Auto Da Fé were an Irish
new wave musical group formed in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 1980 (but mainly active in Ireland) by former
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, ...
singer
Gay Woods
Gay Woods (18 September 1948) is an Irish singer. She was one of the original members of Steeleye Span.
Early years
Gabriel Corcoran was born in Dublin, a neighbour of her future husband Terry Woods. Her elder brothers shared Woods' love of ...
and
Trevor Knight
Trevor A. Knight (born October 3, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback . He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas A&M Aggies. After leading Oklahoma to an 8–5 record in the 2014 s ...
.
The band's sound incorporated keyboards and electronics. Woods stated "It was the happiest musical time I ever had so far. I learned so much. I was ridding myself of a lot of things that stifled me. It was so liberating for me to stand up and not be a "folky" anymore. It was the easiest thing in the world because I had yearned for so long to do that music. I still love the songs I wrote at the time".
The band released a string of singles between 1982 and 1985, including "November November", "Bad Experience", and "Man of Mine" (the latter featuring
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure (; born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, ...
on guitar
), and one studio album, ''Tatitum'' (based around "
Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati (; born Jacques Tatischeff, ; 9 October 1907 – 5 November 1982) was a French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' poll of the Greatest Movie Directors, he was voted 46th (a list of the top 50 was ...
and the art of humming"
). They also released a compilation of singles tracks, and had a CD of live performances recorded by the BBC in 1983 for their ''In Concert'' programme, ''Songs For Echo'', released in 2001, the second performance featuring
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...
on bass and backing vocals. Lynott also produced some of Auto Da Fé's early recordings.
The band split up in 1986. Woods later rejoined Steeleye Span. Knight went on to work as a theatre sound designer.
Discography
Albums
*''5 Singles and 1 Smoked Cod'' (1984) Stoic (compilation of singles tracks)
*''Tatitum'' (1985) Spartan
*''Songs for Echo'' (2001) Hux (live 1983 recordings)
Singles and EPs
*"November November" (1982) ADF/(1983) Rewind
*"Bad Experience" (1982) ADF/Rewind
*"Man of Mine" (1983) Rewind
*"Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" (1984) Red Hot/Rewind (#24 in Ireland)
*"Credo Credo" (1984) Red Hot
*"All Is Yellow Hot Hot Hot" (1985) Spartan (#27 in Ireland)
*"Magic Moments" (1985) Spartan
*''Gazette EP'' (1988) GMN
References
Irish new wave musical groups
1980s in Irish music
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