Guapo is a British experimental rock/

art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...

band formed in the mid-1990s by drummer/percussionist Dave Smith and guitarist/vocalist Matt Thompson, though the band gained a wider audience with the contribution of multi-instrumentalist Daniel O'Sullivan. The current lineup consists of Smith, guitarist Kavus Torabi, bassist

James Sedwards James Sedwards is an English guitarist, musician, and composer, working predominantly in alternative rock. Initially known for leading the band Nought (or "Nøught"), he has more recently been known as a collaborative musician on projects includin ...

and keyboardist Emmett Elvin of Chrome Hoof.

Music

Guapo have affiliations with the Rock in Opposition movement, after performing with bands such as

Magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

and

Present The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perception, perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is ...

at the Rock in Opposition Festival at Carmaux,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 2007.

The Trilogy

The Guapo album ''Elixirs'' concludes a recondite trilogy of recordings initiated by '' Five Suns'' (2003) and ''Black Oni'' (2004), which has been referred to as the
Empire Strikes Back
record. Every record takes on new musical hues and offers disparate ideas and perspectives. However, an upheaval in the line-up, which of recent years had been anchored by the trio of Daniel O'Sullivan, Matthew Thompson, and David Smith, triggered a change in course when Thompson left the band in 2005.

Other projects

Both Smith and O'Sullivan perform in the antique-prog band

Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses Miasma may refer to: * Miasma (Greek mythology), a contagious power that has an independent life of its own Medicine * Miasma theory, bad air causing disease * Miasm, a specious cause of chronic disease Music * ''Miasma'' (album), a 2005 album ...

. Smith created a large scale, multi media installation entitled "The Other Side of the Island" for which he made a soundtrack with O’Sullivan and Antti Uusimaki under The Stargazers Assistant moniker (the recordings of which were released on Aurora Borealis last year). Smith also plays with members of Coil,

Cyclobe Cyclobe (1999–present) are a music duo formed by Stephen Thrower and Ossian Brown. They make hallucinatory electronic soundscapes by mixing sampled and heavily synthesized sounds with acoustic arrangements for a variety of instruments inclu ...

and

Shock Headed Peters Shock Headed Peters were a British post-punk band, formed in 1982. The band took their name from the 19th-century German's children book ''Der Struwwelpeter'' ("Shockheaded Peter") by Heinrich Hoffmann. History In 1982, Karl Blake formed Sho ...

in the Amal Gamal Ensemble. Despite these distractions, Guapo has been maintained as a primary focus and "Elixirs" has been three years in the making.

Line-up

Following the departure of Thompson, O’Sullivan and Smith added two London musicians to the fold,

(of avant-rock band Nought) and Kavus Torabi (of

Cardiacs Cardiacs are an English rock band formed in Kingston upon Thames by Tim Smith (lead guitar and vocals) and his brother Jim (bass, backing vocals) in 1977 under the name Cardiac Arrest. The band's sound fused circus, baroque pop and medieval mu ...

, Knifeworld and formerly

The Monsoon Bassoon The Monsoon Bassoon were an English independent rock band active between 1995 and 2001, notable for their exceptionally complex and energetic music. During their lifespan, the band won the NME's Single Of The Week award three times (for three c ...

). The line-up toured the US in 2006 with synth-prog band, Zombi. O'Sullivan recently left the band to concentrate on other projects ( Æthenor (Vhf Records), Mothlite ( Southern Records), Grumbling Fur as well as moonlighting in the live line-up of

Sunn O))) Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American experimental metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, bla ...

) and keyboardist Emmett Elvin recently joined. More recently Sam Warren (Tunguska Butterfly, Thumpermonkey) has joined on bass.

Discography

Albums

*1997 ''Towers Open Fire'' CD (Power Tool Records) *1998 ''Hirohito'' CD (Pandemonium Records) *2001 ''Great Sage, Equal of Heaven'' CD (Pandemonium/Tumult) *2004 '' Five Suns'' CD ( Cuneiform Records) *2005 ''

Black Oni ''Black Oni'' is an album by progressive rock group Guapo released in 2005. Track listing All music written by Guapo #I (3:33) #II (11:54) #III (10:20) #IV (5:44) #V (12:56) Personnel ;Guapo * Daniel O'Sullivan – Fender Rhodes, Keyboards ...

'' CD ( Ipecac Recordings) – produced by

Jaime Gomez Arellano Jaime is a common Spanish and Portuguese male given name for Jacob (name), James (name), Jamie, or Jacques. In Occitania Jacobus became ''Jacome'' and later ''Jacme''. In east Spain, ''Jacme'' became ''Jaime'', in Aragon it became ''Chaime'', and i ...

(limited-edition LP version released 2007 on Hlava Records) *2008 ''Elixirs'' CD (

Neurot Recordings Neurot Recordings is an American independent record label founded by members of avant-garde metal band Neurosis in 1999. Gradually expanding, it has showcased a variety of artists including a number of sludge metal, post-rock, and noise bands. ...

) *2013 ''History of the Visitation'' CD + DVD ( Cuneiform Records) *2015 ''Obscure Knowledge'' ( Cuneiform Records)

EPs and singles

*1995 ''Hell is Other People'' EP (Power Tool Records) *1996 ''Guapo is No More'' EP (Power Tool Records) *1997 ''Horse Walks Into a Bar'' EP (Power Tool Records) *1998 ''Guapo vs. Magma'' EP (Pandemonium Records) *2006 ''Twisted Stems'' limited edition 7" single (Dot Dot Dot Music) *2006 ''Twisted Stems'' CDEP (Aurora Borealis)

Discography (collaborations)

with
Ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
and The Shock Exchange

*2000 ''Death Seed'' CD (Freeland Records)

with Cerberus Shoal

*2003 ''The Ducks and Drakes of Guapo and Cerberus Shoal'' CD (

North East Indie Records North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

)

External links

Official website of GUAPO
*

Allmusic.com entry AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

br>The Official website of MIASMA & THE CAROUSEL OF HEADLESS HORSES
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guapo (band) Musical groups established in the 1990s British experimental rock groups British art rock groups Rock in Opposition Tumult Records artists