Circles of Confusion
Circles of Confusion are a classic rock band, based in the South East of the United Kingdom. The frontman and main writer of the band is Phil Moorhouse.
History
Circles of Confusion was founded in the second half of 2009 by Phil Moorhouse (guitar and vocals). He had met Benédict Bevan (drums) previously in the band Tiger Valley. The duo set out to find a new bassist to form a three-piece classic rock band. In October 2009, they were joined by Dutchman Werner De Jong, who was found through an ad placed on the Intranet of Moorhouse's employer.
The first practice took place on October 27th, 2009, but rehearsals started in earnest in November 2009. By the end of November, De Jong suggested the name for the band after he had attended a cinematography course at the London Film Academy. Moorhouse and Bevan quickly accepted the suggestion, and Circles of Confusion was born.
Despite heavy snowfall in the South East of England , the band managed to get together over the Christmas period, and recorded a number of songs. Their first original song “Masterplan” was published on the band's MySpace site on December 30th, 2009. Unfortunately the studio's mixing desk broke down, so the remaining songs of the December recording sessions were mixed on February 1st and 2nd by De Jong, using the Open Source digital audio editor Audacity. The songs were placed online on February 3rd, 2010.
In the meantime, the band had been writing several original songs and covered numerous others. On February 18th, 2010, the official Circles of Confusion web site went live. Two days later, Circles of Confusion went into the studio to record four original tracks for their self-titled debut EP. All tracks were recorded at The Shed Studios in Crowthorne, Berkshire, where they were also mixed by Bevan over the following week.
On March 1st, the design for business cards and a CD booklet had been completed. The business card was sent off to the printer and the CD booklet plus mixed tracks were uploaded to a CD duplication company. The CD was ready for release on March 11th, 2010.
The inaugural performance took place on March 13th, 2010 at the Drama Club in Bracknell, Berkshire, which was advertised in rock magazine Kerrang. At the gig, the band announced the release of their self-produced debut EP “Circles Of Confusion”.
Music
Circles of Confusion's music can be described as classic garage rock. They are keeping the use of effects to a minimum, creating a direct and in-your-face rock sound. Their main musical influences come from bands from the 1970s, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Thin Lizzy. Songs from improvisation-led band Gov't Mule feature strongly and they have been known to add the occasional 1990s rock anthem to their setlist.
Members
Phil Moorhouse: guitar and vocals; Werner De Jong: bass; Benédict Bevan: drums and backing vocals.
Equipment
Phil Moorhouse uses a Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded Worn Cherry guitar, with a Marshall Vintage Modern 2266C amp.
Werner De Jong plays a Warwick Streamer LX JazzMan 4 String through a Warwick CCL Bass Combo. He uses a Boss Bass Overdrive ODB-3, a Boss Chorus CEB-3 and a Boss Chromatic Tuner TU-3.
Benédict Bevan uses Ahead Joey Jordison sticks, Zildjian EFX, Meinl classics, Sabian B8, DW4000 pedal, Mapex M shells, Pearl Joey snare, Remo heads and Gibraltar hardware.
Discography
- Circles of Confusion (EP, 2010)
- Come Back To The Light (Bevan/Moorhouse)
- Sweet Little Stranger (Moorhouse)
- Your World (Moorhouse)
- Masterplan (Bevan/Moorhouse)
Quote
“What do we aim for when the end has come upon us?” (from: Sweet Little Stranger, 2010)
External links
Circles of Confusion official website
Circles of Confusion on MySpace
Circles of Confusion on Twitter
Bracknell Drama Club