Into a Circle (also as In Two a Circle and In2a0) were an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

new wave duo, formed in April 1985 by Paul "Bee" Hampshire and Barry Jepson, two former members of the band Getting the Fear.Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 120 Jepson had also previously been the bassist for

Southern Death Cult Southern Death Cult were a British post-punk/ gothic rock band in the early 1980s. They are now primarily known for having given their lead singer and parts of the name to the multi-platinum hard rock band the Cult. Despite the similarities in ...

from 1981-83.

Career

Into a Circle formed in 1985 after Getting the Fear ended. The band played their first concert at the Croydon Underground in December 1985, coinciding with the release of their first single, " Rise...". The single, issued on the Arcadia label, reached No. 5 in the

UK Indie Singles Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent music, independent Single (music), singles and studio album, albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 19 ...

. For a March 1986 tour of England and Scotland, the band were joined on several dates by

Rose McDowall Rose McDowall (née Porter; born 21 October 1959) is a Scottish musician, forming Strawberry Switchblade with Jill Bryson in 1981. History McDowall was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1959. Her first venture into music was in the Poems, an art-pun ...

Strawberry Switchblade Strawberry Switchblade were a Scottish new wave/ pop duo formed in Glasgow in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" from 1985, and their flamboyant clothing with bows and polka-dots. History Before ...

. In July 1986, Into a Circle signed with Abstract Records and released the single "Inside Out", which reached No. 12 in the chart. Their third single, "Forever" (1987), co-produced by Larry Steinbeck of

Bronski Beat Bronski Beat were a British synthpop trio which achieved success in the mid-1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy", from their debut album '' The Age of Consent''. "Smalltown Boy" was their only US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 s ...

, featured McDowall on backing vocals. and reached No. 8 in the chart. It was followed by their debut studio album, ''Assassins'', in summer 1988. The album reached No. 7 in the UK Indie Albums Chart. Fourth single "Evergreen" was released in March 1988, and reached No. 5 in the chart. Into a Circle embarked on their final tour in September 1989, with

Annie Anxiety Ann Robie Bandes (born c. 1961), better known as Little Annie, Annie Anxiety or Annie Anxiety Bandez, is a New York-born singer, songwriter, painter, poet, writer, performing and recording artist, pastor and stage actor. Career Early career: ...

joining the line-up on backing vocals. The band broke up in October 1989. Into a Circle reformed in July 2021.

Later projects

Hampshire is a member of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

-based band Futon, alongside Simon Gilbert (

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was fir ...

). Jepson later worked as a concert promoter and currently teaches live sound and tour management at the

Brighton Institute of Modern Music The British and Irish Modern Music Institute, now styled as the BIMM Institute, is a group of eight independent colleges which specialise in the provision of creative education in Brighton, Bristol, London, Dublin, Manchester, Berlin, Birmingha ...

Discography

*''Assassins'' (1988, Abstract) UK Indie Albums Chart No. 7

Singles

*" Rise..." (1985, Arcadia)

No. 5 *"Inside Out" (1986, Abstract) UK Indie No. 12 *"Forever" (1987, Abstract) UK Indie No. 8 *"Evergreen" (1988, Abstract) UK Indie No. 5

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Into a Circle English musical duos English new wave musical groups New wave duos Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 1985 establishments in England 1989 disestablishments in England