The Snake Corps
Encyclopedia
The Snake Corps were an indie music group based in London
, England during the 1980s and 1990s.
Formed in 1984, from the ashes of the (then) broken-up Sad Lovers & Giants
, Tristan Garel-Funk and Nigel Pollard conceived the band, but Pollard left prior to recording the first album. Vocalist Marc Lewis responded to an advert in Melody Maker
and shared a flat with Garel-Funk, the pair becoming the band's two ever-present members.
The music was too relaxed and understated to appeal to a mass-market. Not unlike Sad Lovers & Giants before them, they focused on creating dreamy, filmic soundscapes and at least partly, discarded the post-punk influences that shackled many of their contemporaries. Consequently, the band found that the European market was more aligned to their musical style and they toured abroad extensively, receiving good support wherever they went.
Distancing themselves from Britain and shunning even a regular UK tour meant that the regular indie labels were largely uninterested. However, Midnight Music, who had been the home of early SL&G, signed the band and were able to give them the artistic freedom they craved. Unfortunately, this laissez-faire approach extended to most of the company's dealings and ultimately hastened their demise. In the wake of a messy collapse, the band found that they were not only label-less, but their publishing rights had transferred to another company without any involvement or agreement from the band members. Not surprisingly, they decided to call it a day.
A new album was already recorded, but this did not surface for some years, eventually appearing on the small Ophidian label, an offshoot of Rotator Records, thanks to a friend of Garel-Funk. The word Ophidian can mean 'snake-like'.
Marc Lewis has released a solo album of Snake Corps and other songs which is available from his website. The Snake Corps have reformed for 2010. Carl Jones has joined on guitar, Liam McGuinness the bands original bass player has rejoined on Bass with a new drummer Richie Harris. The Snake Corps made a triumphant return to live performance with a gig in Barcelona, Spain on 18th September 2010. Although the previous version of the band last performed live over fifteen years ago the band got an amazing reaction from the audience, and the anthemic “This is seagull” brought the house down.
The band are currently rehearsing for some more gigs in 2011, with Berlin in July being confirmed as the first date. Visit the band's new Facebook-page for more details.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England during the 1980s and 1990s.
Formed in 1984, from the ashes of the (then) broken-up Sad Lovers & Giants
Sad Lovers & Giants
Sad Lovers & Giants are a rock band from Watford, England who formed in 1980. Their sound blends post-punk, atmospheric keyboards and psychedelia and the band has been described as "a pastoral Pink Floyd".-Career:...
, Tristan Garel-Funk and Nigel Pollard conceived the band, but Pollard left prior to recording the first album. Vocalist Marc Lewis responded to an advert in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
and shared a flat with Garel-Funk, the pair becoming the band's two ever-present members.
The music was too relaxed and understated to appeal to a mass-market. Not unlike Sad Lovers & Giants before them, they focused on creating dreamy, filmic soundscapes and at least partly, discarded the post-punk influences that shackled many of their contemporaries. Consequently, the band found that the European market was more aligned to their musical style and they toured abroad extensively, receiving good support wherever they went.
Distancing themselves from Britain and shunning even a regular UK tour meant that the regular indie labels were largely uninterested. However, Midnight Music, who had been the home of early SL&G, signed the band and were able to give them the artistic freedom they craved. Unfortunately, this laissez-faire approach extended to most of the company's dealings and ultimately hastened their demise. In the wake of a messy collapse, the band found that they were not only label-less, but their publishing rights had transferred to another company without any involvement or agreement from the band members. Not surprisingly, they decided to call it a day.
A new album was already recorded, but this did not surface for some years, eventually appearing on the small Ophidian label, an offshoot of Rotator Records, thanks to a friend of Garel-Funk. The word Ophidian can mean 'snake-like'.
Marc Lewis has released a solo album of Snake Corps and other songs which is available from his website. The Snake Corps have reformed for 2010. Carl Jones has joined on guitar, Liam McGuinness the bands original bass player has rejoined on Bass with a new drummer Richie Harris. The Snake Corps made a triumphant return to live performance with a gig in Barcelona, Spain on 18th September 2010. Although the previous version of the band last performed live over fifteen years ago the band got an amazing reaction from the audience, and the anthemic “This is seagull” brought the house down.
The band are currently rehearsing for some more gigs in 2011, with Berlin in July being confirmed as the first date. Visit the band's new Facebook-page for more details.
Personnel
- Marc Lewis - Vocals
- Tristan Garel-Funk/Carl Jones/Steve Williams- Guitars
- David Wood/Ian Gibson - Keyboards
- Liam McGuinness/Jim Blanchard - Bass
- Nigel Pollard/Jon Greville/Richard Harris - Drums
Albums
- 1985 Flesh On Flesh - Midnight Music - CHIME 00.14CD
- 1990 Smother Earth - Midnight Music - CHIME 00.52CD
- 1990 More Than The Ocean - Midnight Music - CHIME 1.12CD
- 1993 3rd Cup - Ophidian - OPHD 3001
- 1993 Spice 1984-1993: The Very Best Of - Anagram Records - CDMGRAM 97
Singles
- 1985 "Science Kills" - Midnight Music - DONG 13
- 1986 "Victory Parade" - Midnight Music - DONG 19
- 1987 "Testament" - Midnight Music - DONG 30
- 1989 "Calling You" - Midnight Music - DONG 50
- 1990 "Colder Than The Kiss" - Midnight Music - DONG 60
- 1992 "Some Other Time" - Midnight Music - DONG 75