LaHost
Encyclopedia
LaHost was a British
progressive rock
band of the 1980s.
(keyboards) of the 1980s Norwich
progressive band Airbridge
. Godfrey and Bennett were joined by Fudge Smith (drums), Mark Spencer (vocals), David Valentine-Haggart (guitar) and Jaff (percussion).
The band's first gig was at Norwich
's 'Whites' pub. London Marquee
gigs were played to large audiences. Valentine-Haggart left to be replaced by Mark Trayton (lead guitar) who then left himself to be replaced by Mark Wyatt
.
A single "Just Breaking Away / The Big Sleep" was recorded at The Enid
's studio in Suffolk. It was engineered by Simon Osbourne who has gone on to work with Sting and Phil Collins
. LaHost had a track included on the compilation album
Fire In Harmony. Released on Elusive Records, a subsidiary of EMI
, Fire in Harmony reached number 49 in the Kerrang!
rock album chart.
The band's final gig was at The Rock Garden in London.
Erotic Antiques, a compilation of all the LaHost recordings was released in 1989.
Vocalist Mark Spencer has been in a variety of bands and musical ventures across the years, recording and performing with a wide array of people, including Robert Plant
, Prince and Alexander O'Neal
. The album, This Way Out, released in November 2007, comprised a selection of tracks covering his musical career. Spencer was the flatmate of Twelfth Night
vocalist Andy Sears
, and was invited to replace Rick Battersby as keyboardist, during Twelfth Night's reunion dates in November 2007.
Drummer Fudge Smith went on to join Pendragon
(1986 to 2006). He also featured on the album Time Lapse, by Steve Hackett
.
Keyboard player Stephen (James) Bennett continued his music career, and is now also a film maker and based in Sweden. He had his own band The Fire Thieves, and worked with Tim Bowness and the band Henry Fool
. He also collaborated with Lady Sara Rönneke, David Torn, Hugh Hopper and David Picking. Recently, he has moved into film making, with music videos for Tim Bowness and Peter Chilvers and No-Man, and his first narrative film. Bennett also writes about Logic for Sound on Sound
, amongst others, as well as books on the same subject for PC-Publishing.
Guitarist Mark Trayton went on to work briefly at The Lodge recording studio, owned by Robert John Godfrey of The Enid
. His career moved into software engineering, both teaching undergraduates and working as a military communications software engineer. He kept his involvement in music as a musician, freelance producer and as a music technology consultant to one of the UK's largest radio advertising companies RadioJingles Ltd., formerly AMCO Media. Since 2006, Trayton has been a full time independent local radio produce,r creating radio station idents, radio adverts and jingles working in collaboration with the industry's leading musicians, vocalists, producers, voiceovers and composers.
Bassist Sean Godfrey was formally with AirBridge which evolved into LaHost. Airbridge, previously released the single "Words & Pictures", which was chosen on Desert Island Discs
by the author Malcolm Bradbury
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band of the 1980s.
Career
The band was formed by Sean Godfrey (bass) and Stephen J BennettStephen J Bennett
Stephen Bennett is a musician, writer and filmmaker born in Skelmersdale, Lancashire in the north west of England. He plays various keyboards and the guitar...
(keyboards) of the 1980s Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
progressive band Airbridge
Airbridge (band)
Airbridge was an early 1980s British progressive rock band featuring Lorenzo Bedini , Edward Percival , Sean Godfrey and David Beckett...
. Godfrey and Bennett were joined by Fudge Smith (drums), Mark Spencer (vocals), David Valentine-Haggart (guitar) and Jaff (percussion).
The band's first gig was at Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
's 'Whites' pub. London Marquee
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
gigs were played to large audiences. Valentine-Haggart left to be replaced by Mark Trayton (lead guitar) who then left himself to be replaced by Mark Wyatt
Mark Wyatt
Mark Andrew Wyatt is a former Canadian rugby union footballer. He played as a fullback and sometimes as a fly-half.-Career:...
.
A single "Just Breaking Away / The Big Sleep" was recorded at The Enid
The Enid
The Enid is a British rock band founded in 1975 by Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish. Another early member was William Gilmour, who subsequently founded his own band Craft and now plays keyboards in Lickerish's band Secret Green....
