Circu5 [sur-kuh-five] is a British band blending contemporary guitar-driven rock with evocative songwriting and storytelling. Founded as a solo project by Steve Tilling, Circu5’s self-titled debut album featured performances from musicians including Dave Gregory (XTC). Clockwork Tulpa is Circu5’s second album (and first as a full band), featuring Steve Tilling (vocals, guitar), Mark Kilminster (bass, vocals), Lee Moulding (drums, vocals) and Paul New (guitar, vocals).

Underpinning Circu5’s music is the story of a top-secret British experimental research group (Circu5) established in the early 1970s. The group aimed to eradicate psychopathy from society, create a law-abiding society, and harness positive psychopathic traits in experimental subjects to benefit the UK's corporate, political and military ambitions.

The debut album examines ‘Grady': a man raised in Circu5 until the age of three (when memories begin to form) to encourage psychopathic traits, then placed in a loving adoptive family to induce positive behaviours.

The second album, Clockwork Tulpa, picks up the story where Grady is homeless and wandering the countryside. He's discovered and taken in by a renegade group of fellow ex-Circu5 subjects (Circu5 Freaks) who try to indoctrinate him into becoming their new leader. Their goal is to shut down Circu5 and assassinate everyone connected to the organisation.

The story is a metaphor for various themes, such as overcoming negative past experiences, breaking the cycle of abuse, and retaining critical-thinking skills to resist cults and conspiratorial mindsets.