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Comus are a
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...
progressive folk Progressive folk was originally a type of American folk music that pursued a progressive political agenda. More recently, the term has also been applied to a style of contemporary folk that draws from post-Bob Dylan folk music and adds new lay ...
band who had a brief career in the early 1970s. Their first album, ''
First Utterance ''First Utterance'' is the debut album of the progressive folk band Comus (band), Comus. It was released in 1971, with the opening song "Diana" being released as a single. ''First Utterance'' was notable for its unique blend of progressive rock, ...
'', brought them a
cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic ...
, which persists. They reunited in 2009, and have played several festivals and released a new album.


History

Comus was formed in 1969 by art students Roger Wootton and Glenn Goring, who developed their musical style performing in folk clubs in and around
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...
in Kent. The band was named after ''
Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...
'' (a
masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...
by
John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and polit ...
), and also after the name of the Greek god
Comus In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...
. The band grew from an early folk duo to a six-piece ensemble; in that later form,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
came to appreciate them. They appeared regularly at his
Arts Lab The Arts Lab was an alternative arts centre, founded in 1967 by Jim Haynes at 182 Drury Lane, London. Although only active for two years, it was influential in inspiring many similar centres in the UK, continental Europe and Australia, includi ...
project in
Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and ...
, Kent. He also invited them to be his support act in a 1969 concert at London's Purcell Rooms. Their first album, ''
First Utterance ''First Utterance'' is the debut album of the progressive folk band Comus (band), Comus. It was released in 1971, with the opening song "Diana" being released as a single. ''First Utterance'' was notable for its unique blend of progressive rock, ...
'', 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. Tiny Mix Tapes rated ''First Utterance'' five stars out of five. After the album, woodwind player Rob Young was replaced by
Lindsay Cooper Lindsay Cooper (3 March 1951 – 18 September 2013) was an English bassoon and oboe player and composer. Best known for her work with the band Henry Cow, she was also a member of Comus, National Health, News from Babel and David Thomas an ...
, 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, Andy Hellaby and Bobbie Watson reformed the band with new members for their second album, ''To Keep from Crying'', in 1974. A complete box set was released in 2005; this features 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 The Conway Hall Ethical Society, formerly the South Place Ethical Society, based in London at Conway Hall, is thought to be the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world and is the only remaining ethical society in the United Kin ...
. A reunion album, ''Out of the Coma'', was released in June 2012. It contains three new tracks: "Out of the Coma", "The Sacrifice" (both written by Wootton) and "The Return" (written by Goring), plus a 1972 live recording of unfinished material from their abandoned follow-up to ''First Utterance'', "The Malgaard Suite". Sputnik Music rated ''Out of the Coma'' 3.5 out of 5. Louder Sound rated it four stars out of five. The members were active outside Comus. Wootton also appears on some recordings by
Slapp Happy Slapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group, formed in Germany in 1972. Their lineup consisted of Anthony Moore (keyboards), Peter Blegvad (guitar) and Dagmar Krause (vocals). The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merg ...
. Cooper went on to join
Henry Cow Henry Cow were an English experimental rock Musical ensemble, group, founded at the University of Cambridge in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer ...
. Reed player Jon Seagroatt is also a member of free-improvising trio
Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical bui ...
. Colin Pearson went on to produce hits for other artists, including " Forever Young" for Alphaville. Seagroatt and singer Bobbie Watson married in 2003.


Influence

In 1998, Opeth singer and songwriter
Mikael Åkerfeldt Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt (; born 17 April 1974)Mikael Åkerfeldt
, Op ...
used part of a sentence from "Drip Drip" for the title of the album ''
My Arms, Your Hearse ''My Arms, Your Hearse'' is the third full-length studio album by Swedish progressive metal band Opeth, released in August 1998. It was the band's first album to be released simultaneously in Europe, through Candlelight Records, and in the Unite ...
''. The full line was "As I carry you to your grave, my arms your hearse". Another nod to Comus was given on the 2005 Opeth album '' Ghost Reveries''. The second track, "The Baying of the Hounds", was derived from a line in the song "Diana" which reads, "And she knows by the sound of the baying, by the baying of the hounds". English
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
band
Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member. Background Tibet has been the only cons ...
covered the song "Diana" from ''First Utterance'' on their studio album '' Horsey''. Musically, this version differs considerably from the original, with
David Tibet David Tibet (born David Michael Bunting; 5 March 1960) is a British poet and artist who founded the music group Current 93, of which he is the only full-time member. He was given the name "Tibet" by Genesis P-Orridge, and in January 2005 he a ...
singing the
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer ...
in an agonized fashion and constructing most of the song from a
loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, ...
based around a vertiginous violin arrangement from the original.


Personnel

;Current members *Roger Wootton – acoustic guitar, lead vocals (1969–1972, 1974, 2008–present) *Glenn Goring – 6–12 acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide, hand drums, backing vocals (1969–72, 2008–present) *Andy Hellaby – Fender bass, slide bass, backing vocals (1969–1972, 1974, 2008–present) *Colin Pearson – violin, viola (1969–72, 2008–present) *Bobbie Watson – lead and backing vocals, percussion (1969–1972, 1974, 2008–present) *Jon Seagroatt – flute, oboe, hand drums (2008–present) ;Former members *Rob Young – flute, oboe, hand drums (1969–71) *Gordon Coxon – drums (1974) *Keith Hale – keyboards (1974) *
Lindsay Cooper Lindsay Cooper (3 March 1951 – 18 September 2013) was an English bassoon and oboe player and composer. Best known for her work with the band Henry Cow, she was also a member of Comus, National Health, News from Babel and David Thomas an ...
– bassoon (1972, 1974)


Discography

;Studio albums *''
First Utterance ''First Utterance'' is the debut album of the progressive folk band Comus (band), Comus. It was released in 1971, with the opening song "Diana" being released as a single. ''First Utterance'' was notable for its unique blend of progressive rock, ...
'' (1971) *'' To Keep from Crying'' (1974) *''Out of the Coma'' (2012) ;Live albums *''East of Sweden: Live at Melloboat Festival 2008'' (2011) *''Out of the Coma'' (2012) recorded 1972 ;Box sets *''Song to Comus: The Complete Collection'' (2005) ;EPs *"Diana / In the Lost Queen's Eyes / Winter is a Coloured Bird" (1971) ;Roger Wootton solo single *"Fiesta Fandango" / "New Tide"


References


External links

* *
2010 interview with Roger Wootton on Prog Sphere
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comus Psychedelic folk groups British folk rock groups Dawn Records artists Freak folk