The year is 1985, July, through mutual friends Jones seeks out Lloyd and Scholefield who discover upon meeting that they are into the same scene.
At this point the band had no name and was the coming together of two bands “Genetics of Destiny” and “The Om band”.
The band consisting of these three people endeavoured to work on material already recorded as ideas. After some months the line up crew with the addition of drummer Dave hill and Guitarist Alan Jones.
In this line up with impoverished equipment the band cleaned out Ade’s cellar at Brook Street, Kidderminster. Which became the H.Q. for the band and slowly evolved into The “Squalor Studio” named so because of its squalid nature. The cellar was perfect for noise making.
This line up recorded the bands first demo, now mostly forgotten which contained four songs. It was never released because the line up fell apart. Dave Hill the drummer left claiming the music was too weird for him, Alan Jones left to pursue other things.
So by early 1986 the band still nameless was reduced to a three piece again. It was around this time that the band came up with the name “Omnia Opera” which was discovered in “The Qubalah” an old book of occult majik. The name appealed to the band and so stuck. The band crawled along without a drummer for a while. Desperate to keep the momentum going,
Rob Lloyd sat in on the drum stool until it could be sorted out. Splitting himself between guitar and drums was not ideal. Undaunted the band worked towards it’s first gig which took place at the “Boars head” pub in Kidderminster on June 14 1986 . For this one gig “Julie Roberts” a friend of the band was drafted in by Ade to help play his ever expanding set of synths. Normally a quiet girl Julie went berserk generating masses of white noise on the night making things all very entertaining.
The next few weeks brought on some major recruiting to the ranks of “Omnia opera” Ade and Robs boss at the timber yard, offered to manage the band and set up a big charity gig at the Kidderminster town hall with loads of other bands with Omnia Opera headlining.
This is when Lisa Moriaty and Natalie Jones joined up, all bands had to attend a photo session in the local park. We had seen these two totally psychedelic girls wondering around the town. With awesome make up and appearance they really stood out and were asked to pose along with the band at the photo shoot. When it went to print we informed them that they were part of the band now. They accepted and started rehearsing there dance routines and singing.
The girls became the “Drone Clones”. For this one gig we roped in a member of the local Biker fraternity. “Sheriff” who learnt to play enough tunes to complete the gig.
The band had also graciously been joined by Phyl Huntsman with his TMA lightshow. Providing a myriad of organic patterns and slides projected as the band performed to this day one of the best light shows we have ever seen.
After this gig Omnia were in desperate need of a permanent drummer this they found in the irrepressible” Mike Tounge”, “Toungy” as he was known was heavily influenced by “Keith Moon” and Punk. His style of play was wonderful and full of energy and intensely fast at times almost beyond belief. A kind of multi talented drum maniac he brought to Omnia Opera it’s first real solid sound and line up.
He brought the whole thing together. From then on the gigs were bursting with energy due to Toungy’s influence. He would often end up stripping off behind his kit and playing naked. It was at this time that Omnia recorded its first ever Demo cassette album “Beyond the tenth.”
This self produced tape album, one hour worth of Omnia Opera up to this point. became a best seller at gigs and by mail order and although recorded using a couple of tape decks, a £20 mixing console and a lot of tenacity and a non existent budget. It was worth all the effort because this put the bands music into peoples homes and out of there speakers.
The tapes were sold dirt cheap to spread the music around. By now the band had created a name for it’s self on the underground scene in and around Birmingham. Especially thanks to Promoter Daz Russel who proved provided many bands with the opportunity to expose their music.
In fact the underground scene owes a lot to Daz Russel who ran gigs at the “Mermaid” in Sparkbrook. It was a real dive of a venue but very charming in its own squalid way. A great place to play with great audiences who lapped up all the bands performing.
Daz Russel offered the band a fortnightly residency at the Venue to be called “Screen dream” which worked well for a while but became a bit of an over kill so it was knocked on the head. In these early years we played a couple of festivals including Wick, Aldermaston, and some affair in a wood near Milton Keynes in the middle of the night.
Toungy cut his hair with a pair of nail scissors and enhanced his escaped lunatic persona. Someone else who was probably more important to the bands success than any other person was Kev Griffin or Kev Bond as he was affectionately known. He owned a huge van and took the band everywhere.
In November 1986 the band were on the Dole and were forced into a government scheme. For a brief period the band performed under the name “The Eternal Mung Bean band” so as not to fall fowl of the scheme’s conditions and loose our meagre dole cheques. The band soon fucked this off as ridiculous.
Moggy Morris a friend and photographer captured the style and look of the band at this time. Pictures taken around Kidderminster’s local church yard and canals. The Tapes continued to sell, the band played gigs up and down the country and a few festivals.
Phly had given up doing the lights around this time which was a shame but the mantle was taken on by our beloved” Smi Sme” and Poet “Mik Danby “ who between them proved the same kind of excellent light show people had come to expect with an Omnia Opera gig. This had become an integral part of the band now the band felt naked on stage with out it.
In 1987 Omnia set about recording the second Album cassette “Celebrate for Change” having much the same effect as the first tape release. Generating more interest in the band and seeing the bands sound develop.
Around this time donating many songs to various tape compilations for various causes, hunt saboteurs, animal liberation front, and most rewarding “The Organ” compilation tapes. They’re still out there somewhere floating about.
