Solstice (UK band - progressive)

Not to be confused with Solstice (doom metal band) or Solstice (American band).

Solstice
OriginMilton Keynes, England
Genres
Years active1980–present
Labels
MembersAndy Glass
Jess Holland
Peter Helmsley
Steven McDaniel
Jenny Newman
Robin Phillips
Past membersEmma Brown
Ken Bowley
Clive Bunker
Barbara Deason
Marc Elton
Mark Hawkins
Heidi Kemp
Sandy Leigh
Shelley Patt
Sue Robinson
Craig Sunderland
Martin Wright

Solstice are a progressive rock band formed in 1980 in Milton Keynes, England. They are led by guitarist Andy Glass, who is the sole founding member still in the band.[1]

History

The band formed in 1980, and performed BBC sessions and received national music press coverage before splitting in 1985 (with one guest appearance in 1986). Their only album release in this period was 1984's Silent Dance.[2]

Interest generated by a CD reissue of Silent Dance led to a reunion in the nineties with two studio releases, New Life and Circles, and a live album, The Cropredy Set.[3]

Guitarist Andy Glass once more put the band on hold in order to focus on band 3sticks. A DVD release of the Cropredy performance preceded another reunion in 2007, with the entire back catalogue being remastered and issued in expanded "Definitive Edition" form. The band then toured the UK and, for the first time, mainland Europe. In Spring 2022, Solstice undertook an extensive tour of the UK and mainland Europe in support of the Sia album. They also previewed a track from their then-to-be-released seventh studio album. Anyone pledging to pre-order the as yet unnamed album also received a free download of "Solstice Live at MK11" - a digital only live album recorded at the Crauford Arms in Wolverton, Bucks, UK on two nights in September 2021.

The new album, entitled Light Up, was launched at a one-day festival, also called Light Up and staged at the MK11 venue on 6th November 2022. Pre-ordered copies of the CD version were available at the show and had been distributed the previous week. The band toured extensively to support Light UP into 2023 whilst at the same time previewing new tracks for a third album in the Sia / Light Up Trilogy, as originally conceived by Andy Glass. The tour included a slot at Glastonbury Festival as well as regional shows in Colchester, Wavendon, Kidderminster, Great Yarmouth, a return to the Cropredy Festival with a mid-afternoon slot and opened the final day of Towersey Festival in Venue 65. The album received extensive critical acclaim in the music press and online.

Band members Andy Glass, Peter Helmsley, and Jenny Newman also work together in the band "3 Sticks".

Members

Current

  • Andy Glass - guitars
  • Jess Holland - vocals
  • Peter Helmsley - drums
  • Steven McDaniel - keyboards
  • Jenny Newman - violin
  • Robin Phillips - bass
  • Ebony Buckle - backing vocals, additional keyboards

Former

  • Emma Brown - vocals
  • Ken Bowley - bass
  • Clive Bunker - drums
  • Barbara Deason - vocals
  • Marc Elton - violin, keyboards
  • Mark Hawkins - bass
  • Heidi Kemp - vocals
  • Sandy Leigh - vocals
  • Shelley Patt - vocals
  • Sue Robinson - vocals
  • Craig Sunderland - bass
  • Martin Wright - drums

Discography

Studio albums

  • Silent Dance (1984)[2]
  • New Life (1993)
  • Circles (1997)[3]
  • Spirit (2010)
  • Prophecy (2013)[4]
  • Sia (released 23rd November 2020)[5]
  • Light Up (2022)

Live albums

  • The Cropredy Set (2002)
  • Kindred Spirits (2011)
  • Live in Veruno (2022)

Compilation albums

  • Pathways (1998)
  • The Beginners Guide To Solstice (2023)

References

  1. ^ a b Rob Caldwell. "Solstice | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Bradley (1997). The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music. Billboard Books. p. 207.
  3. ^ a b Lambe, Stephen (2012). Citizens of Hope and Glory: The Story of Progressive Rock. Amberley.
  4. ^ "Superb new album from Andy Glass's on/off prog collective". Prog Magazine. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Solstice News". Solstice. Retrieved 30 October 2020.