The Conscience Pilate

Formed in 1995 in Toronto, Canada, by bassist Edward Pond, singer/guitarist Neil Leyton and drummer Joe Mohan, TCP quickly endeared themselves on the Toronto live circuit by shunning the grunge flavour of the times in favour of an early 70s Bowie/Roxy Music look and a brit-pop sound. The band disbanded in 1998 after a few line-up changes and their critically acclaimed "Living in a Movie Scene" debut.

With Pond and Leyton as its driving songwriting force, The Conscience Pilate released a debut 12" vinyl single, Never for You, on their own label, shortly after the group was formed, and were packing Toronto venues inside of 6 months with a string of cassette singles, a growing fanclub, and their debut EP's media splash.

In November 1995 Eye Weekly writer C.J. O'Connor featured the band in his column, indie eye. "Rebel Rebel, burning bright" marked the beginning of constant support from C.J. and Toronto's funky eye weekly magazine: "Shorn-headed sneaker types, prepare to meet your betters. The all-destroying silky-suede fop explosion is set to blast your ill-clad ilk back to rec-room hell and it calls itself The Conscience Pilate." Neil further upset the drab Toronto establishment by talking about audience members' fear of all things glam, his wild stage moves, and the "vintage Ziggy Stardust sexual anguish".

Stacey Straye, ex-guitarist for Sassy Scarlet, joined The Conscience Pilate in October of 1996, replacing Jeff Ogden the week before Joe Mohan quit as drummer. Kevin Taylor, an old friend of Stacey's, was swiftly brought in as TCP's new drummer and the new line-up debut at the Vox, December 13th 1996. Access editor Sean Plummer interviewed the new line-up for its feature "Canada's best new bands". The same week, the band went into the studio for pre-production of their second record, The Sunday Refugees, (December ‘96-January ‘97).

In August, The Conscience Pilate headlined the Orange Alert compilation CD release party at the Reverb in Toronto. Orange Alert, an artist collective started by TCP alongside Mark Holmes and Nancy Despot, drew approximately 2000 people to both floors of the Reverb to the event that ranked one of the best parties of the year by Now Magazine's Rosie Levine. Unfortunately, it was also Edward's last show with the band, as he chose to pursue a career in photography.

Leyton's TCP released one last single, Fires of the Heart, in early 1998 prior to Leyton disbanding the group. Ironically, Leyton and Pond later reunited as guitarist and bassist in the power pop group Galore. Pond is now a commercial photographer, and Leyton enjoys an independent music career that has taken him back to Europe.