St. Vitus Dance

More than one artist/band has used this name: 1) Former alias of British techno/house artist Hope Grant, see Envoy. 2) Indie act formed in Belfast in 1983. Fluid line-up until 1987, when they signed to Liverpool's Probe Plus Records, home of Half-Man Half Biscuit. In that year they released their debut album, "Love Me, Love My Dogma", a collection of simple, energetic and tuneful pop songs characterised by a ready wit and earthy descriptions of Belfast life far removed from political conflict. At this stage the band consisted of Noel Burke (vocals), Haydn Boyle (keyboards), Phil Freckleton (guitar), Damien Magee (guitar) Peter Hesketh ( drums) and Maurice Mulvenna (bass). Soon after the album's released the band relocated to Liverpool but within a year went their separate ways. Burke was later recruited by Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson of Echo and the Bunnymen and contributed to their "Reverberation" album of 1990 and subsequent singles. Thereafter nothing was heard from the band until 2005, when they were tempted out of retirement to play at Belfast's Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. This event, combined with renewed interest in the band following the release on CD of "Love Me Love My Dogma" prompted a full blown reunion with Kevin O'Neill (who had been in an early incarnation of the band) coming in on guitar and Freckleton taking up bass duties. A new album has been recorded and is due for release, again by Probe Plus, by the end of 2007.