Fiat Lux (band)

Fiat Lux were an English synthpop band formed in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, in 1982, by Steve Wright (vocals) and David P Crickmore (guitars, bass, keyboards). Ian Nelson (sax, keyboards), younger brother of Be-Bop Deluxe guitarist and lead vocalist Bill Nelson, joined shortly afterwards, complementing the classic line-up of the band, who remained until the mid-1980s, when Crickmore departed.

History

Wright and Crickmore attended Bretton Hall College, Wakefield, where they studied drama, meeting after the first joined the latter's New Wave band, Juveniles (whose two songs were released in a various artists compilation called Household Shocks). Wright later joined theatre company Yorkshire Actors where he met musician Bill Nelson.^[1] After impressing him with a demo tape, Nelson produced one of the demo's tracks, "Feels Like Winter Again", b/w "This Illness" and released it on his Cocteau Records label in November 1982, by which time Nelson's brother Ian had joined the band.^[1][2] "Feels Like Winter Again" gained the band radio airplay and led to them signing a record deal with major label Polydor and subsequent support slots with Howard Jones.^[2] The band had minor UK chart hits with "Secrets" and "Blue Emotion", which were followed by the mini album Hired History in August 1984.^[2] They made several TV appearances, including a performance on Old Grey Whistle Test. There was also a long format video release Commercial Breakdown, which included live versions of the shelved tracks for their debut full-length Polydor album.

Crickmore departed after the chart failure of their fifth Polydor single release 'House Of Thorns' and the band continued recording some songs with session musicians, before disbanding in 1985.

Wright joined Camera Obscura, replacing Nigel James, and formed Hoi Poloi, another short-lived pop group. He then abandoned the music industry to become a television director. Crickmore dedicated to more experimental projects through the remaining 1980s, culminating in an album on the London based independent record label, Yellow Moon Records, Lettuce Spay under the name This. In the 1990s he rediscovered his love of folk and roots music and became a founder member of The Durbervilles.^[3] From 2005 The Durbevilles became radio presenters with a weekly folk and roots show on BBC Radio Leeds.^[4] Ian Nelson continued to work with his brother Bill, joining the line-up of Be-Bop Deluxe, in the early 1990s;^[1] he died in his sleep on 23 April 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

Singles

• "Feels Like Winter Again" (November 1982), Cocteau
• "Photography" (August 1983), Polydor
• "Secrets" (January 1984), Polydor - UK No. 65^[5]
• "Blue Emotion" (March 1984), Polydor - UK No. 59^[5]
• "House Of Thorns" (September 1984), Polydor
• "Solitary Lovers" (January 1985), Polydor

Albums

• Hired History (August 1984), Polydor – mini-LP

Videography

• Commercial Breakdown (1990), Hendring Video

References