55-594: Stephen Simpson Hillage (born 2 August 1951) is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s. Besides his solo recordings he has been a member of Uriel , Khan , Gong and System 7 . Hillage was born in Chingford , which was then in Essex but is now part of Greater London . Whilst still at school, he joined his first band,
110-475: A Marquee gig on 21 December, he left to set-up his own band, although he did contribute to the sessions of their next album Shamal . For his first post-Gong solo work, Hillage and Giraudy relocated to Woodstock, New York in May and June 1976 to record with Todd Rundgren and his band Utopia on L , which included covers of " Hurdy Gurdy Man " and " It's All Too Much " that became integral to his live set. The album
165-718: A blues rock band called Uriel , with Dave Stewart , Mont Campbell and Clive Brooks . The band split up in 1968 with the other members going on to form Egg , but they briefly re-united under assumed names to record the album Arzachel in 1969. Hillage also guested on Egg's 1974 album The Civil Surface . In 1969, Hillage began studies at the University of Kent in Canterbury , befriending local bands Caravan and Spirogyra and occasionally jamming with them. Meanwhile, he wrote songs and, by late 1970, had accumulated enough material for an album. Caravan put him in touch with their manager Terry King, who got Hillage signed with Deram on
220-592: A four-track TEAC reel-to-reel tape recorder. In late May 1977, Allen performed and recorded as Planet Gong , then reformed the "Radio Gnome Trilogy" version of the group for a one-off show at the Hippodrome , Paris , France . The show, the first Gong Reunion, featured Sting , Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers in their first live appearance as part of Mike Howlett 's band Strontium 90 , before Summers joined both Copeland and Sting in The Police . An edited version of
275-607: A new studio album, Zero to Infinity in 2000. In 1996 he made a guest appearance on the track "Chant of the Twisted Mystics" on the album "Escape From Awkward Caucasia" by Byron Bay psychedelic / space rock band Freaks of Nature . In 1998 Allen co-founded the San Francisco-based psychedelic rock band University of Errors and the U.K. based jazz rock band Brainville 3 , going on to record several studio and live albums with each. He also recorded with Spirits Burning ,
330-781: A series of concerts in Brazil , with a branch of Gong, which was called Daevid Allen and Gong Global Family (Allen on vocals and guitar, Josh Pollock on guitar, megaphone and percussion; Fred Barley on drums and percussion, Fabio Golfetti on guitar, Gabriel Costa on bass, Marcelo Ringel on flute and tenor saxophone), along with his other band University of Errors (Allen, Pollock, Michael Clare and Barley). The concerts took place in São Paulo on 21 and 22 November and São Carlos on 24 November. These musicians, minus Marcelo, recorded some new songs at studio Mosh, in São Paulo. The São Paulo concert of 21 November
385-471: A series of concerts throughout 1971, several of them supporting label mates Caravan, Khan began recording their debut album in November, by which time Heninghem had left, forcing Hillage to bring in his former bandmate Dave Stewart to play the keyboard parts. By the time Space Shanty came out in May 1972, Canadian Val Stevens (formerly of Toronto's popular soul-rock band Grant Smith & The Power ) had filled
440-451: A solo career, Hillage recorded with Gong and since leaving has continued to collaborate as an occasional member. From 1991, Hillage has recorded extensively with Miquette Giraudy in their group System 7 . All albums and singles released by Virgin Records; except where indicated. Canterbury scene The Canterbury scene (or Canterbury sound ) is a musical scene that originated in
495-641: A space rock supergroup whose members include Alan Davey , Bridget Wishart , Karl E. H. Seigfried , and Simon House . Some of Daevid Allen's most experimental work was with the long running Los Angeles noise band Big City Orchestra , including live performances and more than a half dozen CD releases. Other projects around this time included the Invisible Opera Company of Tibet and the Magick Brothers . A project with his son, Orlando, and members of Acid Mothers Temple led to Acid Mothers Gong and
