Biography
Circus of Horrors originated as an extravagant, over-the-top spectacle that fused circus traditions with horror themes and rock energy while touring beneath a big top. Dr. Haze and Gerry Cottle founded the production, which first appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in 1995. Frustrated by the limitations of conventional rock stages and intimate clubs, Haze approached Cottle with the concept of scaling his band’s existing performances into a grand big-top format, and Cottle agreed the venture held strong commercial promise. The Glastonbury presentation, titled 2020AH—After the Holocaust and framed as a vision of the future, prompted an extended tour that included a 1996 engagement in Munich. The following year the company traveled to South America, continuing until 1999, when the production paused so the format could be reimagined for indoor theaters. An 18th-century freak-show theme shaped the revised extravaganza, which premiered in 2000 and yielded the 2001 soundtrack album Welcome to the Freak Show. A Japanese tour took place soon after. Additional performances filled the subsequent seasons while a new CD and DVD were prepared. The show also reached wider audiences through appearances on Ant & Dec’s programs, Graham Norton’s talk show, Jerry Springer, and Davina McCall’s Don’t Try This at Home.