Solstice

Festival years

Solstice formed in Milton Keynes in 1980 around the guitarist Andy Glass, the only founding member still in the band, with Marc Elton, who played violin. Glass recalled in an interview that they started out living out of a caravan in the woods. Early Solstice was a prog-folk act with violin and a female lead singer, did not use synthesizers, was tied to the free festival scene and played the Marquee often; AllMusic called them a progressive rock band with heavy folk and new age touches. Steven Wilson, aged 14, saw them open for Marillion in 1982 and later became a long-time fan, saying early exposure becomes part of your DNA. Two 1982 demos, including The Peace Tape, and a 1983 BBC Friday Rock Show session preceded the debut. Glass said they turned down an approach from Marillion's manager because they were anti, or untrusting of, the whole industry.

Silent Dance came out independently in 1984, and they played the Stonehenge Free Festival that year, which Glass called the soundtrack to the rising sun on the solstice. They split in 1985, with a one-off charity event in 1986. A 1991 CD reissue on Progressive Records revived interest; New Life (1992 or 1993) and Circles (1996 or 1997) followed, with Clive Bunker joining and Elton leaving. A 1998 Cropredy set was re-recorded in the studio the next day after the recordings proved unusable, released as The Cropredy Set in 2002. Glass paused the band for 3 Sticks, and Pete Hemsley convinced him to reform it in 2007, with Definitive Edition reissues of the first three albums that year. Later albums are Spirit (2010), Prophecy (2013), Sia (November 23, 2020), Light Up (2022) and Clann (2025).