The Durutti Column are an English post-punk band formed in 1978 in Manchester, England. The band is the project of guitarist and occasional pianist Vini Reilly, often accompanied by Bruce Mitchell on drums and Keir Stewart on bass, keyboards and harmonica.

The band were among the first acts signed to Factory Records by label founder Tony Wilson. They distinguished themselves from their post-punk contemporaries through Reilly's clean, atmospheric guitar playing and incorporation of jazz, folk, and classical influences. They later incorporated sampling and electronic dance rhythms. by André Bertrand, which was handed out amidst student protests in October 1966 at Strasbourg University.

On 25 January, Vini Reilly, former guitarist for local punk rock band Ed Banger and the Nosebleeds, joined, followed some weeks later by co-member vocalist Phil Rainford and, by the end of February, bassist Tony Bowers arrived from Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias. The line-up was short-lived as Rainford was sacked in July,

The music was unlike anything else performed by post-punk acts at the time. Reilly rooted himself in "new wave" with "...an attempt at experimental things"; the record contained nine gentle guitar instrumentals (later releases occasionally feature Reilly's soft and hesitant vocals) including elements from jazz, folk, classical music and rock. Reilly: "...I had a lot of classical training when I was young, guitar and formal training, the scales I write with and the techniques I use are classical techniques and scales – a lot of minor melodic and minor harmonic scales, which generally aren't used in pop music. Usually it's pentatonic". Hannett's production included adding electronic rhythm and other effects, including birdsong on "Sketch for Summer". The album was accompanied by a flexidisc with two tracks by Hannett alone. The EP Deux Triangles, released in 1982, contained three instrumentals, with piano emphasised over guitar. Another Setting (1983) was again Reilly and Mitchell; in 1984, the band was expanded to include Richard Henry (trombone), Maunagh Fleming (cor anglais and oboe), Blaine Reininger (of Tuxedomoon; violin and viola), Mervyn Fletcher (saxophone), Caroline Lavelle (cello), and Tim Kellett (trumpet). The album Without Mercy, arranged by John Metcalfe, was intended as an instrumental evocation of the poem La Belle Dame sans Merci by John Keats.

Say What You Mean was a departure from roots with the addition of deep electronic percussion. Kellett and Metcalfe remained (Metcalfe playing viola); they also appear alongside Reilly and Mitchell on Circuses and Bread (Factory Benelux in 1985) and Domo Arigato. The latter is a live album recorded in Tokyo and the first pop album released in the UK solely on the relatively new compact disc format (and also available on VHS and LaserDisc.)

Kellett left to join Simply Red, but guested on The Guitar and Other Machines (1987), the first new UK album to be released on Digital Audio Tape (as well as the usual media of LP, audio cassette and CD). The Guitar and Other Machines has a far more direct sound than earlier records, with guest vocals from Stanton Miranda and Reilly's then partner, Pol, and the use of a sequencer and drum machine in addition to Mitchell's drumming. The album was produced by Stephen Street, who also produced Morrissey's solo album Viva Hate (1988), on which Reilly played guitar. Reilly has said he was neither properly credited nor compensated for composing most of the music on Viva Hate.

Vini Reilly (1989), also produced by Reilly and Street, features extensive use of sampling, with looped samples of vocalists (including Otis Redding, Tracy Chapman, Annie Lennox and Joan Sutherland) used as the basis for several tracks. Reilly suffered a stroke in 2011, following which he was left unable to play the guitar the way he did before.

On the 27 May 2026, The Durutti Column announced a new album, titled Renascent, and released a single, titled "Liars".

Discography

  • The Return of the Durutti Column (1980)
  • LC (1981)
  • Another Setting (1983)
  • Without Mercy (1984)
  • Circuses and Bread (1986)
  • The Guitar and Other Machines (1987)
  • Vini Reilly (1989)
  • Obey the Time (1990)
  • Sex and Death (1994)
  • Fidelity (1996)
  • Time Was Gigantic... When We Were Kids (1998)
  • Rebellion (2001)
  • Someone Else's Party (2003)
  • Tempus Fugit (2004)
  • Keep Breathing (2006)
  • Sporadic Three (2007)
  • Idiot Savants (2007)
  • Sunlight to Blue... Blue to Blackness (2008)
  • Love in the Time of Recession (2009)
  • A Paean to Wilson (2010)
  • Short Stories for Pauline (2012)
  • Renascent (2026)

Sources

References

  • – official site
  • [ The Durutti Column] at AllMusic
  • The Durutti Column Gigography
  • CP Lee – official site (including 1968 Greasy Bear photo of Bruce Mitchell with CP Lee and Ian Wilson)