feral forest entity Comus in human form. The Bacchanalian frenzy continues with "Diana" which sees Colin Pearson’s violin cutting through the music like the baying hounds through the undergrowth chasing the song’s namesake. As good as this is, the highlight of East of Sweden is undoubtedly "Drip Drip" (incidentally my favorite song from First Utterance). Violent, murderous and exquisitely played, this is the perfect example of why Comus were such an important and thrilling band. Importantly, it shows that they still have the potential to stir up the same feelings and excitement in listeners today.<br />While there are no new Comus songs on the album, they do include a cover of The Velvet Underground’s "Venus in Furs" at the end of their set. It does not have the same sheer power of the original but no VU cover has ever really managed to surpass the originals. Yet, it fits better with the material from First Utterance than Comus’ own second album. The CD finishes with the encore: another rendition of "Song to Comus," which riles the crowd up as it did at the beginning of the concert. It says an awful lot that an artist can play the same song twice and come out of it sounding like heroes. Granted they are violating and frightening heroes but heroes nonetheless.<br />However, East of Sweden is still a ferocious and essential recording that is as good to my ears as First Utterance.<br /><br />Last, from Record Collector:<br /><br /><br />Comus - East Of Sweden<br /><br /><br />Comus’ debut album, 1971’s First Utterance, sounds as fresh and relevant today as when it was recorded, connecting with fans of modern psych-folk such as Tuung. Thankfully, the band that helmed it are more than just another notch on collectors’ shelves, thanks to the CD reissue of their two albums, as well as modern day champions such as Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth and David Tibet of Current 93.<br />A concurrent surge in interest led to the amazing spectacle of a Comus reunion at the Melloboat Festival in Sweden in 2008. This CD captures that concert with stunning results. Song To Comus was always ahead of its time, and the reconstituted band attack it with passion, as Roger Wootton’s guttural vocals give the song an – at times – dub reggae echo. Driven by violin, percussion and Wootton’s plaintive delivery, Diana swivels and pivots to perfection – as do The Herald and The Prisoner, while there’s even the added appeal of a cover of the Velvets’ Venus In Furs, a perfect song for Comus to take on.<br />Having made additional performances since this fantastic show, we hope and wait for news on the band being lured into the recording studio again. If they are, you’ll read about it here.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-18381465332396150102011-07-10T17:45:00.001+01:002011-07-10T17:47:03.528+01:00East Of Sweden reviewIt's always great when someone discovers Comus, and here's a rave review of 'East of Sweden' in the LA Weekly; it's at: http://www.laweekly.com/2011-07-07/music/page-two-return-of-the-prankster-god/Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-18605005799414231462011-04-20T12:28:00.001+01:002011-04-20T12:30:30.870+01:00Borderline gig reviewFor those of you who couldn't make the Borderline gig and wondered if the band still have the same power as years ago, here's a review of the Borderline gig:<br />www.music-news.com/ShowReview.asp?nReviewID=6947&nType=3Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-11717645826847514462011-04-17T19:47:00.003+01:002011-04-17T20:44:01.481+01:00A busy day...On the 2nd April we went to Resonance FM, an excellent London-based community radio station, where we did life performances of 'Diana' and 'Song to Comus'. A podcast, which also has the interview we did afterwards, can be downloaded at: www.dexterbentley.com/audio/hellogoodbye/20110402_HG_Comus_Jack_Allett_.mp3 <br /><br />In the evening we played a sold-out gig at The Borderline, opposite Foyles bookshop in the Charing Cross Road. Stills from the gig can be seen at: www.flickr.com/photos/seank/sets/72157626310923375/ (thanks to Sean for these), and an audience member has posted a couple of videos as well: 'Diana' at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVTm5UOZwO0 and 'The Herald" at www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhu4o1Susl4<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who was there for making it a great evening for all of us, and a big thank you to everyone running the place; a friendlier, more helpful bunch of people would be hard to imagine.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-18180117438868328332010-04-20T17:20:00.000+01:002010-04-20T17:21:39.141+01:00Comus In HollandThanks to all of you who came to see us in the Midi theatre at Roadburn. Great to play to a full house, but we are very sorry that some people could not get in to the 600 capacity auditorium - let's hope we get the chance to come back to Holland again in the near future.<br /><br />It was a thoroughly well organised event despite the unprecedented travel chaos, and we send our sincere thanks to Walter and the rest of the organisers and crew.