L-R: Uwe Harnisch (Bass); Linus Chen (Guitars); Alitia Atkins (Vocals); Guy Lillico (Keyboards); and Duane Bonney (Drums and Vocals)

The Story

Duane, Linus, Guy and Uwe have been playing together since mid 2000. As the creative force behind Perth band Modus Vivendi, they achieved local acclaim, including the 2001 release of their EP, The Power of Suggestion and securing the support act slot for Planet X?s Perth show in the same year.

In mid 2002, after almost 2 years of regular gigging, Modus Vivendi took a break to focus on writing new material. This period saw a few changes to the band, including a change in musical direction and the departure of rhythm guitarist, Con Ongarezos.

By November 2002, the quartet had already written and recorded enough material for a full length album. Melodic, atmospheric, dark and punctuated with hints of electronica, they crafted their songs with a powerful yet haunting female voice in mind, even though they did not have a female vocalist at that time.

After an unsuccessful search for a female singer, Duane?s cousin, Alitia, agreed to sing on two of the songs. This proved to be a turning point for all involved.

Given her strong urban / R&B background, Alitia was an unlikely addition to any rock band. However, the combination of the trio?s compositions and Alitia?s voice produced something even better than they had envisaged. Buoyed by the stunning result of their collaboration, they decided to work together on a permanent basis.

With the departure of Con, the addition of Alitia and the change in musical direction, the band decided that a name change was appropriate. In December 2002, Modus Vivendi became ShadowPlay.

In February 2003, confident in what they had, and in the hope of reaching a wider audience, ShadowPlay made the decision to relocate to Manchester, UK.

Since arriving in Manchester in July 2003, they have been busy settling in and getting acquainted with the local music scene. Having done several gigs, and with many more to come, ShadowPlay are working hard to make their presence felt.

ShadowPlay are currently putting the finishing touches on their debut album, Alone (a demo of which has already received rave reviews on [link] and [link], and attracted the interest of several smaller labels).

For more information, please visit [link] or contact us at [mail].