Presence (band)
Encyclopedia
Presence was a short-lived British
new wave
band
started by Gary Biddles, Lol Tolhurst, and Michael Dempsey
. Dempsey and Tolhurst were founding members of The Cure
, and Biddles was a former Cure roadie who previously played in Fools Dance
with Simon Gallup
. In their brief existence, Presence released only one album
, called Inside
through Smash Records, a subsidiary of Island Records
.
demo
s together with a view to forming a new band following Tolhurst's departure from The Cure. With the addition of keyboardist
Chris Youdell (of Then Jerico
) and drummer
Alan Burgess the band emerged in 1991 as Presence with the singles
, "In Wonder" and "All I See". Dempsey received co-writing
credit for "Amazed"; the b-side
of "All I See", but took a background role as a session
bassist
, and did not appear in the band's photos or press releases. Porl Thompson
also made guest appearances on guitar for some of these recordings, but by 1992 both Dempsey and Thompson were officially replaced by bassist Roberto Soave (formerly of The Associates and Shelleyan Orphan
) and guitarist Rob Steen respectively. However, Dempsey received co-writing credits for two tracks on Inside. Although Inside was well-received by critics
, the album was a commercial failure, and led to the dissolution of the band.
When Presence were formed, there was another band with the same name. Because of Tolhurst's fame, the other band had to change their name to Puressence
. Another outfit named Presence placed two singles ("Sense of Danger" and "Future Love") in the UK Singles Chart
in 1998 and 1999.
Since the breakup of Presence, Roberto Soave and Rob Steen have played in another band called Babacar
along with Boris Williams
of The Cure and Caroline Crawley of Shelleyan Orphan. Soave has also played a brief stint with The Cure. When Simon Gallup fell ill during the European leg of the Wish tour, Soave filled in for him on bass.
Tolhurst confirmed in an interview several years later that Presence had recorded a second album, which was produced
by former Smiths
producer John Porter
. He said it is unlikely this second album will ever be released, and that he felt the band "was really too much too soon I felt for me". But he also said in another interview that he does not discount his experience with Presence either, and according to another interviewer, this band does spark interest among some Cure fans
. Tolhurst is focusing on his current project Levinhurst
, a portmanteau of Tolhurst and his wife's (vocalist Cindy Levinson
) surname
s.
In 2007, Biddles started a MySpace
page for Presence.
Singles
B-sides/unreleased songs
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...
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...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
started by Gary Biddles, Lol Tolhurst, and Michael Dempsey
Michael Dempsey
Michael Dempsey is a bassist from England, who has performed as a member of several post-punk and New Wave bands including The Cure and Associates.-Early years:...
. Dempsey and Tolhurst were founding members of The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, and Biddles was a former Cure roadie who previously played in Fools Dance
Fools Dance
Fools Dance was a short-lived British rock band, formed in 1982 by Simon Gallup after he left The Cure, due to a conflict with Robert Smith. Initially calling themselves 'The Cry', the band played their first gig at the Covent Garden Rock Garden on the 19th April 1983...
with Simon Gallup
Simon Gallup
Simon Jonathon Gallup is an English musician and bassist of the post-punk band The Cure.-Early years:...
. In their brief existence, Presence released only one album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, called Inside
Inside (Presence album)
-Personnel:Presence*Gary Biddles — vocals*Alan Burgess — drums*Roberto Soave — bass guitar*Rob Steen — guitar*Laurence Tolhurst — keyboard*Chris Youdell — keyboardProduction*Produced by Presence...
through Smash Records, a subsidiary of Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
.
History
In 1990, Dempsey, Tolhurst and Biddles were recordingSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
s together with a view to forming a new band following Tolhurst's departure from The Cure. With the addition of keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Chris Youdell (of Then Jerico
Then Jerico
Then Jerico are a British rock band who became popular in the late 1980s.-Career:Mark Shaw formed the band at the age of 21, recruiting bassist Jasper Stainthorpe and drummer Steve Wren and poaching guitarist Scott Taylor from Belouis Some....
) and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Alan Burgess the band emerged in 1991 as Presence with the singles
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...
, "In Wonder" and "All I See". Dempsey received co-writing
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
credit for "Amazed"; the b-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of "All I See", but took a background role as a session
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...
bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
, and did not appear in the band's photos or press releases. Porl Thompson
Porl Thompson
Porl Thompson is an English musician best known for his work with The Cure.-Life and work:Thompson is the oldest of four children; he has two brothers and one sister...
also made guest appearances on guitar for some of these recordings, but by 1992 both Dempsey and Thompson were officially replaced by bassist Roberto Soave (formerly of The Associates and Shelleyan Orphan
Shelleyan Orphan
Shelleyan Orphan is a British alternative music group, that peaked during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Career:In 1980, Caroline Crawley and Jemaur Tayle met in Bournemouth, England, where they discovered a mutual appreciation of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley...