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-35132771078017744222010-01-05T23:09:00.003+00:002010-01-05T23:27:44.427+00:00British Film Institute release ' Permissive' with Comus soundtrack and bit-parts.Hello everyone and a very Happy New Year.<br /><br />I have a bit of good news to start 2010, and that is that the British Film Institute. no less, are releasing a film called 'Permissive' for which Comus did the soundtrack, way back in 1970. This was directed by Canadian Lindsay Shonteff, and is a fascinating slice of pretty near to the truth life of musicians and youth of the time. We can vouch for it - we were there. As well as the soundtrack, the band appear in a scene in the film, playing at a party, and there is even a shot of Roger and myself in what could almost be described as a 'bit part'! Personally, I think the soundtrack works really well, especially in the girls' fight scene. The release date is 25th January, and it will be available on DVD and Blu Ray at approximately £18 and £23 respectively. We'll give you details of where to purchase it nearer the time.<br /><br />Yet another piece of news is that we plan to do a bit of recording soon - some new stuff, and although things move slowly with Comus, we will keep you posted.<br /><br />BobbieComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-61349633205173307502009-12-19T13:17:00.001+00:002009-12-19T17:16:21.278+00:00To Our American FriendsWe often get asked why we have not come to the U.S. since our reformation, and when we intend to make the trip, so this is just to let you all know where we stand on this issue at the moment.<br /><br />You might be aware that we are self-funded and have limited resources. After 35 years of “separation” we all live far apart, not all of us even in the same country, and all the money that we earn from selling merchandise is ploughed back into funding rehearsals. To fund a working trip to The States we would first need visas, and it actually costs several thousand dollars just to prepare the huge volume of paperwork required to apply as performing musicians. Even after this complicated procedure is completed it does not guarantee our entry, as the U.S. authorities have it in their right to disqualify Comus as not being “culturally significant” enough to perform to the American public. That includes our many fans! Add the cost of air-fares for at least 7 people and we would already need several gigs to cover our expenses alone. As it stands U.S. promoters would have to be convinced that we would draw enough of an audience to make even a modest fee affordable. Another option is touring with a currently more high-profile band, possibly as part of a package, but unless we can find the resources to play in the U.S. it is just not financially viable at the moment. Presently our priority is to write and record new material - a process that is well underway. When that proves successful then we will look forward to realising expectations and traveling further afield to perform.<br /><br />We thank you for your patience, <br />ComusComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-36131316920906131882009-11-10T18:49:00.006+00:002009-11-10T19:00:47.906+00:00Bobbie's New WebsiteMany of you will be interested to know that Bobbie Watson now has her very own <a href="http://www.myspace.com/bobbiewatsonbydesign">myspace site</a>,where you can see what else she get's up to when she is not doing Comus stuff.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-74876364515183894312009-10-19T14:26:00.007+01:002009-10-19T22:53:43.675+01:00October 30th.<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="widows: 2; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Arial;" ><span style="widows: 2; orphans: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=343973&interface=" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=343973&interface="><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:Arial;" ><img src="http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k164/LeylinePromotions/aa221x142.gif" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></span></span></a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Recent visitors to our News page will have noticed that tickets are now available for the above gig/launch party. We have now been told that there is a promotional code that you can use on the ticketweb site to obtain tickets at the discount rate of £17.50. Click the graphic above to take you to ticketweb, and enter</span> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">AA30XCF2 </span>in the box marked "<span style="font-style: italic;">Promotional code</span>".Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-48356709052379829972009-09-25T17:30:00.003+01:002009-09-25T17:38:50.402+01:00You will notice something a bit odd about the video on <a href="http://www.swedenlive.eu/video/173/Roger+Wootton+and+PIU">this link </a>- it's Roger, BUT IT IS NOT COMUS! We don't perform this song these days. It is off the second, less celebrated, album. So Roger got together with the Swedish band Piu for a one-off performance last December, and <a href="http://www.swedenlive.eu/video/173/Roger+Wootton+and+PIU">this is the result </a>A good performance. and worth a look.