Biography

Twelfth Night were formed by students from Reading University, England in 1978, and were mainstays of the UK progressive revival of the early 1980s, alongside bands like Marillion. Twelfth Night notched up over 300 gigs and several critically-acclaimed albums. The band's first LP, the instrumental 'Live at the Target', was released in Feb 1981. Their sound was defined by the fluid lead guitar lines of Andy Revell, Brian Devoil’s imaginative drumming, Clive Mitten’s prominent & searching bass lines, and striking yet sympathetic keyboards from classically-trained Rick Battersby. Geoff Mann joined as vocalist in Aug 1981. The first music from this line-up was issued as 'Smiling At Grief'. 1982 saw the release of their classic 'Fact and Fiction' album, and 1983 established them as an exceptional live band. In August the band again performed at the Reading Festival. However Geoff left in November after two unforgettable gigs, later released as 'Live and Let Live'. In 1984 they toured with new singer Andy Sears, and signed management & publishing with Hit & Run Music, joining Genesis & Peter Gabriel at the company. In August they recorded the 'Art and Illusion' album with producer Gil Norton. Finally, in Dec 1985, the band signed to Virgin Records, with the album 'Twelfth Night' following in 1986, However a lack of commercial success saw the band split in 1987. They reunited in 2007 since when... Updated Jan 2018. www.twelfthnight.info https://www.facebook.com/NightTwelfth/