) and guitarist Rob Steen respectively. However, Dempsey received co-writing credits for two tracks on Inside. Although Inside was well-received by critics
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
, the album was a commercial failure, and led to the dissolution of the band.
When Presence were formed, there was another band with the same name. Because of Tolhurst's fame, the other band had to change their name to Puressence
Puressence
Puressence are a British rock band from Failsworth, Greater Manchester, England, formed in May 1992.-Band membership:The band currently consists of:*James Mudriczki: Vocals*Lowell Killen: Guitar*Kevin Matthews: Bass guitar...
. Another outfit named Presence placed two singles ("Sense of Danger" and "Future Love") in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1998 and 1999.
Since the breakup of Presence, Roberto Soave and Rob Steen have played in another band called Babacar
Babacar
Babacar was a short-lived worldbeat supergroup formed in England, featuring former members of Shelleyan Orphan, The Cure, and Presence. The group released one album in their brief existence, their self-titled debut album in 1998, before the band dissolved when Shelleyan Orphan reunited in...
along with Boris Williams
Boris Williams
Boris Peter Bransby-Williams is an English drummer best known for his extensive work with The Cure . He had previously worked with various artists, including Thompson Twins, Kim Wilde, Strawberry Switchblade and Tomato City...
of The Cure and Caroline Crawley of Shelleyan Orphan. Soave has also played a brief stint with The Cure. When Simon Gallup fell ill during the European leg of the Wish tour, Soave filled in for him on bass.
Tolhurst confirmed in an interview several years later that Presence had recorded a second album, which was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by former Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
producer John Porter
John Porter (musician)
John Porter is an English musician and record producer.-Biography:He attended St Michael's School, Allerton Grange School, King's College, and Newcastle University....
. He said it is unlikely this second album will ever be released, and that he felt the band "was really too much too soon I felt for me". But he also said in another interview that he does not discount his experience with Presence either, and according to another interviewer, this band does spark interest among some Cure fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
. Tolhurst is focusing on his current project Levinhurst
Levinhurst
Levinhurst is an independent music band formed by Lol Tolhurst, a founding member of The Cure, and his wife Cindy Levinson. Levinson provides vocals while Tolhurst writes the majority of the tracks, musically and lyrically, and programmes the drums and keyboards...
, a portmanteau of Tolhurst and his wife's (vocalist Cindy Levinson
Cindy Levinson
Cindy Levinson-Tolhurst is the lead singer of the 2000s independent music group, Levinhurst, which bears the names of her and her husband Lol Tolhurst. The California native's vocals have been described by critics as "dreamy" and "austere".-Discography:...
) surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s.
In 2007, Biddles started a MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page for Presence.
Members
- Gary Biddles — vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
- Alan Burgess — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Roberto Soave — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Rob SteenRob SteenRob Steen is the illustrator of the books Flanimals, More Flanimals, Flanimals of the Deep, Flanimals: The Day of the Bletchling and Flanimals Pop-Up. Other work includes The Thing's in Ted's Head, Afterlife for Tokyopop and various issues of Elephantmen for Image Comics. He lives in New York...
— guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Lol Tolhurst — keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Chris Youdell — keyboards
Discography
Albums- 1993: InsideInside (Presence album)-Personnel:Presence*Gary Biddles — vocals*Alan Burgess — drums*Roberto Soave — bass guitar*Rob Steen — guitar*Laurence Tolhurst — keyboard*Chris Youdell — keyboardProduction*Produced by Presence...
Singles
- 1991
- "In Wonder" with backing vocals by Bari GoddardBari GoddardBari Goddard is an avant garde and controversial Welsh singer-songwriter, artist and photographer. Born in Pontypridd South Wales February 9, 1958....
(of Then Jerico). - "All I See"
- "In Wonder" with backing vocals by Bari Goddard
- 1992
- "Act of Faith"
- 1993
- "Never" / "Act of Faith"
B-sides/unreleased songs
- "Distortion" (b-side of "All I See")
- "Amazed" (b-side of "All I See")
- "All I See" [Butler-Walsh Mix] (b-side of "All I See")
- "Earthquake" (b-side of "Act of Faith")
- "Soft" (b-side of both "Act of Faith" and "In Wonder")
- "Tomorrow" (b-side of "Act of Faith")
- "Closer" (unreleased)
- "Everything's Changing" (unreleased)