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-9968986194393847522009-09-16T18:12:00.003+01:002009-09-16T18:19:11.215+01:00Roger Wootton InterviewGo to<a href="http://thelepantoleague.blogspot.com/2009/07/comus.html"> THIS LINK</a> for a rare interview with Roger Wootton where he answers questions on all things Comus.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-8956186343720059002009-09-03T09:46:00.003+01:002009-09-03T10:07:48.232+01:00We are pleased to announce that we will <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.roadburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/roadburn-header.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 45px;" src="http://www.roadburn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/roadburn-header.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>be performing at the <a href="http://www.roadburn.com/2009/07/roadburn-festival-2010/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE ROADBURN FESTIVAL</span></a> which takes place from <span style="font-weight: bold;">16 to 18 April 2010 in Tilburg, Holland</span>. We spent a lot of time in The Netherlands way back in the early seventies, so this is yet another "First time for 35 years" gig - a phrase which is becoming all too familiar! Please go to the above link for all the details.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-66852153316824618252009-08-19T12:07:00.002+01:002009-08-19T12:09:34.115+01:00The Melloboat DVD and regionsWe did a lot of research (and heartsearching!) with regard to region formatting before releasing the Melloboat DVD. Ideally, we would have liked to have put out different versions for the different regions, but that would have made the cost prohibitive. So we took industry advice and settled on Region '0' (playable in all regions).<br />This format is apparently going to be used more and more frequently from now on, but, unfortunately, some people in the USA may experience problems with some older DVD players. We are told that the discs play fine in computers and laptops.<br /><br />We apologise if you experience any problems with playback, and we will refund you the full cost of the DVD should you choose to return it to us.<br /><br />We did our best!<br /><br />ComusComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-65136364200699521392009-07-03T23:52:00.001+01:002009-07-03T23:54:51.354+01:00Comus on the BBCStuart Maconie has chosen 'First Utterance' as the featured album for his Freak Zone show on BBC Radio 6 live this Sunday (5th). The show is broadcast between 17.30 - 2000 GMT.<br /><br />You can warm up the valves early, rotate that dial and catch Freak Zone on your walnut-cased wirelesses. You can also apparently listen on DAB digital radio, digital TV (sky 0120, freeview 707, freesat 707 & virgin 909) & online.<br /><br />Here's the web address for Freak Zone; www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/freakzone<br /><br />and here's Stuart Maconie's email; stuart.6music@bbc.co.uk<br /><br />and here's a picture of the man himself, just so that your imagination doesn't run riot whilst you're listening;<br /><br /><a href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=255896278&albumID=0&imageID=17279538" mce_href="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=255896278&albumID=0&imageID=17279538"><img src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/87/l_fa70a9fa2da546d6bd9d2270c66677ea.jpg" mce_src="http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/87/l_fa70a9fa2da546d6bd9d2270c66677ea.jpg" title="Stuart Maconie" border="0" width="325" /></a><br /><br />There is, incidentally, a dark, muttered legend that swirls around Comus' cave at the dead of night, that Comus were banned from the BBC in 1972 after Roger threw his toys out of his pram because the sound was (allegedly!) so bad at at recording session for Radio One.......<br /><br />..........rehabilitation at last!<br /><br />JonComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-35857963512187927642009-06-17T10:11:00.007+01:002009-06-22T00:39:50.529+01:00Afterthoughts on the Equinox FestivalWell, the Equinox Festival has been and gone, and Comus have played their second gig in 35 years!<br />The audience response was ecstatic and fantastic, and we unveiled the first of the new Comus songs, 'Out Of The Coma', as an encore. Things overran quite a bit though earlier in the evening, and we felt bad about the fact that Kinit Her's set seemed to have been cut short to accommodate us. Sorry guys.<br /><br />An interesting event overall though! It was very good to catch the other bands, especially as I'm curious about the noise / electronica people, and listen to William Basinski and Heroines Of The USSR quite a bit.<br /><br />It struck me, watching the musicians hunched over tabletops of electronics, that we had no immediate way of knowing for certain how the sounds were being generated; the tabletops of pedals, Electribes, delays and oscillators unleashed great oceanic waves of distorted and filtered sound that broke across the audience. I also wondered why we were all looking at the stage! Perhaps it's because we're so used to seeing musicians playing identifiable instruments that we can't quite relinquish the need to gawp.