Biography
The Black Market Opera is a post-punk/indie rock band from the Philly area. Band members are vocalist/guitarist John Madeley, lead guitarist TJ Wark, Wayne Gierman on drums & new member Brazilian/Philly based bassist Leo de Menezes.
The band started as After The Fall in 2004 and was one of the predominant bands in the Philadelphia area indie rock revival scenes in the early-to-mid 2000's. Influenced by bands such as Joy Division, The Cure and Placebo, After The Fall were local fixtures at Philly clubs such as The Northstar Bar and The Trocadero as well as making regular appearances at many clubs in NYC including Kenny's Castaways and The Bitter End.
Founding members John Madeley on vocals/guitar, TJ Wark on lead guitar, Erik Urban on bass, and Wayne Gierman on drums were at the forefront of the local new wave of indie rock that catapulted bands like Interpol, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Killers to international acclaim.
Urban and Gierman left to pursue family and careers and Wark left to follow other projects. Madeley kept the band going with a series of talented musicians until 2015 when the band retired shortly after the recordings of Burlington and The Flood, which were released independently a few years later.
In 2020, the four original members got together for the first time in over a decade and this reunion led to comeback appearances at festivals. Erik once again left, and the band continued on as The Black Market Opera with Leo de Menezes as their new bassist.