The Organ was a fanzine that was run by truly inspired and hard working people who’s policy was to tell the world about bands they liked, no slagging off allowed. . Just creative thinking, releasing the Radio organ tapes with a multitude of excellent unsigned bands show cased.
THE EVER EVOLVING ORGANART COLLECTIVE is something that evolved out of the UK Underground fanzine/free festival/punk/metal/hardcore/pronk/alt.rock counter culture of the late 80's - and more particularly out of ORGAN ZINE
ORGAN started life as a messy handmade fanzine back in 1986 here in London (and it's still going strong today, not so messy now). Along the way ORGAN evolved first in to a cassette label with bands like Cardiacs, Ring, Bolt Thrower, Sabbat, Atom Seed, Wolfsbane, Webcore, Ozric Tentacles, Civilised Society? and then in 1994 full on CD producing/vinyl pressing record label called ORG.
Sometime around now Toungy left the band leaving the drum stool vacant for a few months until Omnia found Steve Smith who provided a very solid backbone. This line up went on to play some scorching gigs around the country. Steve played on the infamous ‘Abe’ Nelson Video.
This guy in Manchester offered a service to promote bands through Video’s which he recorded for £150. Promising to send it off to Venues, Universities, and Promoters etc.
Omnia went up to Manchester, set up all the gear which pissed them off because they were a sort of production line set up and Omnia threw a spanner in the works taking forever, anyway the Video was recorded and remains to this day rather embarrassing. The whole operation was later exposed on TV programme “That’s Life” as a scam. We are to this day mortally embarrassed
Omnia got burned and learnt the hard way still it was all fun. Steve eventually left the band as the music wasn’t really his cup of tea. At this time the bands crew had expanded to musicians, lighting crew, drivers, and stall runners. Having to hold meetings up stairs in a local pub to let everyone know what was going on.
After Steve left it seemed that Omnia were destined to have problems finding a permanent drummer. Posters were put up asking for drummers, out of this along came Neil Spragg. With Neil the band finally found the missing piece of the jigsaw as Neil was a well accomplished skins beater who also understood and indeed was on the same wavelength as the rest of us.
Neil knew what the band needed and promptly sorted it out, Omnia Opera were whole at last. It was the summer of 1988 Omnia banged around with this line up released a “Live tape” that was sourced from various P.A. desk tapes recorded at gigs.
Also recording a track called “Radar Ghosts” for a compilation album called “Music of the Spheres” which was a rather odd affair. The planned third Tape release to be called “Puppets on Actifed” was never realised. The Band split up before it could be recorded in 1989. Due to lack of progress and differing opinions, disputes which are all part of the rich tapestry of any band.
Everyone went off and involved themselves in new bands, Andy Jones formed “Ambelian” a goth rock out fit, Neil pursued his D.J. career as “Sir real” and played drums with “Blim” and “Pod”. Rob and Ade recorded an album under the name of “Omniasphere” all bands released various demo tapes.
Rob also recorded a solo project called “Q” which was completed but never released upon the world.
Around 1992 after being badgered by Richard Allen of “Delerium Records” who persuaded the band to reform and record its first album for a record company using decent equipment. Richard Allen’s interest in the band was brought about by hearing one of the early tape releases.
From that point on Omnia Opera recorded two albums for Delerium Records, many tanks to Richard Allen for having faith in the band in the first place. The albums were the self Titled Omnia Opera and Red Shift.
The band went onto perform several gigs in between albums picked up a new lightshow “Isis lights”. Also “Captain Bagley” who dressed up a lot and ran about the stage doing very odd things. With his Omnia Live freak show, played the Marquee in London.
It took almost a year to record and finalize “Red shift” which took its toll on band morale. Unhappy with the situation Neil agreed to finish the recording but would leave after it was finished. The band dissolved and “Red Shift” sat on the shelf until 1997 before being released.
After this Rob and Andy carried on playing as a new band calling it “Omnia” recording another cassette album, “Seeking the elusive” Captain Bagley and Steve smith joining in on Synths and drums respectively. This band came to and end after banging its head against several brick walls.
The “clone drones” Nat and Lisa have both become mothers. There are always breaks in the history of this band and there are already plans a foot to record some more heavy, heavy plasma rock. There were other people that came and went along the way, Foz and Matt Collins deserving a mention helping out on lights and stuff.So ‘Omnia Opera’ as such ceased activities in 1994 leaving a gaping void where once there had been a plasma rock field.
Now in 2006 over a decade later Omnia Opera have reformed themselves, the time was right. The heart of the old band remaining intact thus basically producing the same vibe minus Ade Scholefield on synths who pursues other ventures. Recruiting new synth player ‘Alf Hardy’, who has played synth for many a sonic outfit. (Tubilah Dog, Agents of Chaos)
Also the inclusion of two new female singers ‘Caitlin Beta’ and ‘Plumaris’ who will be carrying on in the tradition of the clone drones. Both new to the band and an excellent accompaniment to the outfit.
A new position of Second guitar for this line up has been deemed necessary to bring the full scope of the Omnia Opera sound into the light of day. So Mr Steve Price (The Om band, THC) joins the ranks on Rhythm guitar. Thus finalising and proving the finishing touches to anew and improved Omnia Opera for the 21st century Man!! Let the plasma flow…..onwards and Upwards.