<br /><br />I managed to snatch a brief chat with Pietro Riparbelli, who told me about his use of short-wave radio signals as the source material for processing. But I sensed, from a trawl through the websites, a chthotic sub-text to at least some of the music - hardly surprising, given the festival context - and I wonder how, or if, this influences the generative / compositional process. I don't know much about the esoteric / occult world at all. Perhaps I should have caught a couple of the lectures on offer earlier in the afternoon to get a sense of context.<br /><br />Maybe because of the use of conventional instruments and the inevitable drone violin link with the Velvet Underground, but Yan-gant-y-tan were more immediately comprehensible compared to the music that preceeded and followed. Again, I'd like to know how their electronics conjurer, Mark Pilkington, works. I'm so used to the music 'running out' when I stop blowing or hitting something that it seems very attractive to generate almost limitless sound constructs from the tap of a finger on a mike!<br /><br />Where did noise insert itself into Western music? Extending instrumental ranges / new instruments / oscillating valves / 'orientalism' / Debussy privileging moment and colour over structure? Radio waves? Futurism? Varese? All of these.....?<br /><br />I remember reading somewhere that almost as soon as telephony was developed people began to listen to the static and started to interpret sounds they could hear in the noise. And of course, vinyl crackle has its own curious attraction.<br /><br />I shall return to Rob Young's excellent 'Undercurrents; The Hidden Wiring of Modern Music', for further insights!<br /><br />My alt. band, Red Square, were interviewed recently by Frances Morgan of Plan B (who, coincidentally, turned up playing bass with Yan-gant-y-tan at Equinox!). At one stage guitarist Ian Staples said that his earliest musical memory was of listening to the timbre of the piano when a note was played. I was struck by the fact that his earliest musical memory was timbral. It occurred to me that my earliest musical memories are largely melodic, probably vocal, but largely 'a-timbral'.<br /><br />Perhaps that's why I'm fascinated by the noise / electronica thing, but don't naturally go there myself, and why my first instrument is the saxophone.<br /><br />JonComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-34411674760988147022009-06-05T15:44:00.003+01:002009-06-05T15:50:16.392+01:00The Manchester gig poster<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynO32yvSbzpQCnlBkh4yV4sIB_JDdW5Y3SZ39j80zszejFJmpemtPoAXFjqYvhI2yHDOUnQbk6kMKTSAdUnax6YNGg20Ot_KKsSJE4nJ_pgGP-6AlGuUauXaUVI1bRUb-qdUuNZ5ko314/s1600-h/l_bb17c18c54354661815bce57b4d6fcca.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343854602516235490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynO32yvSbzpQCnlBkh4yV4sIB_JDdW5Y3SZ39j80zszejFJmpemtPoAXFjqYvhI2yHDOUnQbk6kMKTSAdUnax6YNGg20Ot_KKsSJE4nJ_pgGP-6AlGuUauXaUVI1bRUb-qdUuNZ5ko314/s320/l_bb17c18c54354661815bce57b4d6fcca.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>COMUS</strong></div><div></div><div>(5 of ORIGINAL LINE UP, 2nd UK SHOW IN 35+ YEARS)</div><div>LIVE IN MANCHESTER</div><div>SATURDAY 27th JUNE 2009</div><div>St CLEMENTS CHURCH CHORLTON MANCHESTER</div><div>plus support from CIRCULUS</div><div></div><div>LICENSED BAR, DOORS 7PM</div><div>TICKETS FROM <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnRpY2tldGxpbmUuY28udWs=">TICKETLINE</a></div><div>0161 832 1111</div><div></div><div>GET 'EM QUICK!! </div>Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-54001643330225328422009-06-05T15:35:00.001+01:002009-06-05T15:37:41.934+01:00Through the steaming woodlandsWe are SO pleased to have a 6 page article about us in The Wire, (the magazine, not the TV show!), with the first official band photos for 37 years to be exact.....and for this to appear close to our Equinox Festival appearance on June 13th. (So, if you didn't know about it, you do now!)<br /><br />The magazine is a bit specialist, but you should be able to find it in the big newsagents.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Colin, our violinist couldn't come over for the shoot as he lives in Berlin, but we plan to have some more shots done this weekend when we'll all be together for a rehearsal. Hopefully it will be something suitably rural - in the steaming woodlands......or amongst the trunky deeps....<br /><br />Really looking forward to our dates this summer - and we hope to add to these by recruiting an agent very soon. Keep checking this site, and the myspace - (www.myspace.com/comusofficial) for info.