London rockers GLASS DARKLY have a serious vision for full-on ministry, as Tony Cummings reports.

Glass Darkly are a rock five pice from Bermondsey, south east London, who've been building a sizeable fan base for their gritty, gospel rock. Their debut album 'Lost Persons Area' was released in October and now the band have a new line-up - David Painter (vocals, guitars), Martyn Casserly (lead guitar), Tim Ebenezer (keys), Graham Walker (bass) and Jamfool (drums - I believe his name is actually Clive Matthew but recognising drummers as a breed apart the Cross Rhythms chroniclers will make no further comment). To get the plain, unblemished facts, I threw some questions as the band.

Glass Darkly formed during the last weeks of 1999 and played their first gig on Millennium night. The lineup was slightly different back then, with Dave and Martyn being accompanied by Billy Brown (drums), Darren Kennedy (bass) and Esther Sharmer (keys). Remember David and Martyn, "The early years were something of a rollercoaster for us as the line-up changed four times and new songs came thick and fast. By 2002 we were getting more profile gigs and later that year GD beat off hundreds of hopefuls to win the Premier Radio Song Search Competition with a song called 'Perfect Love'."

Gigs increased in size during 2003 with the biggest being a support slot for Yfriday at the ID Event in Tunbridge Wells in front of over 700 people. Early 2004 was spent developing songs and recording a new demo mixed by Mike Sandeman of Phatfish. A busy summer schedule followed: highlights included a week in Sheffield as the resident youth band at the Cliff College festival, and a week-long tour of Guernsey that included performances in local schools, an outdoor gig and a live appearance on BBC Radio. In late 2004 the band entered the Ultimate Showcase competition, pitching them against the best of the UK's unsigned Christian artists. GD's driving rock track "More Than A Song" earned them a place in the regional semi-finals in early 2005 where they won the audience vote on the night for best band. The majority of the rest of 2005 was spent recording, mixing and mastering 'Lost Persons Area', the long-awaited debut album, which was released in October 2005.

The recording of the album was a far from easy experience as David and Martyn recount. "The drums on 'Lost Persons Area' were recorded at ICC studios in Eastbourne, with Pete Luzinsky, in October 2004. David had to leave half way through the weekend as his two year-old son Eli was taken to hospital after suffering a series of convulsions. In fact the whole recording history of the band has been plagued with illnesses, technical problems and strange occurrences. Previous attempts to record the album saw a mixing desk blow up in a studio the day we were due to record; the council removing a recording licence from a studio; a faculty of a University that had offered to record the band being laid off; two Motu preamps breaking down in two days, stopping a session; hard disk crashes that wiped several days' work; and a strange fault developing on one recording where the vocals faded in and out throughout the tracks!"

Despite all the recording difficulties the band are pleased with 'Lost Persons Area'. One particularly positive response came from an unexpected quarter. Remember David and Martyn, "While we were in Guernsey towards the end of 2005, we were given a prophetic word by one of the elders of the church we were staying with. He said that our album would be the "nearest thing that some people have to a Bible" in their homes. This confirmed to us that God wants to use us not only to bless the Church, but also to impact the lives of those who don't yet know him." One song on the album, "More Than A Song", really captures the band's spiritual vision. Says its composer Martyn, "This song has changed drastically since we originally played it. We worked hard on the arrangement during the recording process and I think that most of our musical influences are evident here at some point or another. The lyrics encapsulate the vision of the band. King David was described by God as having a heart after his own and this is what we want more than anything. In the chorus, 'Most of all I want a heart that gives you joy, more than a song,' we're basically saying that pleasing God is more important to us than our ambitions with the band."

Another powerful number on the album is "I Can Hear". David wrote most of the lyrics when he was 16. He remembers, "Martyn came up with the riff while we were preparing for our first ever gig and I started singing the words over the top and they just fit. It is a prophetic song inspired by a group of guys who came to Stoneleigh Bible week with my dad's church back in the mid-'90s. There were five of them and they had been allowed out of drug-rehab for the week so that they could attend. They were all addicts who had led gangster-like lifestyles and were as hard as nails. By the end of the week all five were saved and I have a lasting memory of watching them standing in the aisles with their hands raised worshipping God. It was surreal but amazing nonetheless. The line 'You have called the weak and the broken; I can hear their song' was written with this experience still fresh in my mind."

The band finished 2005 with a week long tour of Guernsey and have subsequently appeared on Mike Rimmer's Rimmerama programme on Cross Rhythms radio and The Dream on God TV. 2006 saw the new line-up established with Tim and Jamfool joining the ranks. The new Glass Darkly debuted with a gig in Bangor, Wales supporting Superhero. David and Martyn are excited about the new line-up and the opportunities still opening for Glass Darkly. "The writing of the second album is already underway, with some new material that we are very excited about. We've already invested in more recording equipment and are looking forward to working on the songs during the next few months. The ministry and vision of the band is tied into our name. Glass Darkly comes from the KJV translation of 1 Cor 13:12: 'Now we only see God in part, as if looking through a glass, darkly, but that we will see him one day face-to-face and then we will behold his entire glory.' The band's passionately held vision is to show people a glimpse of God's glory through our songs and lives."