Citizen Cain is a British progressive rock band. The band was formed in London in 1984, but has its true roots in Scotland. The original line-up was formed by George Scott, nicknamed Cyrus. They gained some access to the club circuit, including a few gigs at the Marquee Club. Cyrus also played bass guitar, but following a road accident, he had to give up the bass. The band did look for a new bassist, but were unable to find one. In 1988, the band split up. Cyrus returned to his native Scotland. There, he reconnected with an old friend, Frank Kennedy, who had gathered a small band around him but was still looking for a singer. Citizen Cain got back on their feet. They initially gained a foothold in the Netherlands. The Netherlands took a shine to this band, who played retro-progressive rock from the early days of Genesis, with Marillion as their inspiration. The magazine SI Music, which also released CDs, subsequently released their first album, Serpents in Camouflage. Given the similarity to the music of Genesis and Marillion, it was described as Selling England for a Jester’s Tear!
Prog Archives review: “Do you believe in reincarnation? I do, if you don’t believe me, just listen to Citizen Cain and especially this album “Somewhere But Yesterday” and tell me if they are not a complete reincarnation of early Genesis. Amazing album with a complete resemblance in composition, musical performance and voice to Genesis. Cyrus has a similar tone of voice to Peter Gabriel, and Stuart Bell plays completely similar to Tony Banks. The album itself has impressive passages, completely symphonic prog, some tracks are long and with a lot of progressive movements, that’s why Citizen Cain is a band that should be listened, especially for those Genesis fans.
