Severed Heads
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox musical artist Severed Heads were an Australian electronic music group founded in 1979 as Mr and Mrs No Smoking Sign. The original members were Richard Fielding and Andrew Wright, who were soon joined by Tom Ellard. Fielding and Wright had both left the band by mid-1981 with Ellard remaining the sole consistent member for the rest of the band's existence. Throughout the next decade, several musicians joined Severed Heads' ranks, including Garry Bradbury, Simon Knuckey, Stephen Jones and Paul Deering.
In 1984 the band released "Dead Eyes Opened" as a single, which was remixed in 1994 and re-released, reaching No. 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart.<ref name="aria_dead_eyes">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two of their singles, "Greater Reward" (1988) and "All Saints Day" (1989), reached the top 30 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ellard disbanded the group in 2007 and continued with other projects. Subsequent Severed Heads reunions have occurred: in 2010 for a 30th-anniversary concert, in 2011 in support of Gary Numan's tour of Australia, again in 2011 at BimFEST in Antwerp, in 2013 with a gig at the Adelaide Festival of Arts and in September 2015 with a tour of the United States for the first time in more than 20 years. In November 2016, Severed Heads played at the State Library of Victoria as part of Melbourne Music Week and in November 2017 they headlined a one-off double act along with Snog at the Corner Hotel in Richmond, Victoria. Severed Heads announced that they would again disband following headlining shows in September 2019.
HistoryEdit
Early years and independent releases (1979–1982)Edit
In 1979, Richard Fielding and Andrew Wright formed an experimental electronic duo, Mr. & Mrs. No Smoking Sign, in Sydney.<ref name="McFarlane">Template:Cite book</ref> By the end of that year, Tom Ellard joined the group.<ref name="McFarlane"/> The group issued cassette albums, including Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign Go Cruising fer Burgers!<ref name="McFarlane"/> In December 2006, Ellard explained the name change: "[W]e were called Mr. & Mrs. No Smoking Sign, because that was really ugly. Then, we wanted to fool people that we were Industrial and it worked. Severed Heads was a really dumb name, so that's what stuck. Forever. I hate it by the way."<ref name="Jones">Template:Cite news</ref>
The group's early music was characterised by the use of tape loops, noisy arrangements of synthesisers and other dissonant sound sources in the general category of industrial music. Wright departed late in 1979, leaving the duo of Ellard and Fielding to put together the band's early studio offerings, including the A-side of a split album, Ear Bitten/No Vowels, No Bowels, with the B-side by Rhythmyx Chymx.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Deming">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fielding departed the band during the recording of 1981's Clean, leaving much of the work to be completed solely by Ellard.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="Deming"/>
Severed Heads began incorporating various popular music tropes, such as a consistent 4/4 rhythm, strong melodic lines, resolving chord arrangements and Ellard's thin but gently eerie vocals and elliptical, poetic lyrics. This move was underscored by the incorporation of mimetic devices, such as drum machines and bass synthesisers. The result was a striking hybrid of avant-garde industrial and pop. The group moved their live shows from "experimental venues and art spaces to rock clubs",<ref name="Deming"/> and they issued the Blubberknife and 80's Cheesecake albums in 1982 after expanding to include synthesiser player Garry Bradbury and guitarist Simon Knuckey.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="AMG Blubber">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following the release of these albums, Severed Heads were also joined by video expert and musician Stephen Jones.
Major label years and mainstream success (1983–1998)Edit
1983 saw British label Ink Records issue Since the Accident, which was later released by Nettwerk records in North America and Volition Records in Australia. AllMusic's John Bush described the album as not "quite a crossover effort" with the lead single, "Dead Eyes Opened", being "surprisingly melodic synth-pop".<ref name="Bush">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The band's recording deals led to a world tour, which became a multimedia event with the addition of video synthesisers performed by Jones. After the tour, Severed Heads returned to Australia in August 1984.<ref name="Kelson">Template:Cite news</ref> However, this period saw more personnel change for the band. Bradbury had departed during the recording of Since the Accident in 1983 (leaving most of the recording to Ellard) and Knuckey departed soon before the 1984 world tour, so the lineup that went on tour consisted of Ellard, Jones and the newly recruited Paul Deering.