550-674: A surprise return to the Gong fold when he and Giraudy performed with (most of) the "classic era" lineup of Gong performing a set consisting almost entirely of material from the Radio Gnome Trilogy and Camembert Electrique at the Gong Unconvention at the Melkweg in Amsterdam. In January 2007, four of his albums – Fish Rising , L , Motivation Radio and Rainbow Dome Musick – were released in
605-649: A tour of Europe in August 1967, Allen was refused re-entry to the UK because he had overstayed his visa on a prior visit. He returned to Paris where he formed Gong along with his partner Gilli Smyth . They also formed the Bananamoon Band . Both projects were cut short as the two took part in the 1968 Paris protests which swept the city, handing out teddy bears to the police and reciting poetry in pidgin French. Allen admitted that he
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#1733093244802660-410: Is largely defined by a set of musicians and bands with intertwined members. These are not tied by very strong musical similarities, but a certain whimsicality, touches of psychedelia , rather abstruse lyrics, and a use of improvisation derived from jazz are common elements in their work. "The real essence of 'Canterbury Sound' is the tension between complicated harmonies, extended improvisations, and
715-638: The Beat Generation writers he had discovered while working in a Melbourne bookshop, Allen travelled to Paris , where he stayed at the Beat Hotel , moving into a room recently vacated by Allen Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky . While selling the International Herald Tribune around Le Chat Qui Pêche and the Latin Quarter , he met Terry Riley and also gained free access to the jazz clubs in
770-686: The Daevid Allen Trio ('Daevid' having been adopted as an affectation of David), which included his landlord's son, 16-year-old Robert Wyatt . They performed at Burroughs' theatre pieces based on the novel The Ticket That Exploded . In 1966, together with Kevin Ayers and Mike Ratledge , they formed the band Soft Machine , the name having come from the Burroughs novel The Soft Machine . Ayers and Wyatt had previously played in Wilde Flowers . Following
825-512: The L touring band. On 25 August, Hillage guested with Sham 69 during their performance at the Reading Festival , Hillage felt he was nearing exhaustion by mid-1978 so chose to reflect on the live shows that had been recorded and compile the album Live Herald . With Anderson and McKenzie from the Green tour, he recorded some studio sessions at the end of the year to be included on one side of
880-468: The Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy which consisted of Flying Teapot , Angel's Egg and You . The band signed with Virgin Records in 1973 after BYG Records went bankrupt during recording of Flying Teapot at Richard Branson 's Manor Studio . Gong was Branson's second Virgin release after Mike Oldfield 's Tubular Bells . According to Allen, in his book Gong Dreaming 2 , the idea of
935-613: The 2004 album Acid Motherhood , as well as an improvisation outfit entitled Guru And Zero. In November 2006 a Gong Family Unconvention was held in Amsterdam , which included a reunion of many former Gong members from the "classic" early 70s line-up. Further Gong concerts were held in London in June 2008, featuring many of the same line-up, including Allen himself, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy, and Mike Howlett. In November 2007, Allen held
990-586: The Ayers tour to join the band. In January 1973, he took part in the sessions for Flying Teapot , the first installment of the "Radio Gnome" trilogy, and soon after graduated to full-time membership with the departure of bassist/lead guitarist Christian Tritsch. The 'classic' line-up of Gong was now in place, with Daevid Allen , Gilli Smyth , Didier Malherbe , Tim Blake , Mike Howlett and Pierre Moerlen , and recorded two further albums, Angels Egg and You (the latter also featuring Giraudy). In June 1973, Hillage (along with Pierre Moerlen) participated in
1045-511: The Canterbury scene never had anything to do with Canterbury, the place. The former Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper , who lived in Whitstable , near Canterbury, said: "I think it's a rather artificial label, a journalistic thing... I don't mind it, but people like Robert [Wyatt] , he in fact hates that idea, because he was born somewhere else and just happened to go to school here. In the time when
