Catatonia (band)
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Catatonia were an
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band from
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
who gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s. The band formed in 1992 after Mark Roberts met
Cerys Matthews Cerys Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews programmes an ...
and Kirsty Kennedy. The first major lineup featured
Dafydd Ieuan Dafydd Ieuan (born 1 March 1969) is a Welsh musician and producer, best known as the drummer with the band Super Furry Animals, The Peth and The Earth (band). Ieuan played with Gruff Rhys in their early band Ffa Coffi Pawb. He was a drummer f ...
of
Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian Ciaran ...
on drums, Paul Jones on bass, and Clancy Pegg on keyboards. With this line-up the band recorded two EPs, ''
For Tinkerbell ''For Tinkerbell'' is the debut extended play by Welsh band Catatonia, and also their first release. It features five tracks, some of which were later re-recorded on their first studio album ''Way Beyond Blue''. All the tracks were later compiled ...
'' and ''Hooked''. Pegg was fired prior to work on their first studio album, ''
Way Beyond Blue ''Way Beyond Blue'' is the debut album by Welsh band Catatonia. It has been seen by many fans as being something of a compilation album, as all but five on the album had appeared on one of the band's early EPs or singles, albeit different rendi ...
'', and during the recording of the album the band was joined by drummer
Aled Richards Aled Richards (born in 1969) is a Welsh drummer and was a member of the Welsh rock band Catatonia. Early life Richards started to play drums when he was young, born and living in Wales. Richards joined the band Catatonia in 1996, who were on t ...
, replacing Ieuan, who left to focus full-time on Super Furry Animals. During the live promotional appearances for the album the band was joined by guitarist
Owen Powell Owen Powell (born 1967) is a Welsh guitarist. He played in the Welsh rock band Catatonia from 1995 until the band disbanded in 2001. Career Catatonia Powell joined Catatonia in 1995 as a second guitarist. He went on to write for the band, includ ...
. This latest incarnation of the band lasted until its dissolution in 2001. The single "
You've Got a Lot to Answer For "You've Got A Lot To Answer For" is a song written by Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts and recorded by Welsh rock band Catatonia. Taken from their debut album, ''Way Beyond Blue'', it became the band's first Top 40 hit, peaking at no. 35, largely ...
" received radio airplay and became the band's first top 40 single in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
in September 1996. Their breakout success came at the start of 1998 with the '' International Velvet'' album and the release of the single " Mulder and Scully" some two weeks apart. The album went to number one in the album chart, and sold more than 900,000 copies being certified triple platinum by
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
, while the single reached number 3 in the singles chart, the highest any Catatonia single would chart. The follow-up release, "
Road Rage Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior exhibited by motorists. These behaviors include rude and verbal insults, yelling, physical threats or dangerous driving methods targeted at other drivers, pedestrians or cyclists in an effort to intimid ...
", reached number 5 in May, and was nominated for best song at the
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
and the
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
, winning at the
Q Awards The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...
. The title track of the album ''International Velvet'' received additional attention, and the band performed it at the opening of the opening ceremony of the 1999 Rugby World Cup on 1 October in the
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in Cardiff. While in Catatonia, Matthews collaborated with
Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...
on "
The Ballad of Tom Jones "The Ballad of Tom Jones" is a song by English band Space and Cerys Matthews, lead singer of Welsh band Catatonia. Lead singer Tommy Scott described Tom Jones as 'brilliant'. The song became a highly successful radio single, and resulted in Spa ...
" in March 1998 and with Tom Jones on a cover of "
Baby, It's Cold Outside "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and popularized in the 1949 film '' Neptune's Daughter''. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is commonly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter ...
" in December 1999. Their final top ten single came in April 1999 with " Dead from the Waist Down" off the following album, '' Equally Cursed and Blessed''. Rumours began to circulate about a breakup, but a further album, '' Paper Scissors Stone'' was released in 2001 following a two-year break from live performances. Matthews' drinking had long been reported in the tabloids and gossip columns, and she entered rehab in mid-2001 for drinking and smoking. The tour to support ''Paper Scissors Stone'' was cancelled, and a month later, the band announced that they were breaking up. Matthews has subsequently released solo albums, while Powell has become a radio presenter and joined the supergroup The Stand to release a charity single. Critics have highlighted the use of
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
s in Catatonia's work, and songs have been compared to poetry by critics. Writing duties had been shared across the band, although had been led by Matthews and Roberts. They disagreed with being labelled an indie band, with Powell saying they had only ever sought to write
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
. The band form a key part of the 1990s
Cool Cymru Cool Cymru ( cy, Cŵl Cymru) was a Welsh cultural movement in music and independent film in the 1990s and 2000s, led by the popularity of bands such as Stereophonics, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia and Super Furry A ...
movement.


History


Formation (1992)

The story that Catatonia were formed after Mark Roberts spotted
Cerys Matthews Cerys Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews programmes an ...
busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...
in Cardiff in 1992 was an invention for the media in order to give the band a newsworthy biography. While the duo did go busking, they didn't meet this way. Matthews had been a fan of Roberts' previous band
Y Cyrff (1983–1991; The Bodies) was a Welsh language indie band in the 1980s, initially formed at the Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy secondary school in Llanrwst, Conwy. The original line-up consisted of Barry Cawley (bass), Emyr Davies (vocals), Dylan Hughes ...
. They began dating as well as writing songs together at the end of 1991. For four years after this they remained in the relationship, many aspects of this being played out publicly in their lyrics. They took the name of the band from Matthews' experience working in a mental health facility as well as the novel ''
The Doors of Perception ''The Doors of Perception'' is an autobiographical book written by Aldous Huxley. Published in 1954, it elaborates on his psychedelic experience under the influence of mescaline in May 1953. Huxley recalls the insights he experienced, rangin ...
'' by
Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxley ...
. They believed it to mean a sense of extreme pleasure and sleep, and wrote the song "
Sweet Catatonia "Sweet Catatonia" is a song recorded by the Welsh band Catatonia, taken from their first studio album, ''Way Beyond Blue''. It was written by Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts, and produced by Paul Sampson and Stephen Street. The title of the trac ...
", subsequently naming the band after the song. As Sweet Catatonia, Matthews and Roberts recorded a series of demos at the city centre youth project in Cardiff, nicknamed "Grassroots". Roberts and Matthews routinely encountered
Owen Powell Owen Powell (born 1967) is a Welsh guitarist. He played in the Welsh rock band Catatonia from 1995 until the band disbanded in 2001. Career Catatonia Powell joined Catatonia in 1995 as a second guitarist. He went on to write for the band, includ ...
during this time, who played guitar in the band Colour 45. Both bands entered a band competition to play at the Cardiff Bay Music Fiesta, and while Colour 45 came tenth and was given a place on the bill, Sweet Catatonia placed 45th. Roberts and Matthews hired a drummer, Stephen "Frog" Jenkins from the band U Thant, and continued to record bilingual
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
/English tracks. The band began to play live, with Matthews and Roberts busking to support their income. They were spotted by