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Levitation (1990-1994) were an innovative English psychedelic mind-punk band fronted by ex-House of Love guitarist Terry Bickers. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The House of Love are an English rock band initially active between 1986 and 1993 Terry Bickers (born 6 September 1965 in Fulham) is an English Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter, known for his Levitation's music and attitude challenged an early 1990s UK alternative music scene dominated by shoegazing and Madchester. Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of Shoegazing (also known as shoegaze or shoegazer) is a genre of Alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s Madchester was an Alternative rock genre that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s The band were often credited by the music press with attempting to rehabilitate progressive rock. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved

Contents

History

After an acrimonious departure from the House of Love in 1989, guitarist Terry Bickers teamed up with drummer David Francolini and formed Levitation the following year. David Francolini (born 13 September 1969 in Hamilton, Bermuda) also known as "Mitch Razor" is an English rock Based in London, they quickly found a group of like-minded and established musicians, including Christian Hayes (ex-Ring, Cardiacs, and the Dave Howard Singers), Robert White (ex-Zag and the Coloured Beads), Johnny T (a violinist from the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra), and Joe Allan (a bassist). London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Christian Hayes (Born 10 June, 1964 in London) also known as Bic Hayes is an English rock guitarist singer and songwriter Cardiacs are an English band formed in 1977 Their broad combination of styles is sometimes referred to as Pronk (progressive punk although singer The band soon set off to tour France supporting Ride, and Belgium supporting Galaxie 500. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Galaxie 500 was an American Alternative rock trio that formed in 1986 and split up in 1991 after releasing three albums

Upon returning from Europe, Levitation signed to the small independent label Ultimate records, and in April 1991 released the first of two EPs they would record with that label. The Coppelia EP made single of the week in Melody Maker, only to be scorned in the New Musical Express by journalist Barbara Ellen. Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been

Initially, Levitation received a lot of publicity from the music press because of Terry Bicker's reputation as an eccentric and often unpredictable musical visionary, and his fondness of various conspiracy theories. A conspiracy theory attributes the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually Political, Social or Historical events or the concealment His career in the House of Love, and standing as guitar hero to a generation of Indie fans, put Levitation in the media spotlight from the start. Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene The band persisted in keeping their music before their image. In an interview with Andrew Smith in Volume magazine, Terry explained the band would like to "remain faceless for as long as possible. Volume Magazine is a quarterly international magazine published in Amsterdam Maybe we'll take to wearing masks. "

After the release of Coppelia the band underwent its first line-up change, which saw Johnny T and Joe Allan leave, and Laurence O'Keefe (ex-Jazz Butcher) was drafted in to play bass. Laurence O'Keefe (Born 2 January, 1965 in Newcastle) is an English bass player and has previously played in a number of bands most notably

Through 1991, Levitation supported bands such as Pere Ubu, All About Eve, the Psychedelic Furs, Hawkwind, and The Sugarcubes, and earned a reputation as a hard-working live act whose energetic performances and live improvisations seldom disappointed, often blowing away the headliners. Pere Ubu are an Experimental rock music group formed in Cleveland Ohio, in 1975 All About Eve is a Drama film, written and directed by Joseph L The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in 1977 Hawkwind are a British rock band, one of the earliest Space rock groups The Sugarcubes ( Sykurmolarnir in Icelandic) were an Icelandic Alternative rock band formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992 Levitations's live set usually kicked off with an adrenaline-fueled cover of Zag and the Coloured Bead's "Sweaty Thing", which in later gigs would be replaced by the band's own breakneck opener "Twice".

