Theme (2)

Theme began life in 1998, when the key members' former band, Splintered, went into a hiatus that continued until 2015. Started by Richard Johnson (aka Richo, also of Fourth Dimension Records and Lumberton Trading Company, plus Adverse Effect writer and editor/publisher of Grim Humour), Stuart Carter (Scalpt, Heroin, The Fields of Hay) and Hassni Malik (The Vitamin B12, dROME), it originally set out to break away from Splintered's 'rock' trappings whilst still focusing on textures, drones, abstract sounds, etc. also to be found in them. The first album, On Parallel Shores Removed, took a couple of years to fall into place, but even then ultimately amounted to Theme struggling to find their feet in slightly new and different settings (that included drafting in female vocalists and noise guitar elements). Work on the second album, Our Angels Dislocated, took another few years to come together and was not ready to release until 2006. Far more focussed than the predecessor, it saw the group stripped down to its core trio and emphasising the often filmic yet forever organic textures much further. Vocals were sparse and buried, plus the presence of instruments such as sitar, singing bowls and piano helped drive things along. A third album by the group, Valentine (Lost) Forever, appeared in August 2009 on Israel's HCB Recordings. On this, Hassni was replaced by Jeanne Boyer on a few songs, plus the material itself is denser and owes more to Richo and Stuart's past concerns with the outer realms of psychedelia, noise and industrial music. There's also stronger focus on vocals, which are often cut-up, treated and looped. Steven Severin (ex-Siouxsie & the Banshees) also contributes a remix to this album. Along the way, Theme have also contributed to a couple of compilations, plus have played a handful of sporadic shows throughout Europe, and collaborated with Faust's Jean-herve Peron and Budapest's Zsolt Sores. They continue to remain a nucleus of Richo and Stuart, but are sometimes given to working with others both live and on their recordings. Collaborators have also included Olga Drenda, Hayden Berry, Lukasz Kozak, Zsolt Varga, Tomek Choloniewski and others. During more recent years, their sound has becoming increasingly aggressive and intense. but are sometimes given to working with others both live and on their recordings. Collaborators have also included Olga Drenda, Hayden Berry, Lukasz Kozak, Zsolt Varga, Tomek Choloniewski and others. During more recent years, their sound has becoming increasingly aggressive and intense. This shift recently manifested itself with the release of a Ltd edition lathe cut 7" single in early 2019, followed by a rare gig in London Nov 2020, and the release of the cd album, 'Sacral Blood Warning' in Oct 2020. The duo intend to continue with more live shows in 2021.