Foz Foster
Encyclopedia
James 'Foz' Foster is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead guitarist in the art-rock band, David Devant and his Spirit Wife, and in the 1983-5 incarnation of The Monochrome Set
. Foster also plays guitar, musical saw
and vibraslap
in the house band of Karaoke Circus
and occasional saw in Martin White
's Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra. He plays ukulele and other instruments as part of the double-act, Foster and Gilvan, and is also musical director of Sawchestra - a band of musical saw players who perform Foster's compositions to accompany silent films.
Los Apachés, in which he was songwriter and played lead guitar. According to the Karaoke Circus website, Los Apachés became press darlings for well over two months in the winter of 1979, and Foster was 'nicknamed the Kaftan Kid by the NME for some strange reason'. In 1983, he was talent-spotted by Andy Warren, bass player of The Monochrome Set
, who was looking for a replacement for the departing guitarist, Lester Square. The band had just released the single, 'Jet Set Junta', which 'nodded to the previous year's Falkland Islands conflict, becoming a big indie hit and garnering extensive play.' One of Foster's first tasks was to appear in the video for Jet Set Junta, miming to Lester Square's guitar part. Foster went on to play on the band's fourth album, the pop-flavoured The Lost Weekend (1985), which included the singles Wallflower and Jacob's Ladder. In the video for the latter, Foz dressed in a bear costume - the first of many animal costumes he would wear on stage. Although these were the most commercial-sounding records released by the Monochrome Set, sales were disappointing, and the band split up.
In 2009, when The Lost Weekend was rereleased on CD by Cherry Red records, the Guardian journalist, John Robb, wrote, 'It's clearly time we resurrected the Monochrome Set, arguably the first truly postmodern pop band.'
and, at the beginning of the 90s, they formed David Devant and his Spirit Wife. All the band adopted stage names, with Georgeson as the Vessel on vocals and guitar, Professor Rimschott (Graham Carlow) on drums and the Colonel (Jem Egerton) on bass. Foster was renamed Foz?, pronounced 'Foz Questionmark'. A Devant gig was an unforgettable theatrical experience, incorporating stage magic with cardboard props, manipulated by the 'spectral roadies', Iceman and Cocky Young'un. The Vessel might be fired from a cannon, levitated or sawn in half, and the climax of every show was the appearance of the Spirit Wife, who manifested herself in the form of a Victorian lace nightie waved on a long pole. The band won a fanatically loyal following and positive, though sometimes bemused, reviews. Caroline Sullivan described a 1996 show in the Guardian: 'Led by a quiffed and moustachioed waif called the Vessel, they offer penny-dreadful glam rock augmented by a host of special effects. The music alone is worth the price of admission ... but the Devants strive to provide a more complete experience... Long may they do their strange thing.'. The theatricality of an early Devant show was captured in the video for their debut single, Pimlico.
In 1997, the band released their first album, Work Lovelife, Miscellaneous. In March, Radio-One breakfast presenter, Mark Radcliffe
, chose the single, Ginger, written by Georgeson and Foster, as his record of the week. Radcliffe said, 'Initially I was intrigued by the look of them, by the name, by the image. Then I heard some really good songs...Unless the records themselves work there is no point to all the theatricality. But this lot are messing about with the concept of what makes a pop band. Their act isn't just a gimmick. We need more bands like them.'
Although Foster left the band in the late 90s, he rejoined for their third album, Power Words for Better Living (2004). David Devant and his Spirit Wife still perform two or three times a year.
. In 2011, Sawchestra performed Prince Achmed in various theatres and festivals, and at the Folly for a Flyover, a pop-up venue beneath a flyover on the A12 in Hackney Wick. Foster's next soundtrack was for the 1920 horror film, The Golem: How He Came into the World
, which Sawchestra performed at the Apollo Theatre, Piccadilly, as part of the 2011 London Sci-Fi Festival. Wired Magazine, reviewing the festival, wrote, 'Particular highlights included a screening of silent German classic Der Golem, its score played by innovative musical ensemble Sawchestra using a variety of household tools and unusual implements.' There was also 'Adrift with the Sawchestra', on 17 July 2011, when the band staged a series of floating perfomances on a barge on the Regent's Canal
, as part of Barbican Bite's contribution to the Shoreditch Festival.