1100-512: The Dutch punk band The Ex ), using tape loops and drum machines. In 1989 he formed a new Gong band, Gongmaison , which toured and recorded a self-titled album. Reverting to the name Gong, they released Shapeshifter in 1992, which continued the classic Gong mythology of Zero the Hero. A second Gong Reunion event took place in London in 1994 and the "classic" lineup toured between 1996 and 2001, releasing
1155-733: The Gong concert was released later in 1977 as the double live album Gong est Mort, Vive Gong . In 1978 Allen moved to New York at the invitation of his old producer Giorgio Gomelsky , and was teamed up with the nascent Material to form the punk-influenced New York Gong. They toured the U.S. in the Spring of 1979, playing the classic Radio Gnome Invisible trilogy, and later recorded the studio album About Time . In 1981 Allen returned to Australia, taking up residence in Byron Bay where he worked on performance pieces and poetry. He performed with performance artist David Tolley as Ex (not to be confused with
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#17330932448021210-415: The Gong song "Tried So Hard" – a live recording of which appeared on the band's single, along with a studio version with Allen on vocals. His final studio album with Gong, I See You , produced by his son Orlando, was released in November 2014. The same year, he worked on Book of Intxixu , the second Can am des puig album, and New Start by Belgian musician Will Z. , a tribute album to Deià musicians,
1265-399: The UK remastered on CD, each, except the latter, with previously unreleased bonus tracks. In February 2007, Green , Live Herald , Open and For To Next/And Not Or followed, similarly remastered with bonus content. Hillage and Giraudy's participation in the Gong Unconvention was reprised in a small number of concerts held by Gong in London in June 2008, where Hillage and Giraudy were among
1320-489: The Wilde Flowers started we hardly ever worked in Canterbury. It wasn't until Robert and Daevid [Allen] went to London to start Soft Machine that anything happened at all. They weren't really a Canterbury band [...] if it helps people understand or listen to more music then it is fine." In the 21st century, the Canterbury group Syd Arthur have been seen as latter-day practitioners. Poet, painter, and singer Lady June
1375-748: The album including a BBC Radio 1 In Concert broadcast. In January and February 1977 they supported Electric Light Orchestra on their US tour and appeared on the German television music programme Rockpalast in March. In May 1977, Hillage was part of a live performance of Mike Oldfield 's Tubular Bells in Glasgow with the Scottish National Orchestra . He participated in the Gong re-union concert in Paris as part of
1430-434: The album, then promoted its February 1979 release with live dates including an appearance on Rock Goes to College and a BBC Radio 1 In Concert broadcast. In January 1979, Hillage and Giraudy recorded the commissioned album Rainbow Dome Musick at Om Studios, consisting of two side-long beatless instrumentals described as "a relaxing and pleasantly divergent journey through a sorted spectrum of instruments". The album
1485-607: The area. In 1961 Allen travelled to England and rented a room at Lydden , near Dover , where he soon began to look for work as a musician. He first replied to a newspaper advertisement for a guitar player to join Dover-based group the Rolling Stones (no connection with the later famous band of that name) who had lost singer/guitarist Neil Landon , but did not join them. After meeting up with William S. Burroughs , and inspired by philosophies of Sun Ra , he formed free jazz outfit
1540-665: The basis of a demo of his material recorded with the help of Dave Stewart of Egg. In early 1971, Hillage formed Khan with bassist/vocalist Nick Greenwood, formerly of Crazy World of Arthur Brown . Although future Gong and Hatfield and the North drummer Pip Pyle was involved in the early stages, the line-up finally settled with the inclusion of organist Dick Heninghem and drummer Eric Peachey, both of whom had recently collaborated on Greenwood's solo project Cold Cuts , recorded in California in 1970 but belatedly released in 1972. Following
