Biography
1919 emerged in Britain as a post-punk outfit in 1980, becoming one of the earliest acts to shape goth rock through propulsive rhythms driven by heavy tribal drumming, thick bass grooves, abrasive guitar textures, and raw shouted vocals that conveyed deep disconnection. After a short initial run that yielded several singles and EPs plus the 1983 mini-album Machine on Red Rhino, the members moved on to separate endeavors, yet their catalog steadily drew followers as later generations rediscovered early post-punk. The band regrouped in 2014 and issued the full-length Bloodline in 2017.
Mark Tighe on guitar and Ian Tilleard on vocals launched a new-wave project called Heaven Seventeen from their Bradford base in 1979; bassist Nick Hiles and drummer Mick Reed completed the lineup that adopted the 1919 name by late 1980. Their first release, the white-label promo single “Repulsion,” reached John Peel after a copy bearing the note “take it or leave it” arrived at the broadcaster, prompting an invitation to record a Peel session. Red Rhino subsequently reissued “Repulsion,” its follow-up “Caged,” and Machine. Steve Madden took over bass duties, enabling a second Peel session in May 1983 and appearances on the 1983 EP Cry Wolf and the 1984 EP Earth Song, both issued by Abstract Records. At that stage 1919 divided into two separate projects: Reed formed 1919 A.D., later renamed the Hive, while Tighe, Tilleard, and Madden created Another Cinema; each ensemble produced two recordings before dissolving by 1986.
Although the original group stayed largely overlooked, its tracks surfaced on occasional goth-rock anthologies, and Anagram Records compiled the entire output as The Complete Collection on CD in 2001. Rising attention prompted Tighe to assemble a fresh configuration alongside bassist and vocalist Rio Goldhammer. Live performances began in May 2015, with Reed returning on drums several months afterward; Karl Donner then assumed bass while Goldhammer handled vocals. The resulting 2015: “The Madness Continues” Sessions gathered older material alongside four new songs that also appeared as the Death Note EP. After signing with Westworld Recordings the band scheduled a European tour, yet most dates were canceled once Tighe received a cancer diagnosis. He died on 28 January 2017, but the musicians pressed ahead in keeping with his wishes.
Following the release of Bloodline, guitarist Sam Evans joined and touring resumed. The cassette EP DNA, containing the final recordings made with Tighe, appeared near the close of 2017. The politically charged full-length Futurecide surfaced on Cleopatra in 2019.
Mark Tighe on guitar and Ian Tilleard on vocals launched a new-wave project called Heaven Seventeen from their Bradford base in 1979; bassist Nick Hiles and drummer Mick Reed completed the lineup that adopted the 1919 name by late 1980. Their first release, the white-label promo single “Repulsion,” reached John Peel after a copy bearing the note “take it or leave it” arrived at the broadcaster, prompting an invitation to record a Peel session. Red Rhino subsequently reissued “Repulsion,” its follow-up “Caged,” and Machine. Steve Madden took over bass duties, enabling a second Peel session in May 1983 and appearances on the 1983 EP Cry Wolf and the 1984 EP Earth Song, both issued by Abstract Records. At that stage 1919 divided into two separate projects: Reed formed 1919 A.D., later renamed the Hive, while Tighe, Tilleard, and Madden created Another Cinema; each ensemble produced two recordings before dissolving by 1986.
Although the original group stayed largely overlooked, its tracks surfaced on occasional goth-rock anthologies, and Anagram Records compiled the entire output as The Complete Collection on CD in 2001. Rising attention prompted Tighe to assemble a fresh configuration alongside bassist and vocalist Rio Goldhammer. Live performances began in May 2015, with Reed returning on drums several months afterward; Karl Donner then assumed bass while Goldhammer handled vocals. The resulting 2015: “The Madness Continues” Sessions gathered older material alongside four new songs that also appeared as the Death Note EP. After signing with Westworld Recordings the band scheduled a European tour, yet most dates were canceled once Tighe received a cancer diagnosis. He died on 28 January 2017, but the musicians pressed ahead in keeping with his wishes.
Following the release of Bloodline, guitarist Sam Evans joined and touring resumed. The cassette EP DNA, containing the final recordings made with Tighe, appeared near the close of 2017. The politically charged full-length Futurecide surfaced on Cleopatra in 2019.
Albums
