Inkubus Sukkubus

Inkubus Sukkubus
Inkubus Sukkubus in 2011: Bob Gardener, Candia, Tony McKormack
Background information
Origin	Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
Genres	Gothic Rock Pagan rock[1]
Years active	1989 - present
Labels	Resurrection Records Alice In...
Associated acts	Vampire Division Anchoress Screaming Dead
Website	www.inkubussukkubus.com
Members
Candia Ridley Tony McKormack Bob Gardener
Past members
Adam Henderson Howard Worf Jamie Garner Matt Rogers Jason Sutton DJ Loki

Inkubus Sukkubus are a British goth and pagan band formed in 1989 by Candia Ridley, Tony McKormack, and Adam Henderson.

History

Inkubus Sukkubus are a British goth and pagan band who have been releasing albums and touring since their formation as Incubus Succubus in 1989.

Incubus Succubus

Before forming Incubus Succubus, Tony McKormack (guitar) was in the horror punk band Screaming Dead from 1980 to 1985. McKormack, Candia Ridley (vocals) and Adam Henderson (bass) then formed a band called Belas Knapp, which they shortly changed to Incubus Succubus. From the outset the band had a very strong neo-pagan orientation. The first single, "Beltaine", and a matching EP, were recorded in 1989, as was the original version of the first album, "Belladonna And Aconite".^[2] The line-up listed on the sleeve of the 7" Beltaine single is: Candia - Vocals, Tony McKormack - Guitars/Vocals, Adam Henderson - Bass, Jamie Gardner - Keyboards, Bob Gardener - Drums. However when the first pressing of the EP came back warped, several members left the band.^[3]

Children Of The Moon

Tony and Candia continued alone as a studio project, Children Of The Moon, until 1993. The material recorded during this time (including early versions of tracks that would become Inkubus Sukkubus classics) was eventually released as the album "Beltaine".

In late 1993 Inkubus Sukkubus re-formed with Bob Gardner on drums and Graeme Fletcher on Bass guitar, signed to Pagan Media,^[4] released the full-length version of "Belladona and Aconite", and in 1994 recorded and released "Wytches". Wytches subsequently became known as "the legendary second album", as it both contains what many fans regard as some of the band's finest work, and (due to issues with Pagan Media), rapidly became almost impossible to obtain. Even rarer is a flexi-disc that was given away free on the cover of Aisling, a Druid magazine edited (and largely written) by Steve Wilson, for issue 8, which was to be the last edition. Only 200 were pressed, and soon flexi-discs were to disappear as magazine give-aways, replaced by cover CDs.

Inkubus Sukkubus

In 1995 they changed their name to Inkubus Sukkubus, citing numerological reasons,^[5] and changed their line-up significantly, adopting the use of a drum machine with some additional support by a bodhran instead of a dedicated human drummer, with Adam Henderson moving back to bass.

The group surfaced into the mainstream several times (with the song Beltaine receiving Radio 1 airtime and with several TV appearances under their belt, mainly in the mid-nineties). This is despite their lyrical themes and beliefs: Inkubus Sukkubus are a neopagan band, known for songs about demons, vampires, faeries and other occult and supernatural themes. Their songs are largely inspired by their interest in and practice of witchcraft and paganism, which has gained them a certain notoriety and underground status as being the "voice of modern-day paganism".^{[citation needed]}

They were due to play a gig in Mexico City on Beltane (May 1) 2009. When it was cancelled due to the outbreak of Swine Flu, the band received national media exposure, particularly through The Sun newspaper.

In 2010 their song Vampyre Erotica was featured in the soundtrack to the British cult comedy vampire film The Vampires of Bloody Island. The film also features five other songs by Tony McKormack's earlier band Vampire Division, including the film's title track "Place of the Dead".

Membership

The group currently consists of guitarist Tony McKormack, vocalist Candia, and bassist Bob Gardener who originally played drums in the band and returned in early 2010 to replace Adam Henderson. The band employs a drum machine to fill their percussion section.

• Candia: Vocals, Lyrics (Contralto)
• Tony McKormack: Guitar, Production, Songwriting, some Vocals (Ex-Screaming Dead, Also in Vampire Division)
• Bob Gardener: Bass

Discography

• 1989: Beltaine - Single
• 1993: Belladonna & Aconite
• 1994: Wytches
• 1995: Heartbeat of the Earth
• 1996: Beltaine
• 1997: Vampyre Erotica
• 1998: Away with the Faeries
• 1999: Wild
• 2001: Supernature
• 2003: The Beast with Two Backs
• 2004: Wytches and Vampyres: The Best Of (a "Greatest Hits" compilation released by US record label Cleopatra Records)
• 2005: Witch Queen (EP)
• 2007: Science & Nature
• 2008: Viva la Muerte
• 2010: The Dark Goddess
• 2011: The Goat

Movie Soundtracks

• 2010: The Vampires of Bloody Island

Notes and references

1. ^ "Inkubus Sukkubus Biography". http://www.inkubussukkubus.com/biography.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-11. 
2. ^ The CD version of this album which is now available is actually a combination of the Beltaine EP (Beltaine, Midnight Queen, Trinity), and the original album (all other tracks)
3. ^ [1] Inkubus Sukkubus early history from www.inkubus-sukkubus.co.uk, accessed July 16th 2007
4. ^ Pagan Media, a small record label based in Runcorn, England, UK. Notable primarily for releasing the original version of "Wytches" (which subsequently became rare due to a lack of distribution), they also signed UK band "Legend". Pagan Media went out of business some time about 2000, after which Resurrection Records of London re-released "Wytches", and the band released a heavily remixed version of the album's title track with added sound effects and a heavily modified end chant, as "Wytches 2002", on MP3 on the Internet to celebrate the album's revived availability.
5. ^ Biography. Inkubussukkubus.com. URL accessed June 6, 2006.

External links

• Inkubus Sukkubus home page
• The band's back catalogue is available from Pagan Fire Muzick
• Inkubus Sukkubus forum
• Major unofficial Inkubus Sukkubus fan site
• Inkubus Sukkubus playlist at SoundClick