Bark Psychosis were an English post-rock band from London which was formed in 1986. They were led by Graham Sutton who was the sole constant member of the project. They were one of the bands that the British music journalist Simon Reynolds cited when coining "post-rock" as a musical style in 1994, and are thus considered one of the key bands defining the genre.
In its original form, the group was a quartet of Graham Sutton, Daniel Gish, John Ling and Mark Simnett. This line-up (with contributions from other passing members) recorded early singles and EPs plus the seminal 1994 album Hex, before gradually dissolving over the course of 1994, with Sutton moving on to his drum and bass project Boymerang and to production work. Sutton reformed Bark Psychosis in 2004 without any of the other previous members, as a flexible project in which he was supported by a shifting roster of guest musicians (including Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris and experimental guitarist Colin Bradley of Dual).
Due to Sutton's renewed focus on production work, Bark Psychosis have been inactive since 2005, with no announcements of a final breakup or future plans. While active, the band did not find much success critically or commercially, remaining in obscurity for decades, with only a handful of verified live recordings in existence. However, Bark Psychosis have since cultivated a devout cult following, as well as retrospective critical acclaim.
Sound and influences
Bark Psychosis' sound has covered various musical styles including minimalism, introverted indie rock, psychedelia, post-punk, cool jazz, outright mechanical/industrial noise, and electronic dance music. However, the band's music is best characterized by a sense of acoustic space, moody atmospherics, murmured vocals, abstract but emotional lyrics, and a particularly sensitive and acclaimed mixture of electronic and acoustic instrumentation. Bark Psychosis is also noted for an extreme dynamic range, varying from quietly-whispered-and-played songs such as "I Know" or "Absent Friend" to thunderous metallic riffing ("Murder City") or deafening sheets of electric noise (the first half of the track "Hex").
Bark Psychosis' music is also notably melodic and expressive, and arguably owes something to the English pastoral rock tradition. The band is frequently embraced by progressive rock fans due to their experimental outlook, and their use of both atmospherics and extended instrumentation. Sutton himself seems uncomfortable with the association, commenting, "Sometimes people compare us to Pink Floyd, and they are just a muso thing. I'm more interested in feeling, really..."
The band started life as a teenage Napalm Death cover project, reflecting the members' early interest in extreme noise. Other early influences included Sonic Youth, Talk Talk, Wire, Butthole Surfers, Big Black, Swans and Joy Division. Graham Sutton has claimed a long-term interest in dub, jazz and classical music, as well as an appreciation for the work of Nick Drake.
Bark Psychosis' musical development has also been characterized by restlessness, which has contributed to the band's historical lack of stability while at the same time stimulating its creativity. In another 1994 interview, Sutton stated, "The whole thing about being in this band is never repeating yourself. I've always tried to surprise myself and other people as well, fucking around with people's preconceptions about what you're about and stuff. I really get a real huge fucking kick about giving people the wrong impression. Or twisting things around. Like, it might sound initially sweet, but it ain't. Or vice versa."
History
Formation and early years (1986–1988)
Bark Psychosis was formed in Snaresbrook, London in 1986, emerging from the 1980s East London experimental music scene that also produced AR Kane and Disco Inferno. The original two members were schoolfriends Graham Sutton (guitar, vocals) and John Ling (bass, vocals). Both were aged 14 at the time that they started the band, carrying out their initial experiments using a four-track tape recorder and a drum machine. In January 1988 Ling and Sutton (both aged 16) left school to pursue music full-time. They recruited drummer Mark Simnett, who had previously done community work centered on St John's Church in Stratford, London."I Put a Spell On You: The Story of Bark Psychosis & Hex" - article by Wyndham Wallace in The Quietus, 14 August 2014
Using Simnett's connection with the church, Bark Psychosis arranged rehearsal space for themselves in the crypt of St John's, a location that would continue to play an important role in Bark Psychosis' music. The trio spent the rest of 1988 rehearsing and composing original material, during which time both Sutton and Ling began to dabble in keyboard playing and digital sampling. A few low-key gigs followed late in the year. One of these concerts was attended by Nick Allport and Vinita Joshi of the small East London independent label Cheree Records. Impressed by the band, Cheree immediately offered to release the band's first recordings. During this period, Bark Psychosis briefly featured a second guitarist, Rashied Garrison. Garrison had previously played in The Moons, a band who had supported Bark Psychosis at early shows. However, his tenure with Bark Psychosis was fairly short and he would later become "a feared journalist", the guitarist in Good Time Pony and leader of The Repton Oaks.