In 1985, Severed Heads issued City Slab Horror, again on Ink Records for the European market.<ref name="McFarlane"/> For this album, Bradbury returned as guest musician and contributed to vocals and songwriting. Clashes with Ellard caused Deering to leave the band in order to continue working with Bradbury. In October that year, Jon Casimir of the Canberra Times described the group as "Australia's most innovative electronic band", which had an "obsession with the ugly and horrific" with music "reminiscent of Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle."<ref name="Casimir">Template:Cite news</ref> Local label Volition compiled international tracks for the local-only album Stretcher in November 1985.<ref name="McFarlane"/> In August the following year, the band followed with Come Visit the Big Bigot.<ref name="McFarlane"/> During that year, Ellard and Jones took Severed Heads on a European and North American tour.<ref name="McFarlane"/> Bad Mood Guy was issued by Volition in October 1987.<ref name="McFarlane"/> The Canberra TimesTemplate:' Kathryn Whitfield felt the group had "gone way beyond experimental" to provide "a commercially viable product" while Ellard reflected "we have just worked carefully and solidly in an area that we think is good".<ref name="Whitfield">Template:Cite news</ref>
Severed Heads peaked at No. 19 in the United States on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart in 1988 with the 12-inch single "Greater Reward", which later appeared on the album Rotund for Success, issued in October 1989.<ref name="McFarlane"/><ref name="AMG Charts">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album included several remixes by Sydney-based producer Robert Racic, who produced tracks for the band through the late 1980s and early 1990s and contributed to their sound.<ref name="McFarlane"/> Another single to make the Billboard chart was "All Saints Day" in 1989, which reached No. 25.<ref name="AMG Charts"/>
In 1989, Nettwerk and Volition re-released Since the Accident and City Slab Horror, each with tracks from Blubberknife, for the first time on CD. The releases were cut from the original masters resulting in superior quality compared to the original Ink Records releases which Ellard later remarked were "cut from a tape of a tape".<ref name="ap-5-30-1990" />
In 1992, one year after the release of Cuisine (With Piscatorial), Jones left the band, leaving Ellard as the group's sole official member. Nettwerk did not renew its contract with the band, leaving Severed Heads adrift in the marketplace. Ellard sought out another label for his next release, Gigapus, in 1994, which was released on Volition in Australia and Decibel Records in the US. Around this time, the band had a major Australian hit with a remixed version of "Dead Eyes Opened", which samples Edgar Lustgarten reading from Death on the Crumbles. Both Volition and Decibel soon folded, and once again, Severed Heads were unaligned with the traditional music industry, and they did not fully own the rights to their music. This changed in 1998 when Sony Music released claims to Volition material.
Later years and subsequent releases (1999–2007)Edit
With his music back in his hands, Ellard began developing an independent music system, entirely Internet-based, at sevcom.com. During the early 2000s, Ellard developed several innovative products, such as the Sevcom Music Server, a subscription-based ambient music distribution system.
Ellard has worked on a side project, Coklacoma, that released a few albums in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By 2004, he was heavily involved with developing video but increasingly felt that the Severed Heads label was a thing of the past, and in 2008 opted to jettison the name. Ellard also worked extensively during the 1990s with other Sydney-based electronic musicians and groups such as Paul Mac (of Itch-E and Scratch-E) and Boxcar, former alumni of the now-defunct Volition label, as well as with the Lab.
Dissolutions and reunions (2008–2019)Edit
In early 2008, Ellard announced that Severed Heads were now defunct and that no further creative output would be released under the name. However, the band was reformed by Ellard and new member and longtime friend Stewart Lawler for a 30th-anniversary show on 14 January 2010 as part of the annual Sydney Festival, and in May 2011 the group supported Gary Numan in a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of Numan's album The Pleasure Principle. In a May 2011 interview, Tom Ellard explained: "Some people thought it was a bit rude of me to just shut it down without a proper farewell tour and so we decided we would drag it out just one more time and say our toodly-doodly's."<ref name="numan">Tom Ellard (Severed Heads) interview: 2011, 9 May 2011, Guestlisted blog</ref> On 22 October 2011, Severed Heads played what was intended to be their final performance in Australia Joan Sutherland Centre, Promotional material at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre. At BimFEST 2011 in Antwerp,<ref name="bimfest2011">BimFEST 2011 program</ref> they performed what was billed as their "absolutely final" performance as Severed Heads.<ref name="absolutelyfinal">Ellard blog regarding his final gig</ref> However, Ellard and Lawler performed what was again intended to be a final gig at the Queen's Theatre during the Adelaide Festival of Arts in 2013, a concert that was recorded by Australian Broadcasting Corporation.<ref name="ADLArtsFestABC">Watch Tom Ellard and Severed Heads Live at Adelaide Festival</ref>
Since 2014, several older Severed Heads albums have been released on vinyl via Medical Records and Dark Entries, such as Since the Accident and City Slab Horror. 2016 saw the release of the Beautiful Arabic Surface 10" acetate dub plate, which contained the first newly recorded Severed Heads tracks since their announced hiatus in 2008. The single was released through Bughlt Records in a limited edition of 45 copies.
Renewed interest in the band resulted in a seven-date American tour in September 2015, their first performances in the United States in over 20 years.<ref name="2015 tour">Severed Heads touring in September, including 1st NYC show in 25 years + Chicago's Cold Waves fest w/ Godflesh & more, 21 April 2015, Brooklyn Vegan</ref> Following these tour dates, the project remained active with new recordings, further reissues and live performances.
