John Francis Lickerish, known professionally as Francis Lickerish (born 11 April 1954, in Cambridge), is a British composer, guitarist and

lutenist A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can refe ...

, and founder member of British art-rock band

The Enid The Enid are a British progressive rock band founded by keyboardist and composer Robert John Godfrey. Godfrey received his main musical education from The Royal College of Music. He is previously known for his work with Barclay James Harvest, ...

. Lickerish was a member of

from its creation in 1974 until 1980, and appears on their first four studio albums and the two 'Live at Hammersmith' albums. He is an alumnus of

Finchden Manor George Aubrey Lyward (13 January 189422 June 1973) was a British educationist and psychotherapist who founded and led Finchden Manor, a "community for delinquent, disturbed or disturbing boys" ''(available online to subscribers)'' in Tenterden, K ...

, as are fellow Enid founders

Robert John Godfrey Robert John Godfrey (born 30 July 1947) is a British people, British composer, pianist and a founding member of The Enid. Early career Born on the Leeds Castle estate in Kent, England, Godfrey was privately educated in various prep schools prior ...

and Stephen Stewart. Lickerish appears uncredited as the session bass guitarist on the

Kim Wilde Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award f ...

song "

Kids in America "Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her self-titled debut studio album. ...

". After leaving

he graduated from

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...

, later pursuing a career in counselling, and is a respected professional in the fields of adult addiction and family services, working at

Clouds House Clouds House, also known simply as Clouds, is a Grade II* listed building at East Knoyle in Wiltshire, England. Designed by Arts and Crafts movement, Arts and Crafts architect Philip Webb for Percy Wyndham (1835–1911), Percy Wyndham and his wi ...

The Priory The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to as The Priory, is a private mental health hospital in South West London. It was founded in 1872 and is now part of the Priory Group, which was acquired in 2011 by an American private equity firm ...

and Capio Nightingale Hospital. After a 20-year absence from the music industry, he formed a new band Secret Green, in 2006, who released their first album 'To Wake The King' in May 2009. Lickerish is married with three children and lives in Dorset, England.

Work with The Enid

Francis Lickerish's skill as a musician is second only to his skill as a storyteller. A much awaited feature of concerts given by

was his storytelling. He would sit, often cross-legged, on stage and narrate a long "shaggy dog" style story while the roadies changed instruments or re-arranged the stage for the next set. Having their roots in traditional tales, the stories were novel time-fillers which would captivate an audience of thousands and entertain them while otherwise boring technical work was going on. A favourite of Enid fans was the story of The Archangel Barry. This was the introduction to "Albion Fair" in which an angel exhorted the band to write music with "more notes in it". His magnum opus however was the story of

Fand Fand ("tear", "teardrop of beauty") or Fann ("weak, helpless person'") is an otherworldly woman in Irish mythology. The two forms of her name are not phonetic variants, but two different words of different meaning and the history of her name is ...

. This ancient myth was amalgamated with the legends of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

to create an epic and magical tale that was at once fresh and rooted in tradition.

Discography

Studio albums

*''

- In the Region of the Summer Stars'' (1976) (BUK BULP 2014) *''

- Aerie Faerie Nonsense'' (1977) (EMI International INS 3012) *''

- Touch Me'' (1978) (Pye NSPH 18593) *''

- Six Pieces'' (1979) (Pye NH 116) *'' Secret Green - To Wake The King'' (2009) (Holyground HG137) *''Francis Lickerish - Far and Forgot - From the Lost Lands'' (2012) (self-released SG101)

Live albums

*''

- Live at Hammersmith (Vol 1)'' (Recorded 1979) (1984) (ENID 1) *''

- Live at Hammersmith (Vol 2)'' (Recorded 1979) (1984) (ENID 2)

References

Sources

Official website of Francis LickerishCapio HouseDiscography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lickerish, Francis 1955 births Living people People from Cambridge Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University The Enid members Secret Green members