Creaming Jesus were an English band, influenced by
gothic rock
Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...
,
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
, who formed in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. Formed in 1987, their original line up was Andy (vocals) Lil (vocals) Tally (bass) Roy (drums) Lindy (drums) and Paul (guitar). Their original sound was a wall of percussive noise (two drummers and a drum machine),
Slayer
Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...
type thrash metal guitars and screamed vocals.
Lil left after their third gig, and now runs Household Name Records, a London punk/hardcore record label, and All Ages Records in Camden, London.
Career
The band's first release was a track on the ''House of Dolls'' fanzine covermounted 7" single.
They then self-released the 12" EP ''Nailed Up For Nothing'', before being signed to
Jungle Records
Jungle Records is a British independent record label formed in 1982, specialising in punk rock, post punk, gothic and alternative releases.
From 1982 to 1986 they were also active as a record distributor and were associate members of the Car ...
of London, who re-released the EP and put them in the studio to record two further EPs, ''Mug'' and ''Bark'' (which included a cover version of
the Cure
The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith has re ...
's '
A Forest
"A Forest" is a song by the English rock band The Cure. Co-produced by Mike Hedges and the band's Robert Smith, it was released as a single from the band's second album ''Seventeen Seconds'' on 28 March 1980. It was their debut entry on the ...
')
Guitarist Paul Scanlan left following the release of their first three 12" EPs, and joined the Satanic metal band
Akercocke
Akercocke are an English extreme metal band from London, formed in 1997 by Jason Mendonça and David Gray. The band also features Paul Scanlan and Nathanael Underwood.
History
Akercocke's first album, '' Rape of the Bastard Nazarene'', was sel ...
The group then recruited Richard and Mario as guitarists, and Des replaced Lindy on drums, to produce their most enduring line up.
In 1990, Creaming Jesus went on tour with
Fields of the Nephilim
Fields of the Nephilim are an English gothic rock band formed in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in 1984. The band's name refers to a Biblical race of angel-human hybrids known as the Nephilim.
Career Early years (1984–1991)
Fields of the Nep ...
to coincide with their debut album ''Too Fat To Run, Too Stupid To Hide''. The band returned almost immediately to the studio to record two more singles, "Deadtime" and "Ditchdweller V". Their second album, ''Guilt By Association'', produced by Brian Chuck New, remained in the indie charts for months, as they toured the country.
Following the departure of Des, who was replaced by percussionist Roger, a further session yielded the original ''Headrush'' E.P. which coincided with a full four-week UK tour. They also toured extensively throughout Europe and Scandinavia, and were one of the first UK bands to play in the newly independent country of (what was)
. Overseas demand led to their first three singles being compiled for an album ''It's Dance Magic''.
For their third album, the band took time off from touring to prepare the new material and after much planning recorded with
Dave Fridmann
David Lawrence Fridmann is an American record producer and musician.
Career
From 1990 onwards he co-produced most releases by Mercury Rev and The Flaming Lips. Other bands he has worked with include Weezer, Saxon Shore, Neon Indian, Wolf Gang, ...
of
Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev is an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were as producer in Sweetfish, an isolated converted barn in upstate New York. They had met when Creaming Jesus and Mercury Rev toured the UK and Europe together on Mercury Rev's first ever dates in Europe. The result of this session being the album ''Chaos for the Converted'' (1994), preceded by the single "Hamburg", their style evolving away from the relentless industrial gothic thrash of their previous releases to explore a more experimental psychedelic sound.
The band's final performance in 1994 was at the Venue in New Cross, South London, a gig which was recorded and later released by Jungle Records under the title ''End of an Error''. By this time their sound was further augmented by the addition of violin player Ffion, who now plays in the band Pronghorn.
The track "Reptile" from the ''Guilt...'' album made an appearance in an episode of the TV series, ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...
''.
Related projects
Singer Andy went on to play in extreme noise band, Ridiculous, with members of Headbutt and The Homage Freaks; releasing one track on the first Household Name records release. He then produced music under various pseudonyms including Armchair Generals, The Master (Hubcap Decorator Trilogy) and Filtrum (Sad Robot Happy Robot). He is now a member of Giant Paw and touring with comedian Andrew O'Neill with their
steampunk
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or ...
band The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing.
Roy and Roger went on to set up Noise Management and Noise Merchandise
Guitarist Richard Corden went on the play with Star 69 who relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1995.
Discography
* ''Nailed Up for Nothing EP'' (12") Jungle Records 1989
* ''Mug EP'' EP (12") Jungle Records 1989
* ''Bark EP'' EP (12") Jungle Records 1990
* ''Too Fat to Run, Too Stupid to Hide'' (LP) Jungle Records 1990
* ''Dead Time'' EP (12") (CD, Maxi) Jungle Records 1991
* ''Ditch Dweller V...The Story Continues'' (CD, Maxi) Jungle Records 1991
* ''Guilt by Association'' (CD, Album) Jungle Records 1992
* ''Headrush'' (CD, EP) Jungle Records 1992
* ''Hamburg EP'' (CD/EP)
* ''Chaos for the Converted'' (LP) Jungle Records 1994
* ''End of an Error'' (LP) Jungle Records 1994
Tracks appear on:
* Untitled (7") Jessie The God House of Dolls 1988
* ''New Alternatives'' (LP) Hungerford Nightbreed Recordings 1990
* ''Gothic Rock'' (CD) Reptile Jungle Records 1992
* ''Gothic Rock'' (2xLP, Gat) Reptile Jungle Records 1992
* ''Gothic Rock 1'' (2xCD) Reptile Cleopatra 1993
* ''The Whip'' (2xCD) Upside Down Jungle Records 1993
* ''Gothic Rock 2'' (3xLP, Gat) Celebrity Cannibalism ... Jungle Records 1995
* ''Gothic Rock 2 – 80's into 90's'' (2xCD) Celebrity Cannibalism ... Jungle Records 1995
* ''Gothic Rock 2: 80's into 90's'' (2xCD) Celebrity Cannibalism ... Cleopatra 1995
* ''Flesh, Fangs & Filigree'' (3xCD) The Skinny Head Fuck Dressed To Kill 1996
* ''Flesheaters: The Return of the Undead'' (3xCD + Box) I Lost My Faith Dressed To Kill 1996
* ''Punks on Drugs!'' (CD) Smoke (Skin Up For Jesus) Antidote (3) 1997
* ''Zwischenfall – From The 80's to the 90's Vol. 2'' (2xCD) A Forest Subtronic Records 1997
* ''Gothic Erotica'' (6xCD) The Skinny Head Fuck, ... Dressed To Kill 1998
* ''Gothic Rock 3 – Black on Black – Best of 80's Collection'' (2xCD) A Forest Cleopatra 1998
* ''Gothic Rock 3 – Black on Black – Best of 80's Collection'' (2xCD) A Forest Jungle Records 1998
* ''Undead: A Gothic Masterpiece'' (3xCD + Box) Upside Down Dressed To Kill 1999
* ''Gothic Party Time'' (CD) Temple Of Love, A Forest Jungle Records 2005
* ''The Goth Anthology'' (3xCD + Box) Blind Metro Triples 2006