Loop

LOOP promo photo (l to r): Scott Dowson (guitar), Robert Hampson (guitar, vocals), John Wills (drums), Neil Mackay (bass)

Loop playlist

Contributor: Ann Sequinworld

LOOP were formed in 1986 in the rock and roll capital of south London … Croydon. Indie chart-toppers in the late 80s, the band was influenced by Krautrock and also the music of the Stooges among others. LOOP’s sound was categorised as space-rock or trance rock.

I was going to write about each one in this top ten list of LOOP songs but – the simple truth is, every Loop song sounds like it could go on forever … if you want it to. This is a good thing.

Turning to what reviewers had said at the time of each record’s release, I’ve taken ten quotes, paraphrased each a little bit and attached it to a song. This was a cut-up process and the quote may not originally have been about that particular song but … you know what … it doesn’t matter because it works.

I hope you enjoy playing these ten tracks and go on to explore the rest of LOOP’s catalogue.

Soundhead – Heaven’s End (1987)
“Searing riffs with extra sustain, the Stoogian strength of the guitars and tribal drums contrasts with the poignantly floating vocals.”

and

Breathe In To Me – A Gilded Eternity (1990)
“Kicks off with a droning hum and back-masked cymbals before a fuzz-drenched guitar clears the fog, joined almost immediately with the heavy drumming, wailing guitar, rhythmic bass and the almost whispered delay-echoed vocals.”

Head On – Heaven’s End (1987)
“Raw, repetitious assault that builds itself around pounding beats, deep guttural bass and, most noticeably, the shimmering buzz-saw sound of effects-heavy guitar.”

Straight To Your Heart – Heaven’s End (1987)
“Heavy, grinding slabs of sound sandwiched around a floating mid-section.”

Collision – Heaven’s End (1987)
“Its deep groove is cut across by extra slashes of guitar and an expressive, stratospheric solo.”

and

This Is Where You End – Fade Out (1988)
“Tribal rhythm, angry growled vocals and a structure that sees the song devolve into complex, screeching guitar riffs that are emblematic of the band.”

Afterglow – A Gilded Eternity (1990)
“There’s a purity to LOOP’s sound that makes the pulsing guitars as essential as breathing.”

Arc-Lite (Sonar) – A Gilded Eternity (1990)
“Rolling drums and the punching and poking guitars are propelled by urgency and an impatience that belies their cosmic imagery.”

and

Fade Out – Fade Out (1988)
“Emphasises the band’s preoccupation with the relentlessness of rhythmic repetition that either forces you to get lost in the miasma of replication, or makes you start to suspect the record has become stuck!”

Radial – Array 1 (2015)
“Building blocks in a wall of sound that is sprayed with psych solos.”

The life of LOOP was a short one, the band split in 1991 to go on to other things. LOOP reformed in 2013 and recorded an EP, Array 1, in 2015 which included the epic 17 minute track Radial, featured in this top ten.

LOOP today (l to r): Robert Hampson (lead guitar & vocals), Wayne Maskell (drums), Hugo Owen Morgan (bass), Dan Boyd (guitar)

This photo was taken at Liverpool Psych Fest, 22nd September 2017, and is in the writer’s personal collection.

Loop official website

Loop discography

Loop biography (iTunes)

Ann loves the psychedelic music of the 80s/90s. In between gigs, she runs her own business, Sequin World and Bead Monster. This is her first post for the site, others are in the pipeline. You can follow her on twitter @ann_sequinworld and other social media sites.

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