Cheree singles and early live gigs (1988–1990)
Bark Psychosis' debut appearance on record was the 1988 Clawhammer flexi-disc (a split release on Cheree, shared with Fury Things and Spacemen 3). By this time, the band were back to their original trio lineup. Six years later (on the eve of the release of the Hex album), Sutton was vituperative in disowning the track.
The official Bark Psychosis debut was 1990's 12-inch single "All Different Things/By Blow", for which the band was augmented by an extra singer, Sue Page, who lived in the same Claremont Road, Leyton squat as Ling and Sutton. In 1994, Sutton recalled:
"At this stage we were so naive we didn't know how things worked, how the whole music business worked. We did two nights of working, from 12 to 8, and gave it to (Cheree)... That's the first time we went in the studio properly, really. Basically, I had my hands on the faders and when it kicked in, I just fucking went to the faders, I didn't know anything about it then. When we were mixing "By Blow" we ended up distorting the DAT and we didn't even fucking notice because it was just monitoring so loud in the control room. It's nice, naive and all the rest of it but it's pretty crap at the same time."
The band's formal live debut (outside of school performances) was at The Sir George Robey in Finsbury Park, London, supporting Extreme Noise Terror. Tours with The Telescopes, Cranes and Spiritualized quickly followed.
Later in 1990, Bark Psychosis released a 12-inch EP called "Nothing Feels" (backed with "I Know"). Sutton later recalled, "The second single was what(ever) two tracks we had knocking around at the time. At the same time, live-wise at this stage, it was completely different. It was very, very loud and extreme both ways."
By this time, Bark Psychosis were establishing a reputation as one of the most unpredictable, innovative live bands in Britain with a great degree of spontaneity and excitement at their gigs. On record, however, they were developing into a more atmospheric and melodic act, while avoiding many of the standard rock "cliches" such as extended solos and self-mythologizing lyrics: beyond their melody lines and rhythms, the band remained abstract and textural. Regarding his musical evolution at the time, Sutton later commented, "For some reason I just flipped one day and I realized silence could have a much greater impact than loud noise... Space and silence are the most important tools you can use in music. I just got really obsessed with that."
A year in the wilderness; signing to 3rd Stone Ltd. (1990–1991)
Having signed a formal recording contract with Cheree, Bark Psychosis immediately found themselves dismayed by management changes at the label. Cheree's two new commercial backers were later described by Sutton as "a couple of cons, really, that had screwed so many people," with links to various dubious businesses including pornography. During this time, the band met with a man claiming to be Lee Harris, former drummer with their old influences Talk Talk, who talked them into hiring him as producer and who set about arranging recording time in central London. Before much longer, "Harris" was revealed to be a session drummer named John Ward who'd been attempting to reinvent himself as a producer, and recording plans fell apart.
Ward's temporary influence on Bark Psychosis, combined with their misgivings about the new Cheree partners, had damaged the band's confidence in their record company: they reneged on their contract and spent a year extricating themselves from the situation, during which time Sue Page left the band. Much-needed managerial and financial support during this period was provided by the band's friend Rudi Tambala of AR Kane. Sutton has commented: "That year was murder. When we were trying to get away from Cheree it was fucking hell. I had a lot of problems after that year. I was squatting and stuff and did a lot of things I shouldn't have done. It's caused a lot of problems." Sutton would also later admit to having had a nervous breakdown.
Eventually, the band's contract with Cheree was bought out by 3rd Stone Ltd., the Corby-based alternative record label which had headhunted the band on the reputation of their initial singles.
Manman EP; The Scum single (1992)
Bark Psychosis' debut release for 3rd Stone — 1992's Manman EP — demonstrated clear influences from techno and musique concrète. The band's potential had dramatically expanded with the addition of keyboard/synthesizer player Daniel Gish (formerly of Disco Inferno). By now, Sutton and Ling's interest in digital sampling and programming had become much more overt. From that point onward, sampling became a major feature of the Bark Psychosis sound, combining with the effect of Gish's own influences (which included Kraftwerk, New Order, The The and Dead Can Dance). Sutton was later to comment, "To an extent, every record we make is a reaction to the one that came before it."
Later in 1992, Bark Psychosis released a hugely acclaimed landmark single called Scum. This was an ominous, 21-minute ambient piece improvised and recorded live in the band's "home" of St John's Church. Recalling the events several years later, Sutton admitted "we had a single to do but we didn't have any tracks that were suitable for a single. We wanted to do something completely new and put ourselves under a certain amount of risk. So basically we hired a load of gear and set up sort of a makeshift string and sticky-tape kind of studio under the church where we rehearsed for ages, and in the church as well... We didn't have a track when we started, so we just set ourselves ten days to do a 12-inch and that's what came out... It's probably the most spontaneous record we've put out."