Clock Opera

Clock Opera was driven by Guy Connelly, a London, England-based multi-instrumentalist whose soaring, emotionally naked voice recalled the likes of Paul Buchanan (the Blue Nile), Billy Mackenzie (Associates), and Antony Hegarty (Antony & the Johnsons) without being quite as extreme as the latter two vocalists. Connelly, who also played in the Fallout Trust and the Corrections, debuted Clock Opera in 2009 with the "White Noise" 7" on Puregroove. The A-side, full of sudden bursts in energy and sharp contrasts between sparse and heavily layered and processed sections, laid the foundation for Connelly's future releases. A second 7", "Piece of String," was released in June 2010 on France's Maman label, while a synchronous digital edition featured three remixes. "Once and for All," a digital single, followed in October on Kitsuné. The same year, Connelly remixed the Phenomenal Handclap Band's "Baby," Marina & the Diamonds' "I Am Not a Robot," the Drums' "Me and the Moon," and Au Revoir Simone's "Tell Me." The following year, he released yet another single, "Belongings," on Moshi Moshi. At some point, Connelly transformed Clock Opera into a full band, bringing on his housemate Andy West as bassist/guitarist, his friend Dan Armstrong as keyboardist, and Che Albrighton, who had previously played with West, as the drummer. This version of the group released the well-received debut album Ways to Forget in 2012. Armstrong parted ways with Clock Opera in 2014 and was replaced by Nic Nell. The following year, the band began work on its second album, Venn, which arrived in 2017 and featured a darker, more contemplative sound. ~ Andy Kellman