The band's influences were diverse, including Cardiacs, Krautrock, Television, XTC, Killing Joke, Wire, Zappa, Swans, Devo, Gentle Giant, Faust, Public Image Limited, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Julian Cope. Cardiacs are an English band formed in 1977 Their broad combination of styles is sometimes referred to as Pronk (progressive punk although singer Krautrock is a generic name for the Experimental music scene that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s especially in Britain Television, formed in New York City in 1973 is an American Rock music band XTC was a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005 Killing Joke are an English Post-punk rock band formed in 1979 Wire are an English rock band formed in London in October 1976 (and intermittently active to the present by Colin Newman (vocals guitar Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21 1940 – December 4 1993 was an American Composer, Electric guitarist Record producer and Film director Swans was an influential American Post-punk band active from 1982 to 1997 led by singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. Devo (pronounced DEE-vo (IPA /'diːvoʊ/) or dee-VO (IPA /diː'voʊ/) often spelled "DEVO" or "DEV-O" is an American Gentle Giant was a British Progressive rock band, one of the most experimental of the 1970s Faust is a German Krautrock band originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, Hans Joachim Irmler, Arnulf Meifert, Public Image Ltd ( PiL) were an English musical group formed in 1978 by vocalist John Lydon, Guitarist Keith Levene Echo & the Bunnymen are an English Post-punk group formed in Liverpool in 1978 Julian Cope (born Julian David Cope on 21 October, 1957) is an English rock Musician, Author, Antiquary

Levitation's second EP on Ultimate, After Ever, was released in August 1991 to more criticalacclaim, and again the band made single of the week in Melody Maker where it was described as "blessed genius". Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper The video for "Firefly", the first track on the EP, pictured the band levitating over a golden field. In September two more tracks, "Squirrel" and "It's Time", were released on 7" via the new Rough Trade mail-order singles club. Rough Trade Records began as an Independent record label, based in London, England. In November a taster compilation album, Coterie, was released on Capitol Records in the US. It included the tracks from the first two EPs and the Squirrel 7". The band also crossed the Atlantic for the first time for a mini-tour of the USA, playing in Los Angeles and New York.

At the end of the year Levitation left Ultimate and signed a deal with Rough Trade, and released their third EP, World Around (a homophone for "whirled around"), in February 1992. Rough Trade Records began as an Independent record label, based in London, England. In linguistics a homonym is one of a group of words that share the same pronunciation but have different meanings and are usually spelled differently World Around reached the top five in the UK indie charts.

Leviation's first studio album, Need For Not, appeared on 4 May 1992 (the adverts for the album proclaiming "May the Fourth be with you"). "The Chain With No Name" independent record stores sold the album along with a limited edition 7" featuring the track "Cutwater" on one side and an etching of a heart by Dave Francolini and Joanna Peacock on the other. Throughout the summer the band toured with the Cardiacs, including playing at Reading Festival.

Following the collapse of Rough Trade, Levitation signed to Chrysalsis, and in April 1993 released their third EP, Even When Your Eyes Are Open. A second album, Meanwhile Gardens, was planned to be released in two parts, the first installment in summer, the second in autumn.

Terry Bickers quits

Then disaster struck. After playing a bad-tempered fifty-minute set at Tufnell Park Dome in north London on May 14 1993, where the band were co-headlining with Eat, Terry surprised the audience and the rest of the band by announcing his intentions to leave.

"Levitation are a lost cause as far as I can tell. We've completely lost it haven't we? Haven't we?"
"This is the last time you'll see me for a bit".
"No corporation is going to stop us, gas is our business, cars are our business, the music business is our business. . " paraphrasing Killing Joke's 1990 track Age Of Greed. Killing Joke are an English Post-punk rock band formed in 1979

A letter to the fan club from Christian Hayes described Terry's departure as "an unfortunate but necessary stick in the spokes. . . Terry no longer wishes to be in Levitation, feeling no excitement for the material and therefore uncomfortable within the band. "

The band maintained that Terry's departure was positive for all involved. A later statement on 1 June read, "Terry Bickers (the one who stood in the middle) has parted company with Levitation. . . We believe the circumstances in which we now find ourselves presents us with the oil to lubricate our gears. "

In the aftermath of Terry's shocking departure the Meanwhile Gardens LP was temporarily shelved, and scheduled appearances, including the Phoenix Festival (headlining the Powerhaus stage), and a support slot at The Cure's Great Expectations Finsbury Park concert, were cancelled. The Cure are an English rock band that formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976

The slight return

After rumours that the band had asked Juliane Regan from All About Eve to take over the front spot, Steve Ludwin, from the band Some Have Fins, was finally recruited in August 1993. The new line-up was aired for the first time at a series of gigs at the Splash Club, at the Water Rats in King's Cross in May and June 1994. Kings Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington.

