The Enid’s Robert John Godfrey says he’ll retire from live touring next month.
He’ll appear with the band for the final time onstage at London’s Cadogan Hall on April 2 – the last date on their road trip in support of latest album Dust, which is out on April 1.
Godfrey, who was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease in 2014, has decided to step back from playing live – although he’ll still be involved in the group’s studio work.
He tells Prog: “The time has come for me to cross the footlights and devote myself into building our wonderful fan club, The Enidi, into a force to be reckoned with. I still have a few things up my sleeve before the sun sets upon my life’s work.”
The Enid’s live musician Zachary Bullock will take over keyboard duties on a permanent basis after April, while Nic Willes will return on bass and percussion. Frontman Joe Payne will also play additional keyboards where needed.
Godfrey has also take aim at the prog genre, saying it’s full of “musos” who “offer absolutely no content that is memorable or meaningful.”
He tells Raw Ramp: “The thing that pisses me off so much about the prog scene is that it is all about muso rock. It’s all about people like Steven Wilson who possess all the talent and all the production genius – and has made a great name for himself – but who offer absolutely no content that is memorable or meaningful.
“Musos were always a problem – but it wasn’t a big problem because they were always overshadowed by the truly creative, truly progressive bands of their day. Bands like Yes, Genesis and Procol Harum or the R’n’B side which started with Jack Bruce and Cream. And there was the pop side, with Pet Sounds and Brian Wilson and the Beatles.”
Godfrey says the diversity of artists “changed the whole perspective of its time” and adds: “The early 70s blossomed in terms of film, in terms of fashion and progressiveness was a movement.
“Now prog is just bog. Most of it is now meaningless, shallow nonsense. It is either a poor parody of things gone past or is a cynical attempt to try and feed the prog community with the sort of stuff they are used to. Now we have nothing challenging, no new ideas and nothing behind it.
“The Enid are different from that.”
Before the London show, The Enid will play Bristol’s Redgrave Theatre on March 18.
The Enid Dust tracklist
- Born In The Fire
- Someone Shall Rise
- Monsters
- 1000 Stars
- When The World Is Full
- Trophy
- Heavy Hearts
