Parallel Universe: The World of David Devant & His Spirit Wife
By Pipit Johnson
A world of performance, personas, art & magic.
Emerging from Brighton in May 1992, David Devant & His Spirit Wife are an intriguing and idiosyncratic band, the art they create being difficult to pin down and categorise. In 1997, their debut album Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous was released, with which they ‘wanted [to create] a distinct atmosphere, to create a world within a world’ (“Teletext Interview with Vessel (June 1997)”). Considered by many to be the band’s masterpiece, this album is everything you could hope for: combinations of introspective, curious lyrics with catchy pop songs (such as Ginger and Lie Detector), to the more melancholy and reflective (The Last Ever Love Song), the amusing and apathetic (I’m Not Even Going To Try), and, more often than not, pinches of the melodramatic and theatrical (Ballroom).
Against the backdrop of Britpop, David Devant & His Spirit Wife - despite not achieving widespread recognition - are perhaps, more than any other band of the time, true artists. The world surrounding them is one of performance, personas, art, and magic, and in this article, different aspects will be explored. Now that the stage has been set, let us enter the world of David Devant & His Spirit Wife…
Before looking at the band themselves, it seems important to look at their main source of inspiration: David Devant, one of Victorian England’s most celebrated magicians, as well as an early film exhibitor and shadowgraphist. Performing in now-lost places such as Egyptian Hall, otherwise known as ‘England’s Home of Mystery’ once located in Piccadilly, Devant entertained some of London’s most esteemed and notable members of society. His success may be attributed to his reputation as an ‘informal, witty and charming’ performer, but most notably he ‘incorporated his illusions into short magical plays’ (Kieve 2007, “My Favourite Londoner: David Devant”). The most famous illusion was that of ‘The Mascot Moth’ - the conjuring of his spirit wife. This involved the figure of a woman appearing and levitating on stage, dressed in a moth-like costume; when Devant tried to approach or capture her, in full view of the audience, she would vanish with a close of her winged costume.
Many elements of Devant’s life and history as a performer are integral to the band, informing their name, their performative quality, and, perhaps most importantly, their artistic identities. For example, the mind behind much of the band is that of Mikey Georgeson, an artist, writer, and lecturer of fine art, and who, in the context of Devant, becomes ‘The Vessel’. Acting as lead singer, guitarist and keyboardist, The Vessel is also the medium through which the spirit of the Victorian magician is channelled, and this is accentuated through The Vessel’s distinctive image. Most Devant gigs see him wearing a bouffant, almost Elvis-like wig, dark eye make-up, a moustache, and often a fabulous outfit, such as a glittery jumpsuit. This creates a distinct artistic persona, where Georgeson steps into the character of The Vessel through costume and make-up, taking on a different, fictional identity whilst on stage. Consequently, the band acts as a living representation of Devant’s spirit, becoming intrinsically linked to him in numerous ways.
The Vessel is accompanied by an array of characters, all playing integral parts in bringing to life the spirit of Devant. These include The Professor (drums), The Colonel (bass), Foz? (guitar), and often a pair of so-called Spectral Roadies, responsible for the visual elements of the shows. Following the release of Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous, the band toured the UK extensively, not only accumulating a devoted fanbase but becoming known for their unique live shows, incorporating acts of magic, theatre, and surprising props.
One such act, performed during album opener Ginger, was the grating of a carrot over the head of one of the Spectral Roadies – not a scene you’d typically expect to see at a live music show! Other acts included the boiling of a kettle during This Is For Real (despite it not appearing to be plugged in), an adaptation of Devant’s original conjuring of his spirit wife, the use of a mirror to reflect the audience’s image at themselves, and, most excitingly, it seems that The Vessel was once even shot out of a cannon across a venue! These performance-art-like acts display the playful multi-media aspect of Devant shows, and, in interviews, the band have emphasised how each of their early shows acted as ‘an individual show in itself, [each] with a different theme’, and were ‘always supposed to be more like happenings than just music shows’ (Temple 2022, “David Devant & His Spirit Wife”).
Whilst some of these elements were adapted or phased out over time, Devant are still very much an enchanting visual-based live band, and, this past December 6th, 2024, I was lucky enough to experience one of their shows at the New Cross Inn in South East London. The band consisted of much of the original line-up, as well as three additions: The Cape, The Conjuror and The Close-Up, and performed songs from across their discography. Highlights included Sublime, One Track Mind, Cookie, and Miscellaneous, and it was interesting to think that everyone at the gig was likely either a devoted fan or someone who had just stumbled into a world that would surely convert them to become one.
In fact, The Devant approach to the audience is wholly unique. Unlike some gigs, where the audience remains relatively passive, simply there to watch and listen to the band play, at a Devant gig the audience becomes a part of the show. It caught my attention that The Vessel refers to the audience by the band’s own name, revealing how - through the power of music and performance - the audience is collectively drawn into and becomes part of their intriguing world (if only for the night). The band have a long history of actively engaging with the audience: at one of their earliest gigs, they supposedly shook hands with everyone in the venue as they were leaving, and on another occasion, the audience were all invited up on stage to have a photograph taken through an oversized picture frame. In this sense, a parallel may emerge between the Magic Circle, a world-renowned society of magicians, with the audience of Devant gigs, both are collective witnesses to otherworldly and spectacular shows, all whilst retaining a sense of mystery.
Throughout the show, visual elements were incorporated, with perhaps the most stunning being the characteristically Devant opening moments, in which The Vessel’s shadow appeared on a large white canvas held by The Close-Up & The Conjuror. As the first song My Magic Life began, The Vessel’s outline was painted on the canvas, seeming to invite the presence of Devant into the venue, and the performance was set in motion as The Vessel burst through the canvas!
Furthermore, cardboard signs painted with words like ‘believe’ and ‘nothing’ made appearances, as well as a comically large cardboard passport during Pimlico, where, upon opening, The Conjuror’s face was visible making amusing facial expressions. These visual elements of Devant’s performances serve to bring the shows to life, making them transcend simply being a gig or concert: they become artworks through performance, where traditional boundaries between art forms are made invisible and the audience is swept into an all-encompassing enchanted world. They also reveal the collaborative and home-made element of the shows - everyone involved in the band has a role and purpose in their creation of a night to remember for the audience, and all while having fun themselves.
‘Initially I was intrigued by the look of them, by the name, by the image. Then I heard some really good songs [...] This lot are messing about with the concept of what makes a pop band. Their act isn’t just a gimmick. We need more bands like them.’ So said radio broadcaster Mark Radcliffe to The Sunday Times in 1997, when explaining how he became familiar with the band. This summarises Devant well, as he acknowledges how some may view them as being a novelty act or overly performative, but also that there was – and is - something undeniably unique about Devant as a band and as an art form. Their ‘messing’ with expectations of pop bands, personas, and performance, has formed their fascinating history of memorable - and sometimes unbelievable - gigs and live performances, as they saw and made the most of opportunities for creativity and playfulness that many bands overlooked.
If you’ve read this far, thank you, and I hope you have enjoyed exploring the world of David Devant & His Spirit Wife. I urge you to listen to the masterpiece that is Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous, as well as the rest of the band’s discography, and Mikey Georgeson’s numerous projects, such as Mr Solo! Top-quality tunes, and… they are all done by kindness!
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