Severed Heads again split up after a string of headlining shows in the US in September 2019. On the band's Bandcamp page selling the Living Museum live compilation, they stated: "The 2019 shows were the last bye bye for Severed Heads in Australia, Europe and the USA, and we thank all the people who came out to see us off. We look forward to 2020 and new nilamox* STUFF."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
InfluenceEdit
Vancouver-based industrial band Skinny Puppy was influenced by early Severed Heads material. A relationship was formed between the bands which led to Severed Heads being signed to Nettwerk Records and a joint 1986 North American tour. Tom Ellard was known to have participated in some of the band's "brap" sessions, leading to production and performance credits on the Skinny Puppy songs "Assimilate" and "Chainsaw" (on Bites and the Chainsaw single, respectively.)<ref name="ap-5-30-1990">Template:Cite journal</ref>
PersonnelEdit
MembersEdit
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
- Final lineup
- Tom Ellard - vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesisers, electronic percussion (1979–2008, 2010–2011, 2013, 2015–2019)
- Stewart Lawler - synthesisers (2010–2011, 2013, 2015–2019)
- Former members
- Richard Fielding - synthesisers (1979–1981)
- Andrew Wright - synthesisers (1979)
- Garry Bradbury - synthesisers, electronic percussion, vocals (1982–1983; guest musician - 1984–1985)
- Simon Knuckey - guitars (1982–1984)
- Stephen Jones - synthesisers, video synthesisers (1982–1992)
- Paul Deering - synthesisers (1984–1985)
TimelineEdit
<timeline> ImageSize = width:1200 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:10 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1978 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1980 Scaleminor = increment:1 start:1979
Colors =
id:synths value:green legend:Synthesizers id:vocals value:pink legend:Vocals id:guitar value:blue legend:Guitar id:video value:yellow legend:Video_Synths
BarData =
bar:Wright text:"Andrew Wright" bar:Fielding text:"Richard Fielding" bar:Ellard text:"Thomas Ellard" bar:Bradbury text:"Garry Bradbury" bar:Knuckey text:"Simon Knuckey" bar:Jones text:"Stephen Jones" bar:Deering text:"Paul Deering" bar:Lawler text:"Stewart Lawler"
PlotData=
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Fielding from:01/01/1979 till:30/06/1981 color:synths bar:Wright from:01/01/1979 till:31/12/1979 color:synths bar:Ellard from:01/07/1979 till:31/12/2008 color:synths bar:Ellard from:01/01/2010 till:31/12/2011 color:synths bar:Ellard from:01/01/2013 till:31/12/2013 color:synths bar:Ellard from:01/01/2015 till:end color:synths bar:Ellard from:01/07/1979 till:31/12/2008 color:vocals width:3 bar:Ellard from:01/01/2010 till:31/12/2011 color:vocals width:3 bar:Ellard from:01/01/2013 till:31/12/2013 color:vocals width:3 bar:Ellard from:01/01/2015 till:end color:vocals width:3 bar:Bradbury from:01/01/1982 till:31/12/1983 color:synths bar:Bradbury from:01/01/1982 till:31/12/1983 color:vocals width:3 bar:Knuckey from:01/05/1982 till:31/12/1984 color:guitar bar:Jones from:01/09/1982 till:31/12/1992 color:synths bar:Jones from:01/09/1982 till:31/12/1992 color:video width:3 bar:Deering from:01/01/1984 till:30/06/1985 color:synths bar:Lawler from:01/01/2010 till:31/12/2011 color:synths bar:Lawler from:01/01/2013 till:31/12/2013 color:synths bar:Lawler from:01/01/2015 till:end color:synths
</timeline>
LineupsEdit
| 1979 (Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign) |
1979 | 1979-1981 | 1981-1982 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| 1982 | 1982 | 1982-1983 | 1983-1984 |
|
|
|
|
| 1984-1985 | 1985-1992 | 1992-2008 | 2008-2010 |
|
|
|
Disbanded |
| 2010-2011 | 2011-2013 | 2013 | 2013-2015 |
|
Disbanded |
|
Disbanded |
| 2015–2019 | |||
|
DiscographyEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
- Ear Bitten/No Vowels, No Bowels (1980)
- Side 2 (1980)
- Clean (1981)
- Blubberknife (1982)
- Since the Accident (1983)
- City Slab Horror (1985)
- Come Visit the Big Bigot (1986)
- Bad Mood Guy (1987)
- Rotund for Success (1989)
- Cuisine (With Piscatorial) (1991)
- Gigapus (1994)
- Haul Ass (1998)
- Contoured Simulation (1998)
- Airconditioning Your Productivity (1999)
- Gashing and Kato (2001)
- Op1.0 (2002)
- Cubical Broadcasts (2002)
- Controlling Time (2003)
- Op2.0 (2004)
- Op2.5 - Millennium Cheesecake (2005)
- Under Gail Succubus (2006)
- Op3.0 (2007)
Awards and nominationsEdit
ARIA Music AwardsEdit
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony held by the Australian Recording Industry Association. They commenced in 1987. Template:Awards table ! Template:Abbr |- | 2005 | The Illustrated Family Doctor | Best Original Cast or Show Album | Template:Won | <ref name="OST">ARIA Award previous winners. {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> |-
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