, playing in his Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra and in the house band for Ward and White's Karaoke Circus
, where comedians sing karaoke over a live band. After singing with Karaoke Circus, the comedian Dave Gorman
wrote in his blog: 'I was stupidly excited to be "singing" because the lead guitarist in the band is Foz from the excellent David Devant & His Spirit Wife. I'm a fan. Now I've sung with their lead guitarist. Life is daft.'
The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
. Foster also plays guitar, musical saw
Musical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
and vibraslap
Vibraslap
A vibraslap is a percussion instrument consisting of a piece of stiff wire connecting a wood ball to a hollow box of wood with metal “teeth” inside. The percussionist holds the metal wire in one hand and strikes the ball...
in the house band of Karaoke Circus
Karaoke Circus
Karaoke Circus is a British Karaoke night where guest singers from the world of comedy compete alongside members of the public for a coveted prize. Sometimes called 'Ward & White's Karaoke Circus', the show was started by composer Martin White and stand-up comedienne Danielle Ward in October 2008...
and occasional saw in Martin White
Martin White
Martin White is an English musician, comedian and animator. As well as performing solo with an accordion around the London comedy circuit, White also fronts the Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra and the Karaoke Circus live bands...
's Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra. He plays ukulele and other instruments as part of the double-act, Foster and Gilvan, and is also musical director of Sawchestra - a band of musical saw players who perform Foster's compositions to accompany silent films.
The Monochrome Set
Foster grew up in Pimlico, West London. In his late teens, he formed his first band, the New RomanticNew Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
Los Apachés, in which he was songwriter and played lead guitar. According to the Karaoke Circus website, Los Apachés became press darlings for well over two months in the winter of 1979, and Foster was 'nicknamed the Kaftan Kid by the NME for some strange reason'. In 1983, he was talent-spotted by Andy Warren, bass player of The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set
The Monochrome Set are an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
, who was looking for a replacement for the departing guitarist, Lester Square. The band had just released the single, 'Jet Set Junta', which 'nodded to the previous year's Falkland Islands conflict, becoming a big indie hit and garnering extensive play.' One of Foster's first tasks was to appear in the video for Jet Set Junta, miming to Lester Square's guitar part. Foster went on to play on the band's fourth album, the pop-flavoured The Lost Weekend (1985), which included the singles Wallflower and Jacob's Ladder. In the video for the latter, Foz dressed in a bear costume - the first of many animal costumes he would wear on stage. Although these were the most commercial-sounding records released by the Monochrome Set, sales were disappointing, and the band split up.
In 2009, when The Lost Weekend was rereleased on CD by Cherry Red records, the Guardian journalist, John Robb, wrote, 'It's clearly time we resurrected the Monochrome Set, arguably the first truly postmodern pop band.'
David Devant and his Spirit Wife
After moving to Brighton, Foster met the artist and songwriter, Mikey GeorgesonMikey Georgeson
Mikey Georgeson is an artist, working in various media. He is a painter and illustrator, who regularly exhibits his work at Sartorial Contemporary Art and other galleries. As ‘the Vessel’, he is songwriter and singer of the cult art-rock band, David Devant and his Spirit Wife...
and, at the beginning of the 90s, they formed David Devant and his Spirit Wife. All the band adopted stage names, with Georgeson as the Vessel on vocals and guitar, Professor Rimschott (Graham Carlow) on drums and the Colonel (Jem Egerton) on bass. Foster was renamed Foz?, pronounced 'Foz Questionmark'. A Devant gig was an unforgettable theatrical experience, incorporating stage magic with cardboard props, manipulated by the 'spectral roadies', Iceman and Cocky Young'un. The Vessel might be fired from a cannon, levitated or sawn in half, and the climax of every show was the appearance of the Spirit Wife, who manifested herself in the form of a Victorian lace nightie waved on a long pole. The band won a fanatically loyal following and positive, though sometimes bemused, reviews. Caroline Sullivan described a 1996 show in the Guardian: 'Led by a quiffed and moustachioed waif called the Vessel, they offer penny-dreadful glam rock augmented by a host of special effects. The music alone is worth the price of admission ... but the Devants strive to provide a more complete experience... Long may they do their strange thing.'. The theatricality of an early Devant show was captured in the video for their debut single, Pimlico.
