Comus

They predated the noughties 'freak folk' movement by a few decades – and were a hell of a lot freakier, to boot. But if British ensemble Comus's 1971 debut First Utterance would also turn out to be one of their last, that record's demented blend of folk, prog and brink-of-insanity lyrics ensured that it would live on in cult infamy long after the group themselves broke up. This being the 21st century, mind you, there are few bands that manage to stay split-up forever, and when a 2005 boxed set compiling the entire Comus canon rekindled interest in the group, original members Glenn Goring, Roger Wootton and Bobbie Watson decided to reform. They arrive in Japan with an EP of new material on the way (is this wise?), but fans will probably be more eager to hear tracks from that iconic first album.