Anthony Charles Wakeford (born 2 May 1959) is a British neofolk musician, who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus. He is also a member of the punk rock band Crisis and a co-founder of Death in June.
Tony Wakeford | |
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 Wakeford with Sol Invictus in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Anthony Charles Wakeford |
| Born | 2 May 1959 Woking, Surrey, England |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
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Biography
editEarly work
editWakeford was the bassist for the English punk rock band Crisis. An openly left-wing and anti-fascist band,[1] Crisis performed at events organized by Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League.[1] Crisis disbanded in 1980, but Wakeford later began touring with a new line-up of the band in 2017.[1] Wakeford, Crisis guitarist Douglas Pearce and Patrick Leagas co-founded the band Death in June.[1] In early 1984, Wakeford was fired from Death in June for "bringing his 'right-wing leanings into the group'"; at the time he had been a member of the National Front (UK).[2] In 2007, Wakeford described his National Front membership as "probably the worst decision of my life".[3] Wakeford had also been a member of the Odinic Rite, a neopagan organization.[4] After being fired from Death in June, Wakeford formed the post-punk band Above the Ruins, and in October 1984, they released a nine song demo album on cassette, Songs of the Wolf, which was distributed through the London-based P.O. box BCM Grimnir, and from the National Front bookshop in Croydon.[2] The band's lyrics denounced communism, capitalism and liberalism.[2] The demo received a favorable review from Nationalism Today, the journal of the National Front.[2] The following year, Above the Ruins contributed the song "The Killing Zone" to No Surrender, a compilation of recordings by white nationalist bands,[5] and in late 1985, announced that their demo would be "soon to be available on record".[2]
Sol Invictus
editIn 1987, Wakeford distanced himself from right-wing views, and formed the neofolk band Sol Invictus,[6] adapting the band's name from a cult that predated Christianity.[7] The band's music combines acoustic guitar playing and "neo-classical instrumentation" with elements of industrial music.[6] Due to Wakeford's past political associations, Sol Invictus has been accused of neo-fascism.[8]
In 1990, Wakeford formed his own record label, Tursa. With distribution by World Serpent Distribution, Tursa released numerous albums by Sol Invictus, starting with Trees in Winter.[6] After World Serpent dissolved in the 2000s, Cold Spring began distributing the band's albums.[6]
Discography
edit| Year | Title | Format, special notes | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Songs of the Wolf | Cassette/CD | Above the Ruins |
| 1987 | Imperium | LP (reissued on CD, 2001) | Current 93 |
| 1987 | Christ and the Pale Queens Mighty in Sorrow | 2xLP (reissued on CD, 1994) | Current 93 |
| 1988 | Earth Covers Earth | LP (reissued on CD, 1992) (limited LP reissue, 2005) | Current 93 |
| 1989 | Music, Martinis and Misanthopy | LP/CD | Boyd Rice and Friends |
| 1989 | Cooloorta Moon | 12" | Nurse With Wound |
| 1989 | Crooked Crosses for the Nodding God | CD | Current 93 |
| 1990 | Looney Runes | LP, CD 1992 | Current 93 |
| 1990 | Horse | LP (reissued on CD as Horsey with extra/reworked tracks, 1997) | Current 93 |
| 1991 | Creakiness | 12" | Nurse With Wound/Spasm |
| 1992 | Soresucker | 12"/CD | Nurse With Wound |
| 1992 | Revenge of the Selfish Shellfish | CD | Wakeford/Stapleton |
| 1993 | La Croix | CD | Tony Wakeford |
| 1994 | Above us the Sun | CD | Tony Wakeford |
| 1994 | Summer Ends | 7" (live tracks later included on Paris CD) | Tony Wakeford |
| 1996 | Cupid & Death | CD | Tony Wakeford |
| 1996 | Cantos | CD | L'Orchestre Noir |
| 1998 | Autumn Calls | CD | Wakeford/Tor Lundvall |
| 1998 | Eleven | CD | L'Orchestre Noir |
| 1998 | Believe Me | CD | Tony Wakeford |
| 2000 | Three Nine | CD | Howden/Wakeford |
| 2002 | Paris | CD (live concert recording) | Tony Wakeford |
| 2003 | Wormwood | CD | Howden/Wakeford |
| 2004 | The Murky Brine | CD | HaWthorn (Howden/Wakeford) |
| 2005 | Cups in Cupboard | CD | The Wardrobe (Andrew Liles & Tony Wakeford) |
| 2005 | Marseilles | CD (live concert recording) | Duo Noir (Matt Howden & Tony Wakeford) |
| 2006 | A Sandwich Short | CD | The Wardrobe (Andrew Liles & Tony Wakeford) |
| 2007 | Into The Woods | CD | Tony Wakeford |
| 2008 | Marble Heart | CD | Grey Force Wakeford (Nick Grey, Kris Force & Tony Wakeford) |
| 2008 | Ghosts | CD | Triple Tree (Andrew King & Tony Wakeford) |
| 2008 | The Affordable Holmes EP | CD | Orchestra Noir |
| 2008 | Lucifer Before Sunrise | 7" | The Wardrobe |
| 2009 | Not All of Me Will Die | CD released by The Eastern Front label, Israel | Tony Wakeford |
| 2011 | Oddities | CD | Tony Wakeford |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "CRISIS Interviewed 2017 -new line-up of legendary punk band back in action". Louder Than War. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Robert, Forbes; Stampton, Eddie (9 November 2015). "1985". The White Nationalist Skinhead Movement, UK & USA, 1979-1993. Feral House. pp. 161–164. ISBN 9781627310253.
- ^ Barry, Robert (3 October 2012). "FACT meets Boyd Rice: noise pioneer, film buff, leader of the Church of Satan". Fact magazine. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ Backes, Uwe; Moreau, Patrick (2012). Die völkisch-religiöse Bewegung im Nationalsozialismus: Eine Beziehungs- und Konfliktgeschichte. ISBN 9783525369227.
- ^ Robert, Forbes; Stampton, Eddie (9 November 2015). "1985". The White Nationalist Skinhead Movement, UK & USA, 1979-1993. Feral House. pp. 159–160. ISBN 9781627310253.
- ^ a b c d Simpson, Paul. "Sol Invictus Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ Webb, Peter (10 June 2010). "Neofolk or Post-Industrial Music". Exploring the Networked Worlds of Popular Music. Taylor & Francis. p. 68. ISBN 9781135910792.
- ^ Livingstone, David (2015). "Occulture". Transhumanism: The History of a Dangerous Idea. Sabilillah Publications. p. 307. ISBN 9781515232575.