<br /><br />BobbieComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-38744111732752418732009-03-07T20:18:00.008+00:002009-03-07T23:54:10.418+00:00Comus On Your WallJust a note to let you all know that we have decided to release a number of our limited edition signed art prints unsigned - if that makes sense! Basically we did not sign all of them, so there are a number available unsigned for only £10 plus the obligatory £5 postage and packing. If you don't already know, these are high quality prints designed by two founder members of the band - the original drawing by Roger Wootton, and the graphics for the setting by Glenn Goring. We are only releasing 300 in total, signed and unsigned, so take a look at our merchandise page if you want Comus on your wall!<br /><br />P.S. We still have signed copies available for £25 plus £5 p & pComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-29494210400838389332009-02-17T19:06:00.009+00:002009-02-19T19:01:32.679+00:00On being forced to play the flute by Roger Wootton....Until I joined Comus, I had managed to avoid ever having to play a flootie, an instrument I generally characterised - with an appropriate display of fastidious horror - as the preserve of sulky legions of wan, pre-pubescent girls called things like Petronella and Chlamydia.<br /><br />That said, on the <span style="font-style:italic;">qt</span>, I had previously wielded a tenor recorder on a couple of album tracks with an earlier project, B So glObal, but I had articulated and phrased the recorder parts in a style drawn (very loosely!) from listening to an old vinyl album by the astonishing Japanese hocchiku player, Watazumido-Shuso.<br /><br />I was given this album as a didactic Christmas present ages ago, and I was greatly taken with the intricate use of articulation, micro-pitching and timbre as structural devices; meaning and virtuosity, it seemed, could be expressed as much by the complexity of one note as by the speed with which it could be chained to others - a cautionary reminder in the then-current era of jazz-rock...........<br /><br />but, time passed, and.......<br /><br />....so much that is useful or important is lost in forgetting, in the neglect of observance and silted over by subsequent focus; I lost touch with Watazumido-Shuso. <br /><br />I learned the changes, and constructed coruscating chord progressions over which, when called upon, I could deliver change-hugging flights of saxophone. <br /><br />But, thank you, Roger - picking up the flute has renewed the connection with Watazumido-Shuso, and this has dovetailed into a re-ignited interest in 20th century 'art' music, where I have always known the flootie lurked, siren-like, waiting for me.<br /><br /><br />And the moral of the tale is; never say never; a metaphorical flootie might lie in wait for you too.<br /><br /><br />Anyway...here's a (non-exhaustive) selection of flootie / shakuhachi / hocchiku stuff that might be of interest:<br /><br />'<span style="font-weight:bold;">Syrinx</span>' (Debussy) and '<span style="font-weight:bold;">Density 21.5</span>' (Varese) - 20th century solo flute icons - Amazon or itunes downloads.<br /><br />Bruno Maderna's '<span style="font-weight:bold;">Hyperion III</span>' & 20th/21st century solo flute works played by <span style="font-weight:bold;">Richard Craig</span> - free FLAC downloads from <a href="http://www.avantgardeproject.org">the Avant Garde Project</a>. Brilliant, brilliant site and repository for a huge number of out of issue 20th century works. If you want to dip your toes in 20th century art music, this is probably a good place to start.<br /><br />Shakuhachi works played by <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kifu Mitsuhashi</span> - you can listen @ <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Kifu+Mitsuhashi">Last FM</a>. Both of the albums are on download @ Amazon.com.<br /><br />My vinyl by Watazumido-Shuso was called '<span style="font-weight:bold;">The Mysterious Sounds Of The Japanese Bamboo Flute</span>'. It doesn't appear to be available anywhere now - beware of similarly named offerings!.....You can get a flavour of his playing here, though: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/clpgjf"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Watazumido-Shuso</span></a><br /><br />'<span style="font-weight:bold;">Apparition & Release</span>' a recent work by Michael Oliva for quartertone alto flute and electronics. You can listen (or buy!) here; <a href="http://www.michaeloliva.net/listen.htm.">Michael Oliva</a>.<br /><br />Any other suggestions? No. Not bloody James Galway, thank you very much.......<br /><br />pip pip,<br /><br />JonComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-56479555224369848142008-12-05T22:02:00.002+00:002008-12-05T22:03:56.226+00:00Red Square - noises to make and do........Hello Comus people...<br />Just wanted to let you know that Jon Seagroatt, Comus's newest member (woodwind and percussion) and his alt band, Red Square, have a new album out on FMR Records called 'Thirty Three'.<br />The material on the album was originally recorded over thirty years ago, but was considered so extreme at the time that no label would release it. Jon has re-mixed and re-mastered the recordings for FMR, and the band so enjoyed trawling through the reels of tape to choose album tracks that they decided to re-form.