For most people, the British band CIRCU5 won't ring a bell, but maybe that will change after the release of Clockwork Tulpa (see review), their second album. The band started as a musical vehicle for multi-instrumentalist Steve Tilling in order to release his music to a wider audience. As CIRCU5, Tilling released their eponymous album in 2017. Now, eight years later, they released their second effort after going through a tough period during the pandemic. The band and their music deserve a place in the spotlight and for that reason Background Magazine asked frontman Steve Tilling if he was willing to answer a number of questions about the new album, and what happened in the past eight years.

Steve Tilling

Steve, would you please introduce yourself, and tell us how long you are active in the music business?
"Well, I'm the founder of CIRCU5, I play mainly guitar, and I do the lead vocals. I have been involved in music most of my adult life. So, that's around thirty-six adult years spent on trying to fulfil a childhood's dream."

You name your musical project CIRCU5. Why this name, what does it mean, and do we have to write it with capital letters?
"Originally, I wanted a short name that people could search for and find us easily. I thought replacing the 'S' with a '5' would be a bit clever. Of course, it wasn't, because ever since people have asked me: how do you pronounce it?, why the 5?, and how much shame do you feel in contriving such an awful name?, and so on. I write it in capitals just because it looks better to me. I like the name to be capitalised, but no one's going to be punished for writing it in lower case!"

You were suffering from long covid. How serious was it and do you still experience the physical effects from it?
"It was pretty bad. The worst of the symptoms lasted for around nine months. I still get lesser symptoms mostly lungs and fatigue related, but I've learned to live with these symptoms. There's no reason to complain since I'm still here, and many others didn't make it."

You used your experiences during the pandemic as an inspiration for Clockwork Tulpa. Am I Right?
"I think so, even subconsciously. Listening to the album now, especially the lyrics, I can sense the frustration, isolation and fear I experienced. That feeling of being trapped. But I don't think Clockwork Tulpa is a depressing album. There are many moments of hope. There's an energy there, not just anger, but a drive to do something positive in a bad situation."

You started projects with ex-members of the band XTC. For what reason?
"The offshoot' bands TC&I and EXTC took me away from CIRCU5 for about five or six years. It was insightful and sometimes enjoyable, but often unpleasant as well. Things were said and done that shocked me. Actually, I shouldn't talk about them..."

Your debut was actually a solo project. Why did you decide to make a follow-up as a full band?
"Mainly because I had done the solo album, and I didn't fancy doing this again. The first album was a personal challenge to myself: could I do an album on my own? But for Clockwork Tulpa, I wanted it to be a band effort. Not just because it saved me from doing everything, but because it brought other perspectives into CIRCU55. With Mark and Lee in the band, CIRCU5 had established its own identity."

How did you get in touch with lead singer Mark Kilminster from Tin Spirits and with drummer Lee Moulding?
"I knew Tin Spirits and Mark Kilminster through guitarist Dave Gregory (XTC, Big Big Train). I had bought the albums by Tin Spirits, had seen them playing live, and I loved Mark's vocals and bass playing. So, I sent him the CIRCU5 album and asked if he would be interested in being part of a new band. He liked what he heard, and he came aboard. At that point Tin Spirits ceased to exist, so I asked him at the right time. It turned out to be a lucky choice because Mark fits well in the band. Despite living in and around the same town all our lives, I first met Lee Moulding back in 2018 when he was a member of his dad's band TC&I. Lee was backing vocalist for the shows, and I played the guitar. I immediately felt a kinship with him. After seeing him perform with his previous band, Rewire The Time Machine, I knew he was the right drummer for CIRCU5."

When did you start working on Clockwork Tulpa and what does the title mean?
"It started soon after the debut album was released, at the end of 2017. I was putting down lots of ideas and reaching out to people to form a new band. A Tulpa is a Tibetan Buddhist term for a 'thought form', a tangible and visible entity created through intense meditation. I used the term as a metaphor for the album's main character Grady who is being manipulated into becoming the new leader of a renegade group."

