The Watch (band)

The Watch is an Italian progressive rock band from Milan, led by vocalist, principal songwriter and teacher Simone Rossetti, originally formed in 1997. Their music is inspired by classic progressive rock style of the 1970s and in particular by the music of Genesis. Melody and energy are the main aspects of The Watch music and the live dimension is one of the greatest features of the band.

History The band was founded in 1997 with the name 'The Night Watch', lining up vocalist Simone Rossetti, guitarist Francesco Zago, bassist Antonio Mauri, keyboardist Giovanni Alessi and drummer Diego Donadio. The band released their debut album, Twilight, before the line-up collapsed in 2000 leaving only Rossetti to continue the band under the shortened name 'The Watch'.

Following the name change, Rossetti rebuilt the band with a new line-up that initially consisted of himself, guitarist Ettore Salati, bassist Marco Schembri, keyboardist Gabriele Manzini and drummer Roberto Leoni: they released their next two albums, 2001's Ghost and 2004's Vacuum. Manzini departed following Vacuum'''s release and was replaced by longtime band collaborator Sergio Taglioni (who had performed some keyboards on the band's two previous albums), who remained in the band for the fan released Live Bootleg in 2006, as for the band's fourth studio album as well, 2007's Primitive, and the band's first official live album in 2008.

It was at this point in 2008 that the band underwent its second major line-up change, as once again all of the members with the exception of Rossetti (Leoni, Salati, Schembri, and Taglioni) departed the band, with the new line-up consisting of Rossetti, drummer Marco Fabbri, guitarist Giorgio Gabriel, keyboardist Fabio Mancini and bassist Cristiano Roversi. Further line-up changes occurred in 2009 when Mancini and Roversi departed the band and were replaced by Valerio De Vittorio and Guglielmo Mariotti respectively. The band once again found stability, and over the following four years they would release the Planet Earth? (2010) and Timeless (2011) studio albums, and the Green Show 2011 – Official Live Bootleg (2012) live album.

In 2013 the band underwent a further line-up change when Mariotti left the band, and was replaced by Stefano Castrucci, who in turn was replaced the following year by Mattia Rossetti, the son of the band's frontman Simone Rossetti. This band's new line-up produced their most recent studio output, 2014's Tracks from the Alps and 2017's Seven and continues to exist to this day.

In 2022, Marco Fabbri left the band and was replaced by Francesco Vaccarezza and in 2023, Giorgio Gabriel left the band and was replaced by Andrea Giustiniani.

Personnel

Members

Current members Simone Rossetti – lead vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers (1997–present) Francesco Vaccarezza – drums, percussion (2022–present) Giacomo Gagliardini – lead guitars (2024–present) Valerio De Vittorio – keyboards, synthesisers (2009–present) Mattia Rossetti – bass, guitars (2014–present)

Former members Giovanni Alessi – keyboards, synthesisers (1997–2000) Diego Donadio – drums, percussion (1997–2000) Antonio Mauri – bass, guitars (1997–2000) Francesco Zago – lead guitars (1997–2000) Roberto Leoni – drums, percussion (2000–2008) Ettore Salati – lead guitars (2000–2008) Marco Schembri – bass, guitars (2000–2008) Gabriele Manzini – keyboards, synthesisers (2000–2004) Sergio Taglioni – keyboards, synthesisers (2004–2008) Fabio Mancini – keyboards, synthesisers (2008–2009) Cristiano Roversi – bass, guitars (2008–2009) Guglielmo Mariotti – bass, guitars (2009–2013) Stefano Castrucci – bass, guitars (2013–2014) Marco Fabbri – drums, percussion (2008–2022) Giorgio Gabriel – lead guitars (2008–2023) Andrea Giustiniani – lead guitars (2023–2026)

Lineups YearsLineupAlbums 1997–2000(The Night Watch)Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Giovanni Alessi – keyboards, synthesisers Diego Donadio – drums, percussion Antonio Mauri – bass, guitars Franceso Zago – lead guitarsTwilight (1997) 2000–2004Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Roberto Leoni – drums, percussion Gabriele Manzini – keyboards, synthesisers Ettore Salati – lead guitars Marco Schembri – bass, guitarsGhost (2001) Vacuum (2004) 2004–2008Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Roberto Leoni – drums, percussion Ettore Salati – lead guitars Marco Schembri – bass, guitars Sergio Taglioni – keyboards, synthesisersLive Bootleg (2006) Primitive (2007) Live (2008) 2008–2009Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Marco Fabbri – drums, percussion Giorgio Gabriel – lead guitars Fabio Mancini – keyboards, synthesisers Cristiano Roversi – bass, guitars 2009–2013Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Marco Fabbri – drums, percussion Giorgio Gabriel – lead guitars Valerio De Vittorio – keyboards, synthesisers Guglielmo Mariotti – bass, guitarsPlanet Earth? (2010) Timeless (2011) Green Show 2011 – Official Live Bootleg (2012) 2013–2014Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Marco Fabbri – drums, percussion Giorgio Gabriel – lead guitars Valerio De Vittorio – keyboards, synthesisers Stefano Castrucci – bass, guitars 2014–2022Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Marco Fabbri – drums, percussion Giorgio Gabriel – lead guitars Valerio De Vittorio – keyboards, synthesisers Mattia Rossetti – bass, guitarsTracks from the Alps (2014) Seven (2017) 2022–2023Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Francesco Vaccarezza – drums, percussion Giorgio Gabriel – lead guitars Valerio De Vittorio – keyboards, synthesisers Mattia Rossetti – bass, guitars2023–2026Simone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Francesco Vaccarezza – drums, percussion Andrea Giustiniani – lead guitars Valerio De Vittorio – keyboards, synthesisers Mattia Rossetti – bass, guitars2026 - PresentSimone Rossetti – vocals, flute, keyboards, synthesisers Francesco Vaccarezza – drums, percussion Giacomo Gagliardini – lead guitars Valerio De Vittorio – keyboards, synthesisers Mattia Rossetti – bass, guitars

Timeline

Discography

StudioTwilight (as The Night Watch) (1997)Ghost (2001)Vacuum (2004)Primitive (2007)Planet Earth? (2010)Timeless (2011)Tracks from the Alps (2014)Seven (2017)The Art Of Bleeding (2021)

LiveLive Bootleg (2006)Live (2009)Green Show 2011 – Official Live Bootleg'' (2011)

References

External links Official website Facebook MySpace