The Orchestra

The Orchestra

The Orchestra is a name used by more than one act. One is a symphonic rock band that develops out of Electric Light Orchestra Part II and forms in 2000, after Bev Bevan retires at the end of 1999. Its line-up includes Mik Kaminski, Louis Clark, Kelly Groucutt, Eric Troyer, Parthenon Huxley and Gordon Townsend, with Phil Bates later replacing Huxley after his departure in July 2007. The band is rooted in the sound of Electric Light Orchestra and presents a symphonic rock style built around the members’ previous ELO and ELO Part II association.

The group’s first album, No Rewind, is produced by Eric Troyer, Parthenon Huxley and Jim Jacobsen. It is recorded without label funding and is made over a two-and-a-half-year period in studios in Los Angeles and New York during breaks in an intensive touring schedule. The album is described as a 10-track release with contributions from all members, including string parts, guitar solos, vocal harmonies and a guest appearance by Jeffrey Foskett on the a cappella section of “Before We Go”.

Another act using the same name is a London-based modern orchestra and downtempo fusion project founded in 2001 by Andrew Skeet of The Divine Comedy and Luke Gordon, also known as Spacer. Its debut album is Look Away Now in 2002 on Drummond Street.