The album starts and ends with the sound of a horn coming from a boat in a harbour. Why did you use that sound?
"I just love the sound of seaside towns. There's an atmosphere that I struggle to define: melancholic, nostalgic with an undercurrent of terror. To me, a foghorn sounds like the listless and hopeless moan of an ancient sea beast. I love the atmosphere so much, I imagined the CIRCU5 story playing out in a coastal town. At the start of the album, the horn heralds a boat coming into harbour from the right. But at the end, the boat departs to the left in the stereo field. In my mind, it was a slight nod to the'Left Hand Path' belief in occultism, which deals with embracing personal freedom. Not that I'm an occultist or a satanist, but I just find these themes interesting."

How did you come up with the story of Grady? What is the story all about and why did you use it again for the new album?
"I've always been interested in human psychology, particularly the internal and external influences that shape our personalities and lives. I have read a lot about psychopathy, and I was intrigued to learn that it's possible to be a high-functioning psychopath. That is an individual who can harness positive psychopathic tendencies, such as fearlessness and a drive to win, and suppress negative elements, such as impulsivity and criminality.
I extrapolated this into an imagined situation where, in the early seventies, the government of the UK set up a secret experimental research group codenamed CIRCU5 comprising five scientists: a psychologist, neuroscientist, child behaviourist, geneticist and sociologist. CIRCU5 aimed to eradicate psychopathy from society, nurture a law-abiding society, and harness positive psychopathic traits in experimental subjects to benefit the UK's corporate, political and military ambitions. The name CIRCU5 references its five scientists and circus side shows. While circus side shows isolated biological rarities for the amusement of the public, CIRCU5 isolated psychological freaks' for the study of its scientists.
The debut album CIRCU5 examines Grady: a man raised in CIRCU5 until the age of three, when memories begin to form to engender psychopathic traits, then placed in a loving adoptive family to induce positive behaviours. It covers Grady discovering the truth of his upbringing, murdering his foster parents and, finally, escaping the CIRCU5 compound. Clockwork Tulpa picks up the story where Grady is homeless and wandering the countryside. He's discovered and taken in by a renegade group of fellow ex-CIRCU5 subjects - in fact CIRCU5 freaks - who try to indoctrinate him into becoming their new leader. Their goal is to shut down CIRCU5 and assassinate everyone connected to the organisation. The story is a metaphor for various themes, such as overcoming negative past experiences, breaking the cycle of abuse, and retaining critical thinking skills to resist cults and conspiratorial mindsets."

Did the album come out as you had planned, or would you have liked to change something afterwards?
"No, I'm very happy with how it's came out. It's everything I wanted it to be, really. I hope that doesn't sound egotistical."

Who was responsible for the excellent hard cover of the CD with many pictures and all the lyrics inside?
"That's the work of the photographer Lou Dommett Young (www.dommettyoung.pic-time.com/portfolio), and designer and artist Jennie Anderson (www.jennieanderson.co.uk). Lou and Jennie are exceptional and experienced creatives. We met with Jennie and Lou several times to discuss the album's story and themes, and possible directions for the packaging. We agreed that, to remain consistent, Clockwork Tulpa should retain the debut album's CD media book' format, including a pull-out insert. Jennie and Lou worked closely to blend the photography with design approaches that reinforced the album's atmosphere and messages. We couldn't be happier with the results. In my mind, their art has taken CIRCU5 to a higher level."

Are you planning to perform Clockwork Tulpa on stage or even playing both albums together in two sets?
"To do Clockwork Tulpa and the debut album justice, I think that, realistically, we need two additional band members. The music is quite layered, and beyond the reach of a three-piece band. We could do it using triggers and backing tapes, but I'd rather avoid that. In my experience, they can rob a performance of energy and introduce a stressful element of danger. Technology often goes wrong. So currently, we're looking for those new members. Once we have them, we'll be all set to rehearse and put a live show together."

Do you intend to produce a follow-up to Clockwork Tulpa? Hopefully, it won't take as long as the time between the first and the second album!
"Yes, we're working on the follow-up. CIRCU5 is my focus now, and I'm committed to continuing without distractions. So, expect the next album a lot sooner!"

Thanks for doing this interview and answering my questions!
"It's a pleasure, Henri! Thank you."