<br />If an elemental, genre-defying cocktail of abstract noise terror, avant-rock and outer-limit free-jazz rampaging is where you wig out, then you might like to pay a finger-snapping visit to www.myspace.com/redsquarealbum and hear Red Square laying it down!<br />PS A short montage of newly recorded Red Square material is also now downloadable from the band's site.Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-87484298784528283422008-11-30T21:49:00.002+00:002008-11-30T21:52:48.931+00:00Roger WoottonHi people,<br /><br />Just to let you know that Roger Wootton of Comus will be performing two solo gigs this week on Thursday 4th & Friday 5th December at the Melloclub, at Cafe Edenborg, 35 St. Nygatan in Stockholm starting at about 8pm<br />This is a momentous event because the first new song in 35 years will be unveiled by Roger, and his set will otherwise contain some Comus songs, plus some of Roger's own classical crossover material. It's a small venue, so get there early to get a good view....<br />As a band, Comus are currently planning some dates in the US. We can't give any details at the moment, but please watch this space!Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-48516155883632644912008-08-17T11:03:00.013+01:002008-08-17T20:54:45.914+01:00Rise Up Original FansOkay, you all know that we have been around for a very lonnnnnnng time! With the six of us ranging from dedicated health freak through equally dedicated carnivore (guess who that is folks!) to myself who is grateful for finding a pulse in the morning (or afternoon) and has a modicum of brain-activity, it is a near miracle that the original members are all still fit and well emough to rock-an'-roll, or should I say rock-an'-prog .... I dunno.<br /><br />Just recently we had a fantastic mail from a guy who had seen us live in 1971. It was great to read the thoughts of someone who had been there in our "formative" years and be made aware of the impression that we had made on him. So it got me thinking that there must be at least a few if not many original, still rock-an'-progging, fans out there in the big wide world.<br /><br />So if you saw us in the pre-wrinkly days when we all had as much hair on our heads as we we had on our faces (apart from Bobbie of course, who never went in for beards and moustaches!), then please let us know your thoughts, good or bad! Where did you see us? Who were we supporting? Did you see us more than once? Anything - jog our memories - it would be great to hear from you!<br /><br />Catch you later,<br />AndyComushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-66223538234390191942008-07-10T20:10:00.007+01:002009-03-09T19:13:41.916+00:00Confessions of a Jonny Come Lately<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well. I thought I would put up a word or two to get the ball rolling on the shiny new Comus website, even though I'm the new boy in the band.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've been perplexed about how I missed Comus first time round, and how I missed the point again when I subsequently heard 'First Utterance' about four years ago. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As I've mentioned elsewhere, I picked the album up in 1972, and put it straight back down again, unable to overcome, what struck me at the time as, the rather repellent cover art.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When I subsequently heard the album (some thirty years later!), I entirely failed to get past the shockingly bad production, and took it off after a (very) cursory listen.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So I breathed a bit of a sigh when I stepped in as Rob Young's replacement on flootie and bongolettes last year, realising that I was going to have to subject myself to the album again to learn the parts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I put 'First Utterance' on the car stereo, gritted my teeth, and prepared to listen.......</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It took a few plays, but I began to get past the surface, and I began to hear the songs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I remembered Chris, the band's manager, telling to me that the album got nowhere near capturing the energy of Comus live, and I wondered about the rehearsals that were scheduled to take place soon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And it was during the rehearsals that I really, finally 'got' the Comus thing; the depth, strength and originality of the material and the energy, commitment and sheer bloody charisma of the band in full spate. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, to all of you who got the whole Comus thing long before I did, I offer my humble salutations and hope that you enjoy the new website! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Jon</span>Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7680034727988169980.post-34435147860194136302008-06-16T22:38:00.002+01:002008-06-16T22:39:33.696+01:00Welcome to our new blog!Welcome to the new official Comus blog, to discuss all things Comus!Comushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160099926526970284noreply@blogger.com3