The band was formed in late 1980 by Guitarist Mark Tighe and Vocalist Ian T… Read Full Bio ↴The band was formed in late 1980 by Guitarist Mark Tighe and Vocalist Ian Tilleard. After starting life as Heaven Seventeen, and with early lineups including a pre-Zodiac Mindwarp Mark Manning, the band eventually settled as 1919 (after a book belonging to Tighe) with Nick Hiles on Bass and Mick Reed on Drums. Their intention was, according to Reed, "to create a heavy melodic intense dance band with no frills and no intentions".[2]

In 1982, 1919 released a 7" white label promo of Repulsion//Tear Down These Walls, and were subsequently invited to record their first session with John Peel in May that year.[3] 1982 would see the single re-released on Red Rhino Records, as well as the single Caged//After The Fall and the LP Machine.

In 1983, Bassist Hiles was replaced by Steve Madden, and the band recorded their second and final Peel session on May 4.[4] Madden featured on the final recordings of this era, a 7" and 12" version of Cry Wolf//Storm and Cry Wolf//Dream//Storm respectively, which were released on Abstract Records along with the 12" Earth Song EP, released in 1984 after the band's dissolution.[5]

During this period, 1919 had also included Kev Aston (Saxophone) and Sputnik (Paul Drake) (Synthesizer) at various times as part of their ensemble.[2][6]
The Hive / Another Cinema (1984-85)

By the release of Earth Song in 1984, the band had split into two splinter projects, with Reed continuing as 1919 AD before reuniting with Drake to form The Hive. The others became Another Cinema.

Thanks largely to the emergence of streaming sites, the early work of the band continued to generate interest among fans. In 2014, Tighe started working on new material with bass player and vocalist Rio Goldhammer. Their self-released download of Revenge, and accompanying video, came as a surprise to most fans but was received well.

The band performed their first show, headlining Leipzig's Gothic Pogo Festival on Friday, May 22,[11] and began to announce further dates across Europe. On August 30, 2015, it was announced that Reed had returned to the band as their permanent drummer[12] and that, with the addition of Karl Donner on bass, 1919 would once again be a 4-piece, with Goldhammer remaining on vocals. Shortly afterwards, the band released a live session on CD, titled 2015: "The Madness Continues" Sessions, containing songs from their early years alongside four new tracks, which would become the self-released Death Note EP.

In July 2016, 1919 released a promo video for Bloodline, which was to be the title track for their second studio album. The band had signed a deal with Westworld Recordings to release the album but, with a release date not yet set, ventured once again into Europe to promote the single. After the first leg of the tour, the band were forced to cancel most of the remaining shows as Tighe had been diagnosed with cancer on his return home[13]. The band played a final show at Brighton Racecourse's Undercover Festival[14], with Mark's dramatic weight loss making it impossible to travel for extended periods. This would prove to be his final performance.

On 28th January 2017, 1919 announced the tragic news of the passing of their iconic guitarist, aged 56, after his short battle with the cancer. The coming days saw tributes pour in from around the world as the news broke throughout the music press, led by John Robb at Louder Than War[15], and the band published an obituary[16] in four languages on their homepage. With Tighe insistent the band continue indefinitely in his absence, an album-release show was still scheduled for the following week in Leeds. At the last minute, and after careful deliberation despite the insistence from Tighe in his final days, the remaining band decided to press ahead with a memorial performance, with money collected for Marie Curie in Tighe's honor[17].

Bloodline was released on 3rd March and was received well by critics, with Vive le Rock's Pete Woods writing "Good goths come to those that wait" in an 8/10 review.[18] In April the band confirmed that Sam Evans would be their new full-time guitarist, and began touring the new album once again to good reviews[19]. As of October, the band played the last of 19 dates across Europe in Leeds.[20]

www.1919official.co.uk