Landmarq is a very talented band in the neo-progressive vein that combines strong composition, excellent muscanship and vocals.
In 1990, Landmarq was formed in 1990 by Steve Leigh (keyboards), Uwe D'Rose (guitar), and ex-Quasar vocalist Bob Daisley. Steve had replaced Mark Kelly (who had left to join Marillion), in the band Chemical Alice. Session bassist Steve Gee (member of Artemis (toured with Camel and Capability Brown), joined shortly.
Another ex-Quasar member- drummer Dave Wagstaffe (ex- Thin Lizzy, Lindisfarne), -joined the band, now called Landmarq (by Steve Gee).
Landmarq recorded some demos for the Dutch 'S.I.' label in 1991. Bob Daisley suddenly decided to return to his rock roots and was replaced by Rob Lewis-Jones for the recording. Rob was, however, reluctant to turn his back on his busy acting career and chose to stay with that... so the band still had no vocalist. Ex-Quasar member Tracy Hitchings was approached to fill Daisley's role (she was willing), but the label- S.I., having just released her own debut solo album, vetoed the idea. Engineer, Karl Groom recommended Damian Wilson and the band immediately asked him if he would like to do the album. Damian agreed.
In 1992, 'Solitary Witness' was finally and Landmarq's first European tour followed. Damian added his voice to the first `Threshold' album, and garnished Classic Rock Society's 'Male Vocalist Of The Year' award.
The end of 1992 the recording of the second album, 'Infinity Parade', also for S.I., was released and included extensive promotional touring. Luxembourg-based band `LaSalle,' who had a major recording deal offered Wilson a lucrative deal to join them and he left the band amicably.
Numerous auditions later, the band discovered Ian Gould, whose powerful vocal style was used for shows at London's Marquee with Pendragon and then for Holland's '2nd Uden Progressive Rock Festival' (with Steve Hackett, IQ, Porcupine Tree and many others). Gould also won Classic Rock Society's 'Male Vocalist Of The Year' but because of musical differences, his stay was brief and the band was without a singer once again.
Damian Wilson, not happy with LaSalle, came back to help Landmarq for their third album- 'The Vision Pit' (on S.I./Roadrunner in 1995), recorded with help from the production/engineering team of Clive Nolan. Karl Groom helped provide drums and guitars.
Later in the year, Dave, Uwe and Steve Gee had the opportunity of forming John Wetton's backing band to tour Holland and Germany, performing songs by Asia, King Crimson, UK, and John's solo album 'Battle Lines', with the addition of Martin Orford (IQ) on keyboards and Tracy Hitchings on backing vocals. Two weeks after returning, Landmarq were again in Europe to promote 'The Vision Pit' album.
The S.I. label collapsed and Landmarq was without a label for two years. Wilson recorded a solo album- 'Cosmas', at drummer Kenney Jones' studio, Steve Leigh. Gee and D'Rose continued writing material for their fourth album.
In 1998, the talented vocalist Tracy Hitchings was once again asked to take over on vocals as Damian Wilson wanted to concentrate on a solo career. The album- 'Science Of Coincidence' was released on the band's own Synergy label. After touring n the UK and Europe in 1998/99, (including gigs with Marillion and Threshold)... hence a live album was released- entitled 'Thunderstruck,' this was a single album showcasing new and classic Landmarq tracks from the '98/'99 concerts; now with the beautiful voice of Hitchings.
Landmarq's first ever trip to the USA took place in October 2000, as they performed at the ProgDay 2000 festival in North Carolina; the show has been promoted and organised annually by Peter Renfro and friends since 1995. Held over two days and featuring ten acts, Landmarq headlined the Saturday show and were extremely well-received. The year after, the band performed at the BajaProg festival held annually in Mexicali, Mexico, to an enthused crowd and good reviews.
New material for the next Landmarq studio album is coming together slowly but surely and they hope for a release early in 2002. Meanwhile, the projected release date for the follow-up to `Thunderstruck,' - part two of the live album- entitled- `Aftershock,' will be released on September 23, 2002 released on Mystic Records.
Tracy Hitchings recorded a solo album in 1991 entitled- 'From Ignorance To Ecstacy', with help by producer Clive Nolan. She has also performed with Gandolf, Olliver Wakeman's `Jabberwocky,' (helped out by Dave Wagstaffe), and Strangers on a Train.
