Fiat Lux

Fiat Lux was an english synthpop band formed in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, in 1982, by Steve Wright (vocals) and Dave Crickmore (guitars, bass, keyboards). Ian Nelson (sax, keyboards), younger brother of Be Bop Deluxe guitarist and lead vocalist Bill Nelson, joined shortly afterwards, complementing the classic line-up of the band, who remained until the mid 1980s, when Crickmore departed.

History

Wright and Crickmore attended Bretton Hall College, Wakefield, where they studied drama, meeting after the first joined the latter's New Wave band, Juveniles (whose two songs were released in a various artists compilation called Household Shocks). After graduating, Wright joined a theatre company called the Yorkshire Actors where he met musician Bill Nelson, the former guitarist of Be Bop Deluxe. Wright gave Nelson a demo tape he and Crickmore had recorded. Impressed with their music, Nelson produced and arranged one of the demo's tracks, "Feels Like Winter Again," and released it on his label Cocteau Records. In April 1982, Bill Nelson's brother Ian Nelson was added to Fiat Lux's lineup. They named themselves Fiat Lux, which is the Latin translation for the Biblical quotation "Let There Be Light." "Feels Like Winter Again" was the first of Fiat Lux's radio successes. In 1984, the haunting ballad "Secrets" drew comparisons to Depeche Mode's moody synth-pop; it became Fiat Lux's most well-known song. Fiat Lux's utilization of cello in "Secrets" broadened synth-pop's stylistic range. However, Fiat Lux never released a full-length album. The group's output was limited to several singles for Polydor.

However, Crickmore departed^[1][2][3], and the band continued recording some songs, before disbanding in 1985.

Wright joined Camera Obscura, replacing Nigel James,^[4] and formed Hoi Poloi, another short-lived pop group. Crickmore dedicated to more experimental projects, and currently is member of Durbervilles. Ian Nelson continued to work with his brother Bill, joining the line-up of a frustrately reformed Be Bop Deluxe, in the early 1990s; he died in his sleep circa 23 April 2006.

Discography

• Feels Like Winter Again (November, 1982)
• Photography (August 26, 1983)
• Secrets
• Blue Emotion (March 1984)
• House Of Thorns
• Solitary Lovers
• Hired History mini-LP
• Fac Ut Vivas unofficial/unreleased compilation (c. 1986)

Videography

• Commercial Breakdown

References

External links

• Fiat Lux Web dedicated to the band
• Fiat Lux discography
• MySpace: Steve Chapman Smith Steve Smith's MySpace site
• MySpace: The Troubadors MySpace of the current band of Steve Smith
• Youtube: Hoi Poloi - Blind Love Video clip of Steve Writht's late 1980s band