In 1997, the band released their first album, Work Lovelife, Miscellaneous. In March, Radio-One breakfast presenter, Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe
Mark Radcliffe is an English broadcaster who has worked in various roles for the BBC since the 1980s and remains one of Britain's most recognised DJs. He is currently a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music, where he hosts an afternoon show five times a week alongside Stuart Maconie, called...
, chose the single, Ginger, written by Georgeson and Foster, as his record of the week. Radcliffe said, 'Initially I was intrigued by the look of them, by the name, by the image. Then I heard some really good songs...Unless the records themselves work there is no point to all the theatricality. But this lot are messing about with the concept of what makes a pop band. Their act isn't just a gimmick. We need more bands like them.'
Although Foster left the band in the late 90s, he rejoined for their third album, Power Words for Better Living (2004). David Devant and his Spirit Wife still perform two or three times a year.
Foster and Gilvan
Foster's next collaboration was with another fine artist, Christopher Gilvan-Cartwright, known by the stage name, Baron Gilvan. As Foster and Gilvan, they wear clown make-up and perform their own songs, with Foster playing ukulele and other instruments, and Gilvan singing and playing the trombone. Foster and Gilvan often work with the puppeteer, Isobel Smith, who is Gilvan's partner. Baron Gilvan has also performed as a spectral roadie for David Devant, and is the resident judge at Karaoke Circus.Sawchestra
In 2008, Foster, Sara Passmore and Andrew Page created Sawchestra, a band of musicians playing saws and other instruments. Their first show, ‘Sawchestra perform Musical Surgery' was staged at Brighton's live art venue, the Basement, on 4 October 2008. The space had been converted into an operating theatre and the band wore surgical gowns and masks.Foster went on to compose a soundtrack for the 1926 animated classic, The Adventures of Prince AchmedThe Adventures of Prince Achmed
The Adventures of Prince Achmed is a 1926 German animated fairytale film by Lotte Reiniger. It is the oldest surviving animated feature film; two earlier ones were made in Argentina by Quirino Cristiani, but they are considered lost...
. In 2011, Sawchestra performed Prince Achmed in various theatres and festivals, and at the Folly for a Flyover, a pop-up venue beneath a flyover on the A12 in Hackney Wick. Foster's next soundtrack was for the 1920 horror film, The Golem: How He Came into the World
The Golem: How He Came Into the World
The Golem: How He Came Into the World is a 1920 silent horror film by Paul Wegener. It was directed by Carl Boese and Wegener, written by Wegener and Henrik Galeen, and starred Wegener as the golem. The script was adapted from the 1915 novel The Golem by Gustav Meyrink...
, which Sawchestra performed at the Apollo Theatre, Piccadilly, as part of the 2011 London Sci-Fi Festival. Wired Magazine, reviewing the festival, wrote, 'Particular highlights included a screening of silent German classic Der Golem, its score played by innovative musical ensemble Sawchestra using a variety of household tools and unusual implements.' There was also 'Adrift with the Sawchestra', on 17 July 2011, when the band staged a series of floating perfomances on a barge on the Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal, just north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in east London....
, as part of Barbican Bite's contribution to the Shoreditch Festival.
Karaoke Circus
Foster is a long-standing collaborator with Martin WhiteMartin White
Martin White is an English musician, comedian and animator. As well as performing solo with an accordion around the London comedy circuit, White also fronts the Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra and the Karaoke Circus live bands...
, playing in his Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra and in the house band for Ward and White's Karaoke Circus
Karaoke Circus
Karaoke Circus is a British Karaoke night where guest singers from the world of comedy compete alongside members of the public for a coveted prize. Sometimes called 'Ward & White's Karaoke Circus', the show was started by composer Martin White and stand-up comedienne Danielle Ward in October 2008...
, where comedians sing karaoke over a live band. After singing with Karaoke Circus, the comedian Dave Gorman
Dave Gorman
David James Gorman is an English author, stand-up comedian and presenter. He has performed comedy shows on stage in which he tells stories of extreme adventures and presents the evidence to the audience in order to prove to them that they are true stories...
wrote in his blog: 'I was stupidly excited to be "singing" because the lead guitarist in the band is Foz from the excellent David Devant & His Spirit Wife. I'm a fan. Now I've sung with their lead guitarist. Life is daft.'