Damian Wilson, Landmarq's ex-vocalist has not been idle. He has worked extensively with the bands Aryreon and Threshold. Recently, he has toured with Rick Wakeman and the New English Rock Ensemble. Wilson will be recording with work-mate Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon), before the end of this year on a metal album. The tentative title is- 'Arjen Anthony Lucassen.
On a personal note, both Steve Gee and Steve Lee were very helpful and such nice people. Looking at the interviews, it shows that many Prog musicians are quite intelligent, thoughtful people. Thanks gentlemen, you are surely that!
Nov. 2002, Steve Leigh leaves the band. He seemed to not like the musical direction which Landmarq was heading. This may be the last spike in the progressive part of Landmarq's history... hope not.... who knows- we'll have to wait and see.
Following an enforced break for a few years, Landmarq re-emerged on to the Prog scene early in 2012 with the release of their eagerly-anticipated fifth album, Entertaining Angels, a Special Edition double-CD set. This proved to be a triumphant return for the band as they received many glowing reviews from fans and music press alike. This was followed up with "Angels On Tour", a series of live dates through 2012-2013, that saw Landmarq performing in various festivals and venues again in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Also to much acclaim and some excellent reviews.
Following on from their gigs in 2012, Landmarq continued their live shows - - dubbed "Angels On Tour" -- with more UK and European dates through 2013, including the Cambridge and Summer's End rock festivals in the UK and the Rock Itervoort Festival in The Netherlands. (Live dates info) Landmarq releasd more new product throughout 2014/15, including "Entertaining Angels" on vinyl (a double-LP set). Also, a long-awaited compilation album entitled "Origins - A Landmarq Anthology - 1992-2014" (2-CD set) featuring vocalists Tracy Hitchings and Damian Wilson. The album also includes a brand new song, entitled "Origins". The latest release from Landmarq is "RoadSkill - Live In The Netherlands", a 2-disc DVD+CD set, filmed and recorded live in 2013 at one of the band's European shows at De Boerderij, NL, released in 2015.
Discography
Studio albums
Solitary Witness (1992)
Infinity Parade (1993)
The Vision Pit (1995)
Science of Coincidence (1998)
Entertaining Angels (2012)
Entertaining Angels - Vinyl 2-LP Set (2014)
Live albums
Thunderstruck (1999)
Aftershock (2002)
Turbulence - Live in Poland (2006 - DVD, 2009 - CD only)
RoadSkill - Live in The Netherlands (2015 - DVD+CD set)
Compilations
SI 10th Anniversary Compilation Disc (1991 - SI Music) was the first-ever CD featuring Landmarq. This compilation, from the band's first record label in the Netherlands, features the abridged version of "Suite: St. Helens".
SI (Germany) Compilation Disc Too (1992 - SI Music) features a track not used for first studio album Solitary Witness, entitled "Borrowed Mind". This track was later included on the Japanese release of Infinity Parade.
Progressive & Melodic Rock Vol. 1 (1993 - SI Music) features "Terracotta Army".
Progressive & Melodic Rock Vol. 3 (1994 - SI Music) features "Gaia's Waltz".
Master Volume Perfect Compilation Series Vol. 5 (1994 - Zero Corp) is a Japanese compilation CD featuring "Embrace".
Classic Rock (1994 - SI Music) features "Embrace".
Hard Rock Magazine Ltd Edition (1996 - CNR Music) features "Cutting Room" and "Bed Of Nails".
Mellotron 20 (1998 - CD Sampler) is a compilation CD from Mellotron magazine (Argentina) featuring "The Overlook", taken from Science Of Coincidence.
Music From The Underground (1998 - sysy) is a compilation CD from German magazine Eclipsed featuring "The Vision Pit" from Science Of Coincidence.
The Hawke Chill-Out Sessions (2006) is a CD compiled by radio presenter and DJ Terry Hawke, with artists he has featured on his show on Harborough FM. It includes the track "Heritage" from Aftershock.
Mellotron 35 - Decimo Anniversario (2006 - CD Sampler) is a 10th anniversary compilation CD from Mellotron magazine featuring "Thunderstruck", taken from Turbulence - Live in Poland.
Origins: A Landmarq Anthology (2014) is a 2 disc compilation CD featuring songs since their entree in 1991. Features songs taken from their debut till their 2012 album.
DVDs
Turbulence - Live in Poland (2006)
RoadSkill - Live in The Netherlands (2015)
