Catatonia (band)

Catatonia were an alternative rock band from Wales who gained popularity in the mid to late 1990s. The band's classic line-up consisted of Cerys Matthews on vocals, Mark Roberts on guitar, Paul Jones on bass (both former members of Sherbet Antlers and Y Cyrff), Owen Powell on guitar, and Aled Richards on drums. ^[1]

Formation

Initially the line up fluctuated, at various times including Clancy Pegg (later of Tystion) on keyboards, Daisy Hewitt as a harmony singer, Dafydd Ieuan and Kris Jenkins (of Super Furry Animals) on drums and percussion, before settling down to the "classic" line up in 1995.

It is rumoured that Matthews and Roberts first met in Cardiff when she was busking. They hit it off and began writing songs together in 1992. For four years after this they were also in a relationship, many aspects of this being played out publicly in their lyrics.^[2]

The couple came across the word catatonia, believing it to mean a sense of extreme pleasure and sleep, and the band was subsequently originally called 'Sweet Catatonia'. On discovering the real meaning of the word (i.e. a psychiatric symptom of certain mental disorders) they dropped the prefix 'sweet'.^[3]

Sound

Catatonia increasingly tried to make their songs accessible to a broader audience, shying away from their indie beginnings to embrace a pop sound.

Welsh music

The chorus of the (mostly Welsh) song "International Velvet" declared "Every day when I wake up, I thank the Lord I'm Welsh." This, they insisted, should not be taken too seriously, as they are more internationalists than nationalists (hence the name of their 1998 release, International Velvet). Catatonia released five Welsh tracks – "International Velvet" being one of two to appear on a UK album. "Gyda Gwên" was a hidden track on their debut album, Way Beyond Blue. The others appeared as B-sides and on EP collections.

Success

After their rise to fame with their second album International Velvet, and subsequent success with third release Equally Cursed And Blessed, they returned in 2001 with their fourth studio album Paper Scissors Stone. During promotional appearances for this album it became clear that Matthews was not coping well with the increased pressure, suffering from anxiety and nervous exhaustion, which resulted in the cancellation of several tour dates, and a deterioration in the relationships between the band members. On 21 September 2001, the band officially split.

Solo career

Matthews went on to release her first solo album, Cockahoop, in May 2003. Her second album Never Said Goodbye was released in August 2006. In November 2007 she released a mini-album of Welsh language songs Awyren=Aeroplane on the My Kung Fu label. Matthews returned in late 2009 as the first recording artist to release albums simultaneously in both Welsh and English (Paid Edrych I Lawr and Don't Look Down, respectively). At the same time she released her "Moon Songs" EP, featuring four English-language tracks which were recorded in the Don't Look Down sessions, but did not make that album's track listing.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles and EPs

• ¹ – The A-side being "Blow the Millennium, Blow".

Miscellaneous / promos

• "Tourist" (Japan EP) – 1996
• "A's & B's of Catatonia" (Promo EP) – 1998

Bibliography

In September 2000, a biography of the band by David Owens entitled Cerys, Catatonia & The Rise of Welsh Pop (ISBN 0-09-187412-2) was released in the UK (sometimes listed as Catatonia – Enter The Dragon, which was the working title).

Another book, To Hell and Back with Catatonia (ISBN 0-946719-36-5), was released on 1 June 2001, written by Brian Wright.

References

• David Roberts, ed. (2002). Guinness World Records British Hit Singles (15th ed.). Guinness World Records. 

External links

• Karaoke Queen A Spanish page with band biography, discography, media, polls and other info.
• Catatonia discography at Discogs
• New Bonhomie A Catatonia site with news, biography, lyrics, discography and other info.
• News report on the breakup of the band

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