David Devant & His Spirit Wife: A Magically Infused Band for the Ages
In the modern music industry where every band seems to be a cookie cutter copy of the last successful artist thank god for bands like David Devant & His Spirit Wife. Forming in May of 1992, David Devant & His Spirit Wife are an indie/art rock band from Brighton, England. Named after the famous English Magician, David Devant is a band unafraid to take theatrical and musical risks and it shows. Staying together for twenty three years with minimal line-up changes and some huge amendments to their sound David Devant are an incredibly diverse and appreciably weird band in an age of sonic clones.
Don Spirit Specs Now!
Formed in 1992 by frontman Mikey Georgeson, and heralded by their name Georgeson discovered from the man Devants autobiography My Magic Life, David Devant & His Spirit Wife were unlike any bands of the era. With a live show that was half 90s alt-arena rock and half magic theater, even incorporating the magician Devants spirit wife trick at which point the audience was told to Don Spirit Specs Now!, David Devant made a name for themselves in the 90s English rock scene, alongside more mainstream bands like Radiohead and Coldplay, and released their first full length album in 1997 with Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous.
When Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous was released it showcased some of the bands most popular songs such as Ginger, This is for real, and Parallel Universe. Mark Radcliffe, the Radio One breakfast DJ, compared the sound of Work to an early David Bowie, and Devant claiming the Bowie influence or not, can definitely be compared to the psych-rock artist in such ways as the choosing of stage names for the individual members of David Devant and the large scale play house style theatrics of their concerts and live shows.
Shiney On The Inside
In December of 1999 after releasing their first full length LP and ready for a change, Georgeson showcased a different version of David Devant, without the theatrics of the original version and with their original guitarist Foz? replaced by John Pope. The album released by the new line up, Shiney On The Inside, dropped in July of the following year to mild critical success and a massive cult and underground following. Eddie Argos of the band Art Brut would later say that Shiney On The Inside was a huge personal influence on his own music and called the album one of the greatest ever made.
Sonically Shiney On The Inside was a massive departure from the bands earlier Bowie inspired sound. With songs like Space Daddy, Radar, and the title track, David Devant had ventured into glam rock inspired arena anthems. Featuring a much harder edge than the bands original work Shiney On The Inside still featured Georgesons delightfully odd magic, space, and sex inspired lyrics, making it the perfect album for a world on the brink of the 21st century. In 2002 when the original lineup of David Devant saw a reunion the band began work on their third studio album Power Words for Better Living which was released in 2004.
The Present and Future of David Devant
Today David Devant & His Spirit Wife are still together, still touring, and still playing their classic hits alongside new material. The twenty three years since their formation havent slowed the members of this theatric sextet down a bit and theyre still incorporating magic tricks, film slides, and homemade props into their live shows. With a magic perhaps channeled from the late man himself, David Devant & His Spirit Wife have not only showcased a real staying power but a rock-star artist presence unbeknownst to the current age of cookie cutter wannabe musicians.