A letter to the fan club stated, "The storm has passed and the voyage may begin again. " The reception was mixed, but most fans were glad to have Levitation back and playing. However, the new line-up did not find its feet, and to the dismay of their devout fans, Levitation finally split for good in October 1994. Their brief but bright career was over.

Plans announced in winter 1995 to mix the second half of Meanwhile Gardens and release it with the first half as originally planned never came to fruition. A nine-track version of the album was released through Festival Records in Australia, followed by two EPs, but much of the band's material failed to see the light of day.

Post-Levitation

Terry went on to form Cradle with Caroline Tree and Ian Mundwyler, releasing an Baba Yaga in 1996, before going on to another band, Monkey 7, based in Brighton. Terry has since reformed the House of Love with Guy Chadwick, who, after a series of low-key gigs in 2003, are recording new material.

Christian, Dave and Laurence formed Dark Star, releasing a number of EPs and an album, Twenty Twenty Sound, in 1999 on EMI. Dark Star were an English rock band from London whose music mixed dark psychedelica with a dub undertow and noisy effects-laden The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Despite some success and critical acclaim, Dark Star split up. Christian has since played guitar for the Pet Shop Boys and has been recording a solo album under the name Mikrokosmos.

Bob White went on to front the Brighton based "The Milk and Honey Band. " Several independent albums have been released and currently the band is releasing new material through Andy Partridge's APE label.

In 2007 Dave re-surfaced with a new band, Dragons, and also started talking of a Levitation re-issue on Rough Trade including the original, never released, version of 'Meanwhile Gardens'.

Members

Quotes from the band

"You can be progressive without being pompous. It sounds like a cliché but I don't care - we are a progressive band and we're in the here and now. "

- Terry Bickers interviewed by Steve Sutherland Melody Maker April 27 1991. Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper

"Mark E Smith punched his sound engineer in the face and told him to turn our f-ing power off. The guy is a rotten c-t. I can't imagine how someone so bitter as he is has retained so much credibiltiy. He really is the Caligula of Pop. "

- Terry Bickers on Mark E Smith of The Fall

"If people are tenacious enough they can dance to anything. The Fall are an English Post-punk band formed in Prestwich, Greater Manchester in 1976 "

- Christian Hayes interviewed by Steve Sutherland Melody Maker April 27 1991. Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper

"I'd like to come back as an otter. "

- Terry Bickers

"We're into positive negativism. You have to be aware of all the negative things that are going on, all the grimness, and then turn it all around. . . It's like John Lydon said, 'Anger is an energy. '"

- Terry Bickers interviewed by Steve Sutherland, Melody Maker, April 27, 1991. Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper

Quotes from the press

"Levitation are all the bands you ever wished for. . "

- Andy O'Reilly in Lime Lizard March 1992

"This is speeding, hallucinating, rampaging, brilliance. You can take your Loops, Spacemen and ARKanes and drop them in the river like an armful of unwanted kittens. "

- MM on the Coppelia EP (single of the week)

"If we're going to be serious about the Nineties then Levitation are the sort of group we should be exalting. "

- David Stubbs in Melody Maker reviewing Need For Not

"are Levitation too far out? While other bands take it one step at a time, have they leapt into space and severed the umbilical cord?"

- Melody Maker

"There's a chorus of sorts, and stuff about animals turning blue in your stomach, but it's Dave's ludricously-athletic drumming that ultimately blows your mind. It's gloriously frenetic, and so f-ing quick off the mark it'll take a few plays just to tame the blur into some kind of image. "

- Melody Maker on World Around

"Bunch of hippies. Write a song next time. "

- Melody Maker on Squirrel

Discography

Singles and EPs

Albums

Cassette albums

Radio Sessions

See also

External links

Dark Star were an English rock band from London whose music mixed dark psychedelica with a dub undertow and noisy effects-laden
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