Dark Star

England's Dark Star was formed by three former members of Levitation -- vocalist and guitarist Christian Hayes, bassist Laurence O'Keefe (the Hope Blister), and drummer Dave Francolini. Like their former band (but obviously without guitarist Terry Bickers), the group's sound features dense, complex structures and needling guitars. The trio debuted with the Graceadelica single in late 1998 and followed that with another single, I Am the Sun, in March of the following year. The LP Twenty Twenty Sound appeared a month later and was generally reviewed positively, but failed to do much commercially. A third single, About 3AM, supported the LP, as did a series of multi-format and remix singles. The band underwent a feverish touring schedule, including a stint opening for the Longpigs. ~ Andy Kellman