The Curfew

The Curfew is a fictional band whose various members appear in science fiction author William Gibson's novels Spook Country (2007) and Zero History (2010).

While the details of the band's history are left mainly to the reader's imagination, Gibson supplies us with enough information to conclude that the group was likely active in the late 1980s and/or the early 1990s. Their sound was probably rooted in post-punk and goth with pop melodies, and while fairly popular in underground circles, they never had a major hit song. However, one of their singles, "Box 1 of 1," was a minor hit in the US and UK after it was licensed for use in a television advertisement.

The Curfew split in a state of acrimony after the fatal heroin overdose of bassist Jimmy Carlyle.

Band Members

Hollis Henry - Lead vocals; Hollis features as the main character in both Spook Country and Zero History. After the Curfew's breakup, Hollis went on to work as a freelance agent for billionaire businessman Hubertus Bigend and to self-publish a book of photographs of hotel rooms that she took during the Curfew's last tour.

Reg Inchmale - Guitar; Inchmale is a peripheral figure who drifts in and out of the stories as a kind of "deus ex machina." He provides Hollis with moral support and information on a wide range of subjects. Reg appears in both Spook Country and Zero History.

Heidi Hyde - Drums; Heidi appears as a sidekick character to Hollis in Zero History. Hyde joins Hollis in London, leaving her ex-husband behind in Los Angeles after a bitter divorce. If Hollis represents the Curfew's emotions, and Inchmale its intellect, then Heidi is its muscle--her raw physicality wavers between attractive and intimidating.

Jimmy Carlyle - Bass; not much is known about Carlyle, outside of the fact that he is a native Iowan and that his death (attributed to a heroin overdose) precipitated the Curfew's split.