Pure Reason Revolution

Pure Reason Revolution are a British progressive rock group from Westminster, active from 2003 to the present. The band forms at the University of Westminster and is known for combining progressive rock with art rock, crossover prog, rock, and elements of grunge and electronic music.

Origins and early line-up

The project begins as The Sunset Sound in Reading before becoming Pure Reason Revolution. Early members include Jon Courtney, Andrew Courtney, Chloë Alper and, for a short period, Jim Dobson. Jon and Andrew Courtney previously play in the pop guitar band Gel and are signed by Seymour Stein to his Sire label. Chloë Alper also fronts the Period Pains, who score a minor hit with an anti-Spice Girls song. Tom Leathes and Bob Cooper later complete the band.

While at Westminster, Jon Courtney meets Jim Dobson and Greg Jong and discovers they are musically compatible. The band’s sound draws on shared interests in groups and artists including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Porcupine Tree, Justice, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins and Super Furry Animals. Their vocal harmonies are often compared with those of the Beach Boys.

Early releases

The debut single, Moving, receives radio play on Radio 1, XFM and KROQ in Los Angeles, with Steve Lamacq championing the band. Their early records appear through Jon Courtney’s Holograph imprint via SonyBMG, after a release on Alan McGee’s Poptones label. That one-off Poptones release is Apprentice of the Universe, which charts at No. 12 in the indie charts and No. 74 nationally.

In 2005 the band releases the 12-minute single Bright Ambassadors of Morning, whose title comes from a line in Pink Floyd’s Echoes, along with The Intention Craft and the mini-album Cautionary Tales for the Brave. Because many planned album tracks appear on the mini-album, the band develops new material for the full-length record, including The Twyncyn / Trembling Willows.

Albums and touring

The first full-length album, The Dark Third, is produced by Paul Northfield, whose credits include Rush, Porcupine Tree, Gentle Giant and Hole. The album appears in different versions in the UK, US and Europe, including a two-disc edition that combines material from the UK and US releases with extra tracks.

By 2005 the band tours the US and UK, plays South by Southwest in Texas, and supports Mew, Hope of the States, Blackfield and Oceansize. It also records sessions for Mark Radcliffe’s Radio 2 show and for XFM. Greg Jong leaves in 2005 and is replaced by Jamie Willcox, while Jon and Willcox both receive credits on The Dark Third.

Andrew Courtney later leaves and is replaced by Paul Glover, formerly of Wire Jesus. Jim Dobson also departs, leaving the group as a four-piece for a period. The band then tours Europe with Blackfield, plays club dates in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, appears at NEARfest, and opens for Porcupine Tree on the Tour Of A Blank Planet European run.

Later releases, split and return

The live NEARfest recording is released in 2008. The second studio album, Amor Vincit Omnia, follows in 2009 on Superball Music and moves further toward an electronic sound. The third album, Hammer & Anvil, appears in 2010 and is co-produced by Jon Courtney and Tom Bellamy of The Cooper Temple Clause and Losers. Its themes include war, while still building on the band’s progressive background.

After touring in 2010 and 2011, the group announces a split. It releases the EP Valour as a final record. In 2019 Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper reform Pure Reason Revolution.