Lucky Bishops

Hailing from Dorset, England, the Lucky Bishops craft ambitious rock that echoes the visionary approach of 1970s figures such as Todd Rundgren. Their retro-infused style blends English psychedelia, driving rock, power pop, and prog into a mellow yet mind-bending whole.

Alan Strawbridge, who handles bass, piano, and guitar, joined forces with drummer Luke Adams, multi-instrumentalist Tom Hughes, and guitarist Rich Murphy to establish the group in the late 90s. Issued in 1999 through Rubric in the United States and Woronzow in the United Kingdom, their self-titled debut drew on Beatles melodies and Beach Boys harmonies, prompting comparisons to fellow psychedelic revivalists XTC.

The band subsequently retreated to a modest thatched cottage in Dorset—said to have been the site of ongoing herbal reverie—to lay down Grimstone, a title drawn from the rural village that shaped its bucolic psych-pop. Spring storms ultimately destroyed the cottage, compelling the Lucky Bishops to relocate to Dorchester. Nevertheless, the album appeared in 2002, further developing the group’s expansive 70s prog aesthetic.