Clock Opera

Clock Opera are a London-based British indie rock group, active since 2009. The band forms around singer, guitarist and sampler Guy Connelly, with Andy West on bass and guitar, Che Albrighton on drums, and Dan Armstrong on keyboards and vocals. The group is also described as a four-piece with members drawn from different parts of the south of England.

Music and style

The group’s music sits across indie rock, indie, electronic and alternative territory, with ambient elements also associated with their sound. They are described as using fragmented samples, layered edits, colliding rhythms, repeated phrases, glowing transitions and cut-up words, alongside more traditional pop instrumentation. Their approach combines laptop programming with live band dynamics and a strong interest in how songs are sourced, written, recorded, assembled and treated.

Their sound is also linked with minimalist drive, lush drones, rhapsodic textures, shimmering melodies and a mix of atmosphere and directness. They are associated with ideas such as “chop pop” and “indie-tronic”, although those labels are treated as rough descriptions rather than fixed categories.

Releases and notable tracks

Clock Opera’s singles include “Belongings” and “Once and for All”. Their debut album, Ways to Forget, appears in 2012 and is their first full-length release. The album is described as self-produced and as working with themes of memory, recollection, speculation, mystery and machine-made mood alongside human thought.

Other work

Guy Connelly also makes remixes for other artists under the name Clock Opera. The group has released songs and pieces on labels including Pure Groove, Kitsune, Maman and Moshi Moshi, and it tours with other bands.

Context and influences

Clock Opera are presented as a group rather than a solo project or loose collective, with each member having played in other bands. Their music is associated with a wide range of reference points, including pop, prog rock, psych, ambient, post-punk and electronic music, and with artists such as The Move, Sparks, The Associates, 808 State, Yo La Tengo, Steve Reich, Scott Walker, Peter Gabriel, Flo and Eddie, To Rococo Rot, Kate Bush, Panda Bear, Eno and Byrne, The Avalanches, Klaus Nomi, John Foxx and The Blue Nile.

The band also has connections to remix culture and to artists including Au Revoir Simone, Everything Everything, Marina and the Diamonds, The Drums, Blood Orange, Tracy Thorn, Architecture in Helsinki, Metronomy and Phenomenal Handclap Band.