History
David Devant & His Spirit Wife formed in Brighton in the early 1990s. At this time the band were known for outlandish onstage antics and elaborate props employed by the onstage "Spectral Roadies", such as carrots grated into their hair during performance of the song "Ginger". The band's first album, Don Spirit Specs Now! was released on cassette in 1993.
In 1996, Devant were the house band for the single-series sitcom Asylum, performing segments in every episode from their Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous album, released the following year. The lead-in track "Ginger" provided the programme's title music.
The band were behind a short film, Light On The Surface, in the early nineties set in a motorway service station and featuring the original pop video to their first single, "Cookie". They were also the subject of a Channel 4 documentary in the late nineties which followed them on tour with Work, Lovelife, Miscellaneous and finished ominously with their lead singer, The Vessel, burning his Bela Lugosi-style wig as they planned to change their uniquely theatrical performances, possibly as a result of a cutting NME review which implied they were "hiding behind" the theatrics.
Lead guitarist, Foz Foster also known as Foz? (Foz Questionmark), left and was briefly replaced by John Pope during the 2000 recording of Shiney On The Inside. By the release of their second album, Shiney on the Inside, the band's live theatrics had been scaled back. Foz? returned to the band after this and was involved in the recording of the 2004 album Power Words For Better Living, writing the music for the track "Social Comet".
The friendship between Vessel and Eddie Argos, lead singer of the art rock band, Art Brut, saw the two bands unite for a gig at the Tate Britain in 2004.
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