Landmarq
Encyclopedia
Landmarq are a UK
-based neo-progressive rock
band. Since forming in 1990, they have so far released six album
s, two of which were recorded live
at various concerts in the UK
and elsewhere in Europe
.
Initially signing to a Dutch
record company, SI Records, then forming their own label, Synergy Records, the band have established themselves within the world of progressive rock
, though their style may also extend into album-oriented rock
, melodic rock, hard rock
and even a slightly jazz
edge.
Vocalist Damian Wilson
left the band after three very well received albums to concentrate on his solo career and the band found a replacement in Ian ‘Moon’ Gould. ‘Moon’ spent a year with the band, playing various gigs in the UK and Holland, before deciding to move on. It was at this point that Landmarq decided to go for a radical change to their sound and recruited the long-time friend of the band, Tracy Hitchings.
Landmarq have played concerts in the UK, Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the US and Mexico; both as support and as headliners at various festivals and music venues. The band have worked with many well-known artists including Marillion
, John Wetton
, Steve Hackett
, Hugh McDowell
, Nik Turner
(Hawkwind), Annie Haslam
(Renaissance), IQ
, Pendragon
, Arena
and Suzi Quatro
.
Apart from making strong in-roads into Europe and America, Landmarq have reached further territories worldwide, as far afield as Russia, eastern Europe, the Far East, and Australia through various magazine/webzine articles, interviews, radio air-play and also compilation CDs from various afore-mentioned music magazines (see the Discography and Reviews pages on the bands website for full details).
Meanwhile, the bands first DVD was released in March 2006. Entitled 'Turbulence – Live In Poland', this features Landmarq filmed in concert at the Wyspianski Theatre, Katowice
, November 2005. The DVD was released by the Polish label Metal Mind Productions
and has received some of the bands best reviews to date. The DVD also comprises a wealth of bonus material including audio and video archive tracks, an interview with the band, a huge photo gallery and much more.
First-ever CD featuring Landmarq. This compilation from the bands first record label in Holland features the abridged version of 'Suite: St. Helens'.
2. SI (Germany) Compilation Disc Too SI Music SIMPly 22 1992
Features track not used for first album studio album 'Solitary Witness', entitled 'Borrowed Mind'. This track was later included on the Japanese release of 'Infinity Parade'.
3. SI Music Sampler 'Progressive & Melodic Rock Vol.1' SI Music SIMPly 24 1993
Features 'Terracotta Army'
4. SI Music Sampler 'Progressive & Melodic Rock' Vol.3 SI Music SIMPly 49 1994
Features 'Gaia's Waltz'
5. Master Volume Perfect Compilation Series Vol.5 Zero Corp. XRCN-1145 1994
Japanese compilation CD - features 'Embrace'
6. 'Classic Rock' (promo only) compilation CD SI Music SIMPly 10001 1994
Features 'Embrace'
7. Hard Rock Magazine ‘Ltd Edition’ compilation CD CNR Music 3007672 1996
Features 'Cutting Room' & 'Bed Of Nails'. French magazine sampler CD also includes Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Aragon and others. (Promotion only)
8. 'Mellotron 20' CD Sampler 20 1998
Compilation CD from 'Mellotron' magazine (Argentina) featuring 'The Overlook', taken from 'Science Of Coincidence'. (Other bands featured include The Flower Kings and Collage).
9. ‘Music From The Underground’ sysy CD-0398 1998
Compilation CD from German magazine ‘Eclipsed’ (Pink Floyd/Art Rock specialist). Features track ‘The Vision Pit’ from CD ‘Science Of Coincidence’.
10. ‘ProgAid - All Around The World’ F2-2005035 2005
Not a Landmarq track, as such, but a CD single released in aid of the victims of the 2004 Tsunami disaster. Featuring many Prog-based artists including Tracy, Steve and Dave from Landmarq plus other artists including Neal Morse, Ant Phillips, Oliver Wakeman, Pete Trewavas and others.