1595-452: The blessing of other surviving members) to continue using the Gong name. Soon after, Hillage made a few guest appearances at Gong gigs (sometimes being billed as Gong featuring Steve Hillage ), culminating in late 2018 with the announcement that Hillage & Giraudy had tapped the current lineup of Gong to be their backing band/opening act for a series of Steve Hillage Band shows in 2019. Continued touring plans for 2020, however, were halted in
1650-678: The city of Canterbury , Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Associated with progressive rock , the term describes a loosely-defined, improvisational style that blended elements of jazz , rock , and psychedelia . These musicians played together in numerous bands, with ever-changing and overlapping personnel, creating some similarities in their musical output. Many prominent British avant-garde or fusion musicians began their career in Canterbury bands, including Hugh Hopper , Steve Hillage , Dave Stewart (the keyboardist), Robert Wyatt , Kevin Ayers , Richard Sinclair , Daevid Allen , and Mike Ratledge . The Canterbury scene
1705-460: The debut live performance of Mike Oldfield 's Tubular Bells at Queen Elizabeth Hall . Both Hillage and Moerlen also took part in a live-in-studio performance filmed for the BBC 's Second House series, filmed in November 1973. The BBC performance is available on Oldfield's Elements DVD. From August 1974 to February 1975 Hillage worked on his debut solo album Fish Rising at Manor Studios with
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1760-612: The early 1990s as ambient dance act System 7 . They soon became part of the underground dance scene in London and Hillage was also a key figure in getting the Glastonbury Festival to recognise the dance scene and set up the Dance Tent, which he programmed in its first year. Hillage also produced in the 1990s a raï musical show called ' 1, 2, 3 Soleils ', featuring Algerian singers Faudel , Rachid Taha and Khaled . He also arranged many songs of Latifa . In November 2006, he made
1815-445: The first posthumous album of Daevid Allen and Carmeta Mansilla, singer of Can am des puig. On 12 June 2014, Allen underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his neck. It was determined to be cancerous and he subsequently underwent radiation therapy. In a statement, released on 5 February 2015, Allen wrote that the cancer had returned to his neck and also spread to his lungs, and that he was "not interested in endless surgical operations". He
1870-551: The flying teapot was influenced by Russell's teapot . Allen left Gong in April 1975 and went on to record three more solo albums, Good Morning (1976), Now Is the Happiest Time of Your Life (1977) and N'existe pas! (1979). During these years, he lived in a hippie collective in Deià and contributed to the production of The Book of Am , an album by the band Can am des puig , loaning them
1925-405: The group, less Allen and Smyth, and contributions from others such former as Khan bandmate Dave Stewart. Blake left Gong at the beginning of 1975 due to tensions with Allen, then Allen abruptly left in April. Hillage continued with the group, but he increasingly became uncomfortable feeling that Virgin wanted him to assume a leadership role which he saw at odds to the group's communal essence. After
1980-476: The last studio albums issued under Hillage's own name. The titles were derived from BASIC programming language and reflect the pair's movement into computer-based music production, this being mainly synthetic except for Hillage's guitar. He returned to producing in the 1990s, working on The Charlatans 1994 album Up to Our Hips . After hearing the likes of The Orb playing his 1979 ambient record Rainbow Dome Musick , Hillage and Giraudy began performing in
2035-541: The line-up which also included Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, and Mike Howlett. At these concerts, Hillage would often open the show performing "Steve Hillage Band" material, as he had at the Uncon. Hillage and Giraudy worked most recently on their 2009 album 2032 (which Hillage also produced), and has continued to tour with the band throughout 2009 and 2010. After the 2010 tour, citing musical differences, Steve & Miquette again parted ways with Gong. His next association with Gong
2090-523: The live dates. The album was issued in September and the band toured through to November visiting Germany, France and the UK. Retaining his touring band, from December into February 1978 he recorded the album Green co-produced with Nick Mason at Ridge Farm Studio and Britannia Row Studios . For the supporting tour, he refreshed his band with Anderson (who had made an appearance on the album) being joined by John McKenzie on bass and Boulé rejoining from
2145-696: The repertoire, including "I Love Its Holy Mystery", which would form the basis of Hillage's later Solar Musick Suite . Hillage broke up the band in October 1972. Hillage promptly joined Kevin Ayers ' new live band Decadence, participating in Ayers' 1973 album Bananamour (Harvest, May 1973) and touring the UK and France for two months. Having in the meantime become a fan of Gong after meeting Daevid Allen , hearing Camembert Electrique and Allen's solo album Banana Moon , as well as meeting his longtime partner Miquette Giraudy through Allen, Hillage stayed in France after
2200-400: The scene as having "certain chord changes, in particular the use of minor second chords, certain harmonic combinations, and a great clarity in the aesthetics, and a way of improvising that is very different from what is done in jazz." There is debate about the existence and definition of the scene. Dave Stewart has complained at the nomenclature as he and many other musicians identified with
2255-457: The sincere desire to write catchy pop songs." "In the very best Canterbury music...the musically silly and the musically serious are juxtaposed in an amusing and endearing way." There is variation within the scene, for example from pop/rock like early Soft Machine and much Caravan to avant-garde composed pieces as with early National Health to improvised jazz as with later Soft Machine or In Cahoots . Didier Malherbe (of Gong ) has defined
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2310-501: The soundtrack to the film Continental Circus , poet Dashiell Hedayat's Obsolete and Gong's nominal second studio album, Camembert Electrique . In October, Allen, Smyth and the rest of Gong moved into an abandoned 12-room hunting lodge called Pavilion du Hay, near Voisines and Sens , 120 km south-east Paris. They would be based there until early 1974. In late 1972 they were joined by electronic musician Tim Blake . Later Steve Hillage and Pierre Moerlen also joined to record
2365-497: The trilogy band, a solo set and also accompanied Blake. In late summer, Hillage produced Nik Turner 's Xitintoday album which featured contributions from other Gong members, Harry Williamson and drummer Andy Anderson . Hillage also contributed to Williamson's protest single "Nuclear Waste" issued as The Radio Actors with lead vocals by Sting . During the US tour Hillage had taken an interest in funk music and became disheartened that he
2420-581: The vacancy, making his debut on a short European tour (including a televised appearance at the Montreux Festival) and continuing with a UK tour supporting Caravan in June. By then, musical disagreements between Hillage and Greenwood culminated with the latter's departure. Hillage decided to form a new line-up with a slightly different direction, retaining the services of Peachey and asking Stewart back, and adding Nigel Griggs (later of Split Enz ) on bass. New compositions by Hillage and Stewart were added to
2475-679: The wake of the COVID-19 pandemic . Hillage also collaborated with Ozric Tentacles on the 2004 album Spirals in Hyperspace . Hillage played live with Hawkwind in December 2015 at The Coronet, London, and also played a one-hour set with Dave Brock and Tim Blake of the band at Hawkwind's Hawkeaster festival in Morecambe , Lancashire at Easter, 2018. "Light in the Sky", from his 1977 album Motivation Radio ,
2530-465: Was "given approximately six months to live". On 13 March 2015, his son, Orlando Monday Allen, announced through Facebook that Daevid Allen had died. The Planet Gong website announced that Allen had died in Australia, at 1.05pm, "surrounded by his boys". Allen had four sons, two with Gilli Smyth and two with other mothers. Reviewing Allen's life, The Daily Telegraph said: Allen revelled in being
2585-400: Was a guest guitar solo on the title track of their 2016 album "Rejoice! I'm Dead", their first album recorded after the death of Daevid Allen. Though no longer featuring any original members, the current lineup of Kavus Torabi (guitar/vocals), Fabio Golfetti (guitar/vocals), Dave Sturt (bass), Ian East (saxophone/flute) and Cheb Nettles (drums/vocals) had the blessing of Allen (along with
2640-601: Was being perceived as "progressive rock" and so deliberately chose to move in that direction. He had met Malcolm Cecil of Tonto's Expanding Head Band who he felt may help in his pursuit of a new style and in July they entered the Record Plant studio in Los Angeles to record Motivation Radio . A new band was put together with Reggie McBride on bass and Joe Blocker on drums, although Curtis Robertson Jr. took over bass duties for
2695-474: Was issued on 13 April and performed for the Festival for Mind Body and Spirit at Olympia London that month. Rainbow Dome was a concept created by Rupert Atwill. Stewart and Paul Francis joined, replacing Boulé and McKenzie respectively, and this line-up played the 1979 Glastonbury Festival . The group recorded Open at Ridge Farm Studio in August with a guest contribution from Jean-Philippe Rykiel . The album
2750-504: Was regarded an "honorary member" of the Canterbury scene for having performed and recorded with some of the members, and being a "landlady" to many in her flat in Maida Vale , London. Daevid Allen Christopher David " Daevid " Allen (13 January 1938 – 13 March 2015) was an Australian musician. He was co-founder of the psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine (in the UK, 1966) and Gong (in France, 1967). In 1960, inspired by
2805-507: Was released on 12 October followed by a tour of the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands through to December. During the 1980s, Hillage worked as a record producer, working for artists such as Simple Minds , It Bites , Murray Head , Nash the Slash , Real Life , Cock Robin , Tony Banks and Robyn Hitchcock . In 1982, Hillage and Giraudy issued the albums For To Next and And Not Or ,
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#17330932448022860-516: Was released on 24 September and spent 12 weeks on the UK album chart peaking at #10. Needing to tour to promote the album, he put together a band with Christian Boulé (guitar), Clive Bunker (drums), Colin Bass (bass), Phil Hodge (keyboards) and Basil Brooks (synthesiser, flute). They debuted supporting Queen at a free Hyde Park, London concert on 18 September, then toured heavily in the UK and France to promote
2915-977: Was scorned by the other protesters for being a beatnik . Fleeing the police, they made their way to Deià , Mallorca, where they had lived for a time in 1966 and had met the poet Robert Graves , a friend of Robert Wyatt's family. Returning to Paris in August 1969, they were offered the chance to make an album by the BYG Actuel label and so formed a new Gong band and recorded Magick Brother , released in March 1970. In 1971 Allen recorded and released his first solo album, Banana Moon (sometimes spelled Bananamoon ) for BYG Actuel. It did not feature his original 1968 Bananamoon Band rhythm section, but did feature Robert Wyatt, Gilli Smyth , Gary Wright , Pip Pyle , Maggie Bell and many others. Gong's lineup stabilized with Pip Pyle (drums) joining Daevid Allen (guitar & vocals), Gilli Smyth (vocals), Christian Tritsch (bass) and Didier Malherbe (woodwinds). This group performed on
2970-513: Was then released only as a DVD (UK only) and as a CD by Voiceprint Records . The 2009 album 2032 featured the band's drummer since 1999, Chris Taylor, formerly of Roachford and Soul II Soul . Allen's son Orlando replaced Taylor in 2012. In 2013, in Devon, England, Allen performed solo material and poetry at an event entitled "Up Close with Daevid Allen". He also joined The Invisible Opera Company of Tibet (UK) on stage to perform songs, including
3025-425: Was used as the theme for The Sunday Night Project on Channel 4 . Hillage played on a cover of Elton John 's "Rocket Man" on William Shatner 's 2011 release Seeking Major Tom . Hillage won the "Visionary" award at the 2013 Progressive Music Awards. The discography of Steve Hillage consists of 9 studio albums, 9 legitimate live albums and one bootleg, 3 compilation albums and seven singles. Before launching
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