Eyeless In Gaza

Eyeless in Gaza, an experimental British duo working in alternative pop/rock, post-punk, and art rock, has sustained a devoted cult audience since the early 1980s. Their recordings typically deliver moody, quirky, and atmospheric textures, shaped by sources that stretch from Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, and Pere Ubu through Roxy Music and David Bowie—especially the Low/Heroes/Lodger phase of the late 1970s—to the foundational Kraftwerk. Electronics entered their process at the outset, signaling clear regard for Eno’s ambient achievements.

The pair originated in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England in 1980 when vocalist Martyn Bates aligned with multi-instrumentalist Peter Becker; they adopted the name from Aldous Huxley’s 1936 novel, which Bates happened to be reading at their first encounter. Bates has performed on keyboards, organ, guitar, and drums, among additional instruments, while Becker supplies electric and acoustic guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and melodica, in addition to sharing vocal duties. Their earliest release was the 1980 EP Kodak Ghosts Run Amok, followed by the 1981 Invisibility EP and the full-length albums Photographs as Memories and Caught in Flux, both issued in 1981.

Frequent activity marked the 1980s, yielding Pale Hands I Loved So Well and Drumming the Beating Heart in 1982, Rust Red September in 1983, and Back from the Rains in 1986. The duo entered hiatus in 1987 after Bates chose to focus on solo work. They collaborated briefly in 1990 on poet Anne Clark’s album The Law Is an Anagram of Wealth. Many followers wondered whether Bates and Becker would ever record again under the Eyeless in Gaza name until the official reunion in 1993 after a seven-year break; recording resumed with Fabulous Library, which began as a Becker solo project before Bates joined and completed it as a full Eyeless in Gaza release. By then, alternative rock and alternative pop/rock had moved from niche status in the 1980s to rock’s dominant commercial direction through the success of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and comparable acts.

Following Fabulous Library, the duo added Saw You in Reminding Pictures in 1994, Bitter Apples in 1995, and All Under the Leaves, the Leaves of Life in 1996. Further releases appeared throughout the 2000s, among them Song of the Beautiful Wanton in 2000, Home Produce: Country Bizarre in 2003, and Summer Salt/Subway Sun in 2007/2008. Activity remained steady in the 2010s, with nearly annual output, much of it issued on the duo’s Ambivalent Scale label.