Blind Before Dawn

The beginning of Blind Before Dawn was in the last few months of 1998, when the Manchester, UK gothic rock act SorrowS Of Isis split into two factions. SorrowS had spent several years developing their own sound, with Shotgun on guitar, and Davi on vocals with their backing sound supplied by Vanity X. Just prior to the split - Davi had begun working on a side project named The Annex Chamber. Which was heavily influenced by Clan of Xymox and had no guitars or vocals at the time.
When SorrowS folded. The new band Blind Before Dawn took over, where the previous band had failed to spread it's wings at crossing borders of music. In 1999 Davi Lovatt now enlisted Shane Bostock as guitarist, and the two of them wrote and released a 4 song sampler recorded at home titled Flowers And The Filth. Though this didn't exactly ignite the band's popularity- it did guarantee a few performances by Lov.. Shane left the band some months later and was replaced by Dan Maloney on synths. A talented individual. With Maloney in the lineup- BBD played a UK minitour with Waterglass, and began recording the album Distance. Maloney left the band before the end of recording the album.But has remained on good terms and may return for live performances some day.
About the same time -Steven Cochran of Eloquent joined BBD on vocals, and a short lived collaboration resulted in appearances with Steven and Davi on several compilations in the USA. Before realizing they couldn't carry on the partnership, so Davi went back to the main vocalist of BBD again, and Steven has pursued Eloquent since.
After some time working solo, a new lineup emerged in 2003 featuring Davi's club friend Johna Curtis on guitar. The band change direction - having been influenced by the growing J -rock scene, and electro metal bands like Rammstein. Curtis style brings a more trashy feel to the band's style and imagery for live shows.
2004 saw Lovatt begin writing / recording the 2nd album Cold Heart (currently half written). With a heavier and darker approach than had been heard on the Distance material. Curtis was asked to leave the band in April 2004 as he'd become unreliable for live performances . Shortly replacing Curtis was Peej on synths and backing vocals , and the return of Shane for one show at the Retro Bar in Manchester,UK. Before Lovatt decides that neither band member is suitable for the band anymore.
2005 saw BBD's first central european appearance. A show at Channel Zero in Ljubljana,Slovenia in April 2005 as part of the Gothquake Festival to an amazing reaction and a packed out crowd who lap up the first BBD show in over a year (and Slovene superband Laibach performing just down the road on the same night).
Propelled on by a barrage of newer, dark and heavier material, BBD now recruits a songwriter , singer and guitarist in "Doctor" David Novan in 2006. Lead singer and visionary behind the UK band Narcissus, who BBD have played together with on several occassions in Manchester. The pair have always respected each other's bands and even would admit to being a fan of each other's music, so it was only a matter of time before the two paired up and worked together.
Lovatt began to think on the terms of a remix album for 2006. But later realized that it was also a perfect opportunity to treat fans with previously unreleased material.
The follow up to Distance has now been provisionally titled as Thirteen Haloes. It will be a collection of loose ends, remakes, remixes,and new material . Bands such as Halovox, and The Mystic Underground will handle remixes with the older more synthpop sounding material. And newer songs to be remixed by EBM and Gothic acts. The album should now be finished by the end of 2007.
Magazine reviews:
Cyrkel Spynn Magazine - volume 2, issue 2.
Blind Before Dawn - "Distance"
It's not so often that you get a Electro-Gothic band of this stature and talent... This CD is the band's debut CD-R album..self financed and self released by the band themselves..making it somewhat very unique...in that the sound is extremely professional.
Thus band are definitely one to watch for in the future...could they be the new hopefuls of the Electro-Goth scene? Very highly recommended
CS Rating ( 5 out of 5 ) Review by Alan Craw
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Kaleidoscope - issue 22.
Blind Before Dawn - "Distance" Genre - EBM
An overview of the band between 2000 - 2004 whilst they work on their follow-up.
A more introspective VNV Nation, a less experimental Depeche Mode, this is EBM with a more goth orientation than club orientation! That's not to say there's nothing dance-floor worthy here, there is. It's just that it works as well as a listening album as a dancing album.
Favourite track? The dark and robotic sounding "Sensory"!
Review by Elliot Mits
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Insomnia Magazine issue 3.
Blind Before Dawn - "Distance"
Manchester's Blind Before Dawn deliver a very well arranged, very well mixed, very well worked and very pleasant album indeed with "Distance"
( rating : 4 out of 5 )
review by Mark Sesin
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Unscene Magazine issue 4. Blind Before Dawn - "Distance"
The debut album from Manchester's Blind Before Dawn is a collection of songs that were written 2000-2004. This probably explains why some of the songs feel a bit retro, but good none the less. Kicking off with "Futurist" the album gets off to a good start : A competent slice of electropop that sets the scene well. This is followed by the highly infectious and stompy "Samui", a great ecological goth pop song that was a favourite with a lot of readers when it appeared on the cover CD of Unscene issue 3. Another track of note is the wonderfully crafted "Far Away" , of which there also 2 remixes.
There are a couple of rather more forgettable tracks towards the end of the album but all in all, for a self produced album this is top quality stuff. If you are into bands such as Cruxshadows and Depeche Mode , you could do a lot worse than to check these guys out.
Review by Mark Smith
ALBUMS/ DEMOS
Flowers And The Filth (First demo 1999)
Distant EP (2001)
Distant EP 2.0 (2002)
Distance ( First full length album) (2005)
Strangers - single (slated for completion in mid 2007)
COMPILATIONS:
Chartreuse Translucent (featured track : Angel With Broken Wings - Clubland Rough Mix)
United Synthpop Artists (featured track : United For A Day)
Evolution :The New Breed Of Electronic Pop (featured track : Angel Wings)
Nobody's Diary : A Tribute To Yazoo (Featured track : Too Pieces )
WXJL Presents Music For the Masses vol 1. (Featured track : Far Away - Close Mix)
Project Elektra - volume 1 (Featured track : Samui)
Carpe Noctum New Blood vol 1. (Featured track : Far Away - Close Mix)
Indie Nation - Dekonstruktion 02 (Featured track : Sensory)
Wet Works Sampler Volume 06 (Featured track : Far Away - Close Mix)
Unscene Magazine vol 3. (Featured track : Samui)
Insomnia Magazine vol 3. (Featured track : Samui)
Yet Another Electro Compilation vol.5 (Featured track : Futurist)