At the centre of British symphonic prog rockers IO Earth is a songwriting partnership that has been carefully cultivated for over 30 years. It began when guitarist Dave Cureton and keyboard frequenting multi- instrumentalist Adam Gough were just doe-eyed 11-year-olds. IO Earth was founded as their outlet for creativity, which since day one has taken their melodies through a raft of styles and subgenres. Many musicians have joined them on their forays, both on tour and in the studio, but the songwriting team of Cureton and Gough have remained the band’s centre of gravity and creative directors.
“I’ve known Adam since secondary school, and I’m 45 now. That’s quite a long time, right?” Dave Cureton scratches his chin as he reflects on those intervening years, which have seen the pair play across continents and release six studio albums together – not including the stripped-down Acoustic Vol 1 and Cureton’s own solo record State Of Mind, which Gough also co-produced. “It’s true as well that we never really have any cross words. We never disagree with each other. If someone is very passionate about a certain idea, we just roll with it because they obviously really want to do it that way and we trust each other.”