's studio in Suffolk. It was engineered by Simon Osbourne who has gone on to work with Sting and Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
. LaHost had a track included on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Fire In Harmony. Released on Elusive Records, a subsidiary of EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, Fire in Harmony reached number 49 in the Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
rock album chart.
The band's final gig was at The Rock Garden in London.
Erotic Antiques, a compilation of all the LaHost recordings was released in 1989.
Vocalist Mark Spencer has been in a variety of bands and musical ventures across the years, recording and performing with a wide array of people, including Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Prince and Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer. He is best-known for the songs "If You Were Here Tonight" and "Fake", and the duets with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This".-Biography:...
. The album, This Way Out, released in November 2007, comprised a selection of tracks covering his musical career. Spencer was the flatmate of Twelfth Night
Twelfth Night (band)
Twelfth Night are an English neo-progressive rock band of the 1980s, reformed in 2007.-Formation:The seeds of Twelfth Night were sown when guitarist Andy Revell and drummer Brian Devoil joined forces on 23 February 1978 to win a talent competition at Reading University. The road crew included Geoff...
vocalist Andy Sears
Andy Sears
Andy Sears is a British musician and vocalist/composer of the band Twelfth Night from November 1983 to December 1986, and again from June 2007 to the present day....
, and was invited to replace Rick Battersby as keyboardist, during Twelfth Night's reunion dates in November 2007.
Drummer Fudge Smith went on to join Pendragon
Pendragon (band)
Pendragon are an English neo-progressive rock band established in 1978 in Stroud, Gloucestershire as Zeus Pendragon by guitarist and vocalist Nick Barrett. The Zeus was dropped before the band started recording as the members decided it was too long to look good on a t-shirt...
(1986 to 2006). He also featured on the album Time Lapse, by Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
.
Keyboard player Stephen (James) Bennett continued his music career, and is now also a film maker and based in Sweden. He had his own band The Fire Thieves, and worked with Tim Bowness and the band Henry Fool
Henry Fool
Henry Fool is a 1997 American seriocomic film written, produced and directed by Hal Hartley, featuring Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, and Parker Posey. As in The Unbelievable Truth, an earlier Hartley film, expectation and reality again conflict....
. He also collaborated with Lady Sara Rönneke, David Torn, Hugh Hopper and David Picking. Recently, he has moved into film making, with music videos for Tim Bowness and Peter Chilvers and No-Man, and his first narrative film. Bennett also writes about Logic for Sound on Sound
Sound on Sound
Sound on Sound is an independently-owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, UK. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, and interviews with industry professionals...
, amongst others, as well as books on the same subject for PC-Publishing.
Guitarist Mark Trayton went on to work briefly at The Lodge recording studio, owned by Robert John Godfrey of The Enid
The Enid
The Enid is a British rock band founded in 1975 by Robert John Godfrey, Stephen Stewart and Francis Lickerish. Another early member was William Gilmour, who subsequently founded his own band Craft and now plays keyboards in Lickerish's band Secret Green....
. His career moved into software engineering, both teaching undergraduates and working as a military communications software engineer. He kept his involvement in music as a musician, freelance producer and as a music technology consultant to one of the UK's largest radio advertising companies RadioJingles Ltd., formerly AMCO Media. Since 2006, Trayton has been a full time independent local radio produce,r creating radio station idents, radio adverts and jingles working in collaboration with the industry's leading musicians, vocalists, producers, voiceovers and composers.
Bassist Sean Godfrey was formally with AirBridge which evolved into LaHost. Airbridge, previously released the single "Words & Pictures", which was chosen on Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs
Desert Island Discs is a BBC Radio 4 programme first broadcast on 29 January 1942. It is the second longest-running radio programme , and is the longest-running factual programme in the history of radio...
by the author Malcolm Bradbury
Malcolm Bradbury
Sir Malcolm Stanley Bradbury CBE was an English author and academic.-Life:Bradbury was the son of a railwayman. His family moved to London in 1935, but returned to Sheffield in 1941 with his brother and mother...
.