Biography

Tony Wakeford’s musical path started out in the late 1970s with the band Crisis, whose mix of punk rock and hard left politics garnered them legendary status. When Crisis disbanded Wakeford joined fellow member Douglas Pearce in founding the gloomy post-punk band Death in June. 
 After leaving leaving Death in June Wakeford started his own project Sol Invictus in 1987. 
 Sol Invictus' music is a place where punk collides with chamber music, and industrial sounds mix with folk tunes. The band is considered one of the most important in the neofolk genre and has a worldwide cult following. Cultural pessimism and sardonic humour permeate Wakeford's lyrics, reflecting his disillusionment with utopian solutions, be they political or religious. 
 A prolific collaborator, Wakeford has worked with names like OWLS, Steven Stapleton (Nurse With Wound), David Tibet (Current 93), Matt Howden (Sieben), Kris Force (Amber Asylum) and Tor Lundvall, who also creates many of Sol Invictus' covers. Wakeford has released records as Duo Noir, Orchestra Noir and under his own name. 
 German label Auerbach, a sublabel of well-respected metal specialists Prophecy Productions have in recent years started to re-release Sol Invictus’ back catalogue on both CD and vinyl. 
 Sol Invictus was laid to rest with the aptly titled Necropolis (2018), partly because of Wakeford returning to his punk roots with a new-lineup Crisis. Tony Wakeford’s solo material can be found on his Bandcamp page.