Screaming Dead
| Screaming Dead | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Punk rock, horror punk, Deathrock, Gothic rock, Post-punk |
| Years active | 1980–1985, 1997–1999 |
| Labels | Skull Records, No Future Records, Angel |
| Past members |
Sam Bignall Mal Page Mark Ogilvie Nick Upton |
Screaming Dead were a punk band from Cheltenham formed in 1980, who have often been characterized as "horror punk". They released several singles and e.p.'s with indie chart success, before splitting up in 1985. They reformed in 1997 and disbanded again in 1999.
History
The band was formed by the former singer with The Waste, Simon ("Sam") Bignall, bass guitarist Mal Page, and drummer Mark Ogilvie. The band built up a strong local following which spread further afield with coverage in fanzines such as Rising Free and sales of their demo tape. They followed their first tape with a more formal release, the Children of the Boneyard Stones cassette, which came with a badge and a copy of the band's own fanzine, Warcry.[1] They then self-financed their debut vinyl release, the "Valley of the Dead" single, initially released on their own Skull Records label, but when it sold out its first pressing within a week it was picked up by No Future records. The band's next release, the "Night Creatures" 12-inch single, saw them break into the UK Indie Chart, reaching number 22 in September 1983.[2] While the band were at times tagged as Goths, the label was rejected by Bignall, who stated "Screaming Dead were a punk rock band, there's no doubt about that! We had a bit of an interest in the horror theme, and that was how we decided to present ourselves."[1] For their next release, the band recorded a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black" which was also an indie hit, and was recorded as a tribute of sorts to Brian Jones who is buried in their hometown of Cheltenham.[1] In 1984, taking inspiration from X-Ray Spex, the band recruited saxophonist Nick Upton, the band also signing to Nine Mile Records, who issued their last two releases on the Angel label.[1] The change in sound lost a lot of fans, and with interest in punk rock declining, the band split up in 1985.
As of 2014, under the leadership of Sam Bignall, Screaming Dead are currently reformed as a hardcore Punk Outfit, consisting of original drummer - Hugh Fairley, Bassist - Mal Page, Vocalist - Sam Bignall and a mystery Punk Superstar Guitarist. The present incarnation does not contain any other previous members, such as Tony McCormack\McKormack, Mark Ogilvie or Simon Warner.
Discography
Chart placings from the UK Indie Chart[2]
Singles, EPs
- "Valley of the Dead" 7" (1982), Skull - reissued by No Future.. Tracks..Valley of the Dead, Schoolgirl junkie, Lilith.
- "Nigh Creatures" 12" (1983), No Future (#22).Tracks..Night creatures, Angel of Death, Necroaria, 20th Century Vampire.
- "Paint It Black" 7" (1984), No Future (#38).. Tracks..Paint if Black, Warriors.
- The Danse Macabre Collection 12" (1984), Angel (#31) Tracks..the Lovers, Serenade of suicide, the Night, Sister Crow.
- "A Dream of Yesterday" (1985), Angel (#42) Tracks..A Dream of Yesterday, Jonnie the Bastard, Tower of Babel.
Albums
- Children of the Boneyard Stones (cassette-only) (1982), Recreational Tapes. The entire cassette was re-released as a 7" e.p. on Queer Pills Records, USA, in September 2011.
- Bring Out Yer Dead (1993), Angel
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Glasper, Ian (2004) Burning Britain: The History of UK Punk 1980 - 1984, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 978-1-901447-24-8, p.40-43
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p.198