Into A Circle were an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 New Wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

/Goth

Gothic rock

Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...

 duo

Duet (music)

A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...

, formed in April 1985 by Bee (Paul Hampshire) and Barry (Jepson), two former members of Getting the Fear

Getting the Fear

Getting the Fear were an English gothic rock musical ensemble of the 1980s. Its members were Barry , Buzz , Aki Nawaz , and Bee...

.

Career

Lyrically and in attitude, they were influenced by Brion Gysin

Brion Gysin

Brion Gysin was a painter, writer, sound poet, and performance artist born in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.He is best known for his discovery of the cut-up technique, used by his friend, the novelist William S. Burroughs...

 and his frequent collaborator William S. Burroughs

William S. Burroughs

William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...

. Particularly in respect to their use of North African folklore (the stories, for instance, of 11th Century Ismaili warrior, Hassan-i-Sabah

Hassan-i-Sabah

Hassan-i Sabbāh was a Persian Nizārī Shi'a Ismā'īlī Muslim missionary who converted a community in the late 11th century in the heart of the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran. The place was called Alamut and was attributed to an ancient king of Daylam...

) and magical rituals (such as that of the goat-boy-god, Boujeloud).

After writing and rehearsing for some months the band played their first concert

Concert

A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...

 at the Croydon Underground in December 1985, just prior to the release of their first single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 "Rise". Bee and Barry undertook the production, artwork and layouts. "Rise" quickly sold out (it was a limited pressing of 5,000 copies) and a short tour of England and Scotland followed in March 1986. The band was joined on three dates (and subsequent ones) by Rose McDowall

Rose McDowall

Rose McDowall is a Scottish musician, most notably as a vocalist in the pop band Strawberry Switchblade.-History:...

, from Strawberry Switchblade

Strawberry Switchblade

Strawberry Switchblade was a female pop rock band formed in Scotland in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" in 1985.-Before being signed:...

.

In July 1986 a deal was signed with Abstract Records, followed by the release of their next single, "Inside Out

Inside Out (Into a Circle song)

1986 single from 80's group Into A Circle*12" Inside Out, Reward, Flow, Field of Sleep-Sleeve Notes:Hear my words, all you kings of men and boys of a thousand years. My words for all to follow - a path of obscurity, to obscurity... thru obscurity. Heed my words - Kiss My Lips......

". This was a success and live dates over the Christmas period followed. However this highlighted Bee and Barry's dissatisfaction with working with session musician

Session musician

Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...

s, and the band spent some time rehearsing and producing a new live format.

The third single "Forever" was a reflection of the band's new direction, and featured Rose McDowall on backing vocals

Backing vocalist

A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

. It was co-produced by Larry Steinbeck from Bronski Beat

Bronski Beat

Bronski Beat were a popular British synthpop trio who achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy". All members of the group were openly homosexual and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues...

, and was a taster for their debut album Assassins which was released in the summer of 1988. The album was promoted by a constant touring schedule.

A second single from the album, "Evergreen" was released in the autumn, which like all previous releases entered the Top 20 of the UK Indie Chart

UK Indie Chart

The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...

, staying there for a number of weeks.

Bee and Barry carried on working together for a number of years following these releases, but none of the material produced ever reached the public.

A rumoured support slot with Erasure

Erasure

Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...

 on their 'Innocents

The Innocents (album)

After releasing The Two Ring Circus, a remix album in 1987, The Innocents was the third proper studio release from Erasure, released in 1988...

' tour was quashed, when record label executives refused to financially back them.

In September 1989, Into A Circle took to the road one last time, supported by Sins of the Flesh. Annie Anxiety joined the line-up on backing vocals. Adding to new material were complete reworkings of earlier Getting the Fear

Getting the Fear

Getting the Fear were an English gothic rock musical ensemble of the 1980s. Its members were Barry , Buzz , Aki Nawaz , and Bee...

songs; "Sometimes" and "Yurune".

The band broke up in October 1989.

Bee now resides in Thailand, where he is a member of electro-rock band, GOO, alongside Simon Gilbert

Simon Gilbert

Simon Gilbert is an English drummer and member of the English band, Suede....

 from Suede

Suede

Suede is a type of leather with a napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, shirts, purses, furniture and other items. The term comes from the French "gants de Suède", which literally means "gloves of Sweden"....

. Barry still lives in the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, where he is a tour manager.

12" singles

• "Rise" (1985, Arcadia, ARC001) "Rise", "And In Flames", "Gabriel"
• "Inside Out
  Inside Out (Into a Circle song)
  1986 single from 80's group Into A Circle*12" Inside Out, Reward, Flow, Field of Sleep-Sleeve Notes:Hear my words, all you kings of men and boys of a thousand years. My words for all to follow - a path of obscurity, to obscurity... thru obscurity. Heed my words - Kiss My Lips......
  
  " (1986, Abstract, 12ABS042) "Inside Out", "Reward", "Flow", "Field of Sleep"
• "Forever" (1987 Abstract 12ABS044) "Forever" (remix), "Forever", "O Siren"
• "Evergreen" (1988 Abstract 12ABS050) "Evergreen", "Beirut (The Amahl of Youth)", "Evergreen" (12" mix)

Albums

• Assassins (1988, Abstract ABT018)
  • "Beneath Mikhail", "Over + Over", "The Swinging Tree", "'Elim", "Forever", "Allah Akhbar", "Tender Skin", "Evergreen", "Assassins", "Seraphin Twin"
• Tapes (demos and lives, available only at live concerts)
• Live (Nottingham Rock City, February 1987)
  • "Dune Buggy Attack", "Mercenaries", "Little Fishes", "O Siren", "Forever", "Field of Sleep", "Stitches", "Beneath Mikhail", "Judas", "Inside Out"
• Homelands
  • "Inner Field of Sleep", "Mercenaries", "O Siren", "Beneath Mikhail", "And In Flames", "Attica", "Judas", "Forever", "Flow", "Wish I Was Dreaming"
• Thai Tapes
  • "Evergreen", "Tender Skin", "Forever", "Beneath Mikhail", "The Swinging Tree", "Assassins", "Over + Over", "The Hunger"
• Live (available for download at the Live Music Archive at www.archive.org)
• Leicester Fan Club 18 March 1987
  • "Mercenaries", "Little Fishes", "Field of Sleep", "O Siren", "Forever", "Stitches", "Beneath Mikhail", "Judas", "Inside Out"