11. ‘The Hawke Chill-Out Sessions’ n/a 2006
CD compiled by radio presenter and DJ Terry Hawke with artists he has featured on his show on Harborough FM Radio. Includes the track ‘Heritage’ from the live CD ‘Aftershock’.
12. 'Mellotron 35 - Decimo Anniversario' CD Sampler 35 2006
10th anniversary compilation CD from 'Mellotron' magazine (Argentina) featuring 'Thunderstruck', taken from 'Turbulence - Live in Poland'. (Also included are Steve Hackett, Frost, Magenta and others).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based neo-progressive rock
Neo-progressive rock
Neo-progressive rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock, developed in the UK and popular in the 1980s, although it lives on today....
band. Since forming in 1990, they have so far released six album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s, two of which were recorded live
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
at various concerts in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and elsewhere in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Initially signing to a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
record company, SI Records, then forming their own label, Synergy Records, the band have established themselves within the world of progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, though their style may also extend into album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
, melodic rock, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and even a slightly jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
edge.
Vocalist Damian Wilson
Damian Wilson
Damian Wilson is a singer known in the progressive rock genre. He is lead singer with the band Headspace along with Adam Wakeman and is lead singer for Threshold....
left the band after three very well received albums to concentrate on his solo career and the band found a replacement in Ian ‘Moon’ Gould. ‘Moon’ spent a year with the band, playing various gigs in the UK and Holland, before deciding to move on. It was at this point that Landmarq decided to go for a radical change to their sound and recruited the long-time friend of the band, Tracy Hitchings.
Landmarq have played concerts in the UK, Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the US and Mexico; both as support and as headliners at various festivals and music venues. The band have worked with many well-known artists including Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
, John Wetton
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
, Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
, Hugh McDowell
Hugh McDowell
Hugh McDowell is an English cellist best known for his membership in Electric Light Orchestra and related acts.-Career:...
, Nik Turner
Nik Turner
Nik Turner is a British musician, best known as a founding member of space rock pioneers Hawkwind. Turner plays saxophones, flute, sings and is a composer...
(Hawkwind), Annie Haslam
Annie Haslam
Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...
(Renaissance), IQ
IQ (band)
IQ are a British neo-progressive rock band founded by Mike Holmes and Martin Orford in 1981 following the dissolution of their original band The Lens...
, Pendragon
Pendragon (band)
Pendragon are an English neo-progressive rock band established in 1978 in Stroud, Gloucestershire as Zeus Pendragon by guitarist and vocalist Nick Barrett. The Zeus was dropped before the band started recording as the members decided it was too long to look good on a t-shirt...
, Arena
Arena (band)
Arena are a British neo-progressive rock band founded in 1995 by Clive Nolan and Mick Pointer. Most of the band's lyrics are written by Nolan, though Pointer contributed lyrics to Sirens and other tracks on the first two albums....
and Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
.
Apart from making strong in-roads into Europe and America, Landmarq have reached further territories worldwide, as far afield as Russia, eastern Europe, the Far East, and Australia through various magazine/webzine articles, interviews, radio air-play and also compilation CDs from various afore-mentioned music magazines (see the Discography and Reviews pages on the bands website for full details).
Meanwhile, the bands first DVD was released in March 2006. Entitled 'Turbulence – Live In Poland', this features Landmarq filmed in concert at the Wyspianski Theatre, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, November 2005. The DVD was released by the Polish label Metal Mind Productions
Metal Mind Productions
Metal Mind Productions is a Polish record label founded in 1987. Currently it is one of the lead independent labels in Poland with over 1000 of licences and over 10 million of data mediums sold. The label focuses mainly on rock and heavy metal genres...
and has received some of the bands best reviews to date. The DVD also comprises a wealth of bonus material including audio and video archive tracks, an interview with the band, a huge photo gallery and much more.
Band members
- Tracy Hitchings: Vocals
- Uwe D'Rose: Guitar
- Steve Gee: Bass
- Dave WagstaffeDave Wagstaffe (drummer)Dave Wagstaffe is a London based drummer, and in addition to playing with Landmarq since 1990, also plays with Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash. He worked with Oliver Wakeman on a number of album projects since 2001 and is with his touring band...
: Drums - Mike Varty: Keyboards (since 2005)
Previous members
- Steve Leigh: Keyboards (1990-2002, original founder-member)
- Gonzalo CarreraGonzalo CarreraGonzalo Carrera is a Spanish keyboard player in several progressive rock bands. He played in Landmarq, but is currently in Karnataka, playing in Nick May's Whimwise live band and working on a new project with Peter Banks....
: Keyboards (2002-2005, toured with the band; no recordings) - Rob Lewis-Jones: Vocals (1990, sang on first Landmarq recording, track: 'Suite: St Helens')
- Ian 'Moon' Gould: Vocals (joined Landmarq for a year in 1994. Toured with the band; no recordings)
- Damian WilsonDamian WilsonDamian Wilson is a singer known in the progressive rock genre. He is lead singer with the band Headspace along with Adam Wakeman and is lead singer for Threshold....
: Vocals (1991-1993 & 1995, sang on first three albums)
Landmarq CDs
- Solitary Witness (1992)
- Infinity Parade (1993)
- The Vision Pit (1995)
- Science of Coincidence (1998)
- Thunderstruck (1999) – live I
- Aftershock (2002) – live II
- Turbulence - Live in Poland (2006)
- Entertaining Angels (tba)
Other CD products featuring Landmarq
1. SI 10th Anniversary Compilation Disc SI Music SIMPly 7 1991First-ever CD featuring Landmarq. This compilation from the bands first record label in Holland features the abridged version of 'Suite: St. Helens'.
2. SI (Germany) Compilation Disc Too SI Music SIMPly 22 1992
Features track not used for first album studio album 'Solitary Witness', entitled 'Borrowed Mind'. This track was later included on the Japanese release of 'Infinity Parade'.
3. SI Music Sampler 'Progressive & Melodic Rock Vol.1' SI Music SIMPly 24 1993
Features 'Terracotta Army'
4. SI Music Sampler 'Progressive & Melodic Rock' Vol.3 SI Music SIMPly 49 1994
Features 'Gaia's Waltz'
5. Master Volume Perfect Compilation Series Vol.5 Zero Corp. XRCN-1145 1994
Japanese compilation CD - features 'Embrace'
6. 'Classic Rock' (promo only) compilation CD SI Music SIMPly 10001 1994
Features 'Embrace'
7. Hard Rock Magazine ‘Ltd Edition’ compilation CD CNR Music 3007672 1996
Features 'Cutting Room' & 'Bed Of Nails'. French magazine sampler CD also includes Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Aragon and others. (Promotion only)
8. 'Mellotron 20' CD Sampler 20 1998
Compilation CD from 'Mellotron' magazine (Argentina) featuring 'The Overlook', taken from 'Science Of Coincidence'. (Other bands featured include The Flower Kings and Collage).
9. ‘Music From The Underground’ sysy CD-0398 1998
Compilation CD from German magazine ‘Eclipsed’ (Pink Floyd/Art Rock specialist). Features track ‘The Vision Pit’ from CD ‘Science Of Coincidence’.
10. ‘ProgAid - All Around The World’ F2-2005035 2005
Not a Landmarq track, as such, but a CD single released in aid of the victims of the 2004 Tsunami disaster. Featuring many Prog-based artists including Tracy, Steve and Dave from Landmarq plus other artists including Neal Morse, Ant Phillips, Oliver Wakeman, Pete Trewavas and others.
11. ‘The Hawke Chill-Out Sessions’ n/a 2006
CD compiled by radio presenter and DJ Terry Hawke with artists he has featured on his show on Harborough FM Radio. Includes the track ‘Heritage’ from the live CD ‘Aftershock’.
12. 'Mellotron 35 - Decimo Anniversario' CD Sampler 35 2006
10th anniversary compilation CD from 'Mellotron' magazine (Argentina) featuring 'Thunderstruck', taken from 'Turbulence - Live in Poland'. (Also included are Steve Hackett, Frost, Magenta and others).