30 October 2006
IN
Excelsis formed spring 1983 out of the remnants of Ritual
(Mark Bond bass, and Errol Blythe voice) Steve Spon guitar ex-
UK Decay and Colin 'Roxy' Rox on drums.
They produced two EP’s 'Carnival of Damocles’ and ‘Ladders of Lust’,
a single ‘Creeps in the Trees’ and a post-humus album, ‘Prey’.
Appearing on numerous ‘Goth’ compilation Albums (see Monochrom’s list )
and featured on the ‘In Goth Daze’ DVD compilation. more info
The following is a short extract from the
Drop Dead Magazine issue 2,
with Steve Spon talking about In Excelsis in an interview with UK Decay.
" I contacted the ‘Ritual’ guys Mark Bond and Errol Blythe with the idea of forming
a new band, they jumped at it and we quickly recruited Colin ‘Roxy’ Rocks on drums.
We embarked on an intensive rehearsal schedule over the next few months with the
aim of having recorded material ready and live shows by the Fall of 83. We achieved
a lot of stuff in a short space of time, we struck a relationship with ‘Jungle Records’
and recorded and released the ‘Carnival of Damocles’ EP. By the end of that year,
we had done several gigs including a memorable jaunt to Paris, things seemed to be
going in the right direction.
Meanwhile at the same time a host of bands such as Sex Gang Children, Play Dead, Sisters of
Mercy etc, all bands from our contemporary scene were breaking into the mainstream
and seemed to be going from strength to strength..
The ‘Batcave’ was now gaining momentum, people were talking about it but we were
too busy to go there. In retrospect I think, that was a mistake, we arrogantly wanted to
‘do it our way’ I guess I was against it in principle at first because it seemed that they
were cashing in on the movement but in retrospect I realised that they were actually
pioneering the ‘Club Culture’ that was to become dominant later in the 80’s.
The Batcave had succeeded in adding to the ‘new movements’ reliance on the
‘Live Show’ by synthesising it into the nightclub, the new kids loved it but sadly, by
1984 In Excelsis had missed the boat..
Things started to get complicated by spring, the costs involved in running the band on
a day-to-day basis were soaring, and considering we all lived so far apart. At one point
we went house hunting in Harrow to try and find a house we could all live in and set up
a rehearsal room. Things became slower as the money ran down and there were
decisions that had to be taken that may have involved giving up our day jobs.
By the end of the year we were at the point of no return, we had become de moralised it
was then that Errol announced he was getting married and wanted to buy a house, that
meant keeping the day job!.
In truth, although In Excelsis had some pretty good moments, but try as hard as we did,
the chemistry simply didn’t’ gel. Maybe in trying as hard as we did, we ended up trying
to force the ‘In Excelsis’ horse to drink. .
We had some crazy times though Mark and Errol were still friendly with Jamie and Ray
from the ‘Death Cult’, they and other guys from the Harrow and Luton ‘crew’s’ would
‘romp out’ in wild all night parties in the woods..
The early risers of ‘leafy suburban Harrow would often witness a somewhat bedraggled
looking crowd making their way home after such a narcotic laden romp in the woods,
we were the original ‘Creeps in the Trees’"
Thanks to Drop Dead Magazine no.2 more
info
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