The Cassandra Complex (band)
| The Cassandra Complex | |
|---|---|
 The Cassandra Complex in 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Leeds, England |
| Genres | Industrial music, gothic rock, darkwave, post-punk |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | Rouska, Play It Again Sam |
| Website | http://cassandracomplex.co.uk/ |
| Members | |
| Rodney Orpheus Paul Dillon Andy Booth Volker Zaphor Zacharias |
|
| Past members | |
| Jez Willis Keith Langley John Marcini John Galvin Jurgen Jansen Patrick Gorden Alan Wilkinson Gaz Wilson |
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The Cassandra Complex are an electronic rock group formed by Rodney Orpheus and Paul Dillon in 1980 in Leeds, England, later expanding to a trio with the addition of Andy Booth.
Contents |
[edit] History
The band initially comprised Rodney Orpheus and Paul Dillon who met when Orpheus gatecrashed Dillon's 21st birthday party in Leeds. They began putting on large multimedia shows featuring various avant-garde acts from the Leeds area.[1] Andy Booth was a journalist who interviewed the band and was later asked to join.[2] The band released their first self-financed single, "March", in March 1985.[3] A live cassette followed a month later, and the band signed to local label Rouska. Dillon left the band to get married and the band recruited Rodney's childhood friend John Marchini, with Jez Willis and Keith Langley guesting live and in the studio.[1]
After two albums on the Rouska label, Grenade (1986) and Hello America (1987), they signed to the Belgian-based Play It Again Sam label, which issued the double-live album Feel the Width in 1987.[4] During the production of the Theomania album in 1988, Marchini and Booth left, with Orpheus recruiting a new line-up for 1989's Satan, Bugs Bunny, and Me album.[3] Hamburg guitarist Volker Zacharias from the band Girls Under Glass joined a year later, and has been a stable member of the group since then.[1]
Booth went on to become a lawyer and the head of Company Commercial and Creative Industries at Manchester firm Turner Parkinson.[5] The band continued with Orpheus and Zacharias releasing Cyberpunx, The War Against Sleep and Sex & Death. In 1995, Orpheus worked with Patricia Nigiani and Marcus Giltes on a side project called Sun God.[2][6] In 2000, the band released the Wetware album on SPV in Europe and Metropolis Records in the USA.[2][7]
Over the years, the band's sound has included elements of EBM, industrial, goth rock, new wave and synthpop, and the band's sound has been described as a blend of Joy Division, The Ramones and Kraftwerk.[5]
In 2007, the original band members reformed and since then have played several festival shows in Europe and Brazil. They are currently working on a new album.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- Grenade (1986) Rouska
- Theomania (1988) Play It Again Sam
- Satan, Bugs Bunny, and me ... (1989) Play It Again Sam
- Cyberpunx (1990) Play It Again Sam
- The War against Sleep (1992) Play It Again Sam
- Sex & Death (1993) Play It Again Sam
- Wetware (2000) Metropolis
[edit] Live albums
- Live in Leather (1985) Complex (cassette-only)
- Feel the Width (1987) Play It Again Sam
- Beyond the Wall of Sleep (1992)
[edit] Compilations
- Hello America (1986) Rouska (first three EPs)
- Work 1.0 (1995)
[edit] EPs and 12"
- March (1985) Complex
- Moscow, Idaho (1985) Rouska
- Datakill (1986) Rouska
- Kill your Children/Something came over me (1987) Play It Again Sam
- 30 Minutes of Death (1988) aka "Gunship"
- Penny Century (1988)
- Finland (1990) Play It Again Sam
- Nice Work (1990) Play It Again Sam
- Gnostic Christmas (1991) free with lim. Ed. of "War against Sleep"
- Give me what I need (1994) Play It Again Sam
- Twice as Good (2000)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Metropolis Records
- ^ a b c Wilson, Mackenzie "The Cassandra Complex Biography", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (1999) The Great Alternative & Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 0 86241 913 1
- ^ "Cassandra Complex Feel the Width", Underground, October 1987 (issue 7), p. 10
- ^ a b Wade, Alex (2007) "My Weekend: Andy Booth - Eighties electronic band The Cassandra Complex are back - one of them with a law degree", The Times
- ^ Jester (1996-01). "Sun God Interview". http://www.aracnet.com/~jester/interview/sungod.interview.html. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- ^ "Cassandra Complex Hard Wired Interview". 2001-05. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=197373517&blogId=455794505. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- Official Rodney Orpheus site
- Cassandra Complex at Allmusic
- Cyberpunkreview.com review of Cyberpunx
- Hinds, Daniel "The Cassandra Complex" (Rodney Orpheus interview), The-plague.net
