Artists

The Enid

The Enid Biography

“The only band on the planet to have successfully fused rock based music with the power, dynamics and scale of symphonic classical music. They are the absolute masters of their art and their achievements over more than twenty years of creative work set them apart from everything else which calls itself progressive”
The Guardian

“Robert John Godfrey is one of the greatest composers this country has ever produced”
Tommy Vance – BBC Radio 1

In 1967 after abandoning a career as a concert pianist, Robert John Godfrey aged 19, left the Royal College of Music to work with Norman Smith at Abbey Road Studios who at the time was producing Pink Floyd’s “Piper At The Gates Of Dawn”.

This soon led to a groundbreaking relationship with Barclay James Harvest where Godfrey, as their musical director, was one of the very first to experiment with a symphony orchestra both on record, “Barclay James Harvest” and “Once Again” and live, most notably at The Royal Albert Hall in 1970.

Robert John Godfrey was a true pioneer and inspired bands like Procul Harum and The Moody Blues who later went on to explore this avenue

After a very destructive break-up with BJH in 1971, Godfrey went on to record the extraordinary “The Fall Of Hyperion” for Charisma Records in which he shows his formidable pianistic virtuosity as a pianist.

In 1974 he formed The Enid, which emerged as a radical alternative for all young people who couldn’t identify with punk, but were looking for a fresh, provocative, different and challenging form of music.

The power of the band’s live performances (and recordings!) of their large scale, myth and fantasy inspired, wholly instrumental pieces, rapidly gained them a huge, fanatically dedicated following.

By 1983, Tommy Vance had dubbed them “The Biggest Cult Band In Europe” and record companies feared them so much that they were forced to become the first band ever to self fund their recordings with fans’ contributions in advance – as is increasingly becoming the norm in the 21st Century.

In 1988, after nearly ten years of continuous touring, Robert John Godfrey called an official halt with two back-to-back sold out shows at London’s Dominion Theatre, and the band lay dormant while Godfrey fought his demons.

He completely rediscovered his musical muse five years ago, (inspired by watching films of fellow virtuosos pianists), and has now lovingly reformed The Enid with original drummer Dave Storey plus new young recruits Jason Ducker on guitars, Max Read on vocals and keyboards and Nicholas Willes on bass and percussion.

2010 saw the completion of The Enid’s next major work, “Journey’s End – The Art Of Melody” – powerful, romantic, uplifting, thought provoking and thoroughly English! It was premiered to a sold-out crowd at Town Hall, Birmingham in April.

The band are now set to embark on a series of tours throughout 2011 to support “Journey’s End” and also the releases of, for the first time ever on cd, “In The Region Of The Summer Stars” and “Aerie Faerie Nonsense”.

The tour will include dates / festivals in the UK, Europe and also the US, culminating in a televised concert at one of the UK’s premier venues – The Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK supported by the full City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra – one of the finest orchestras in the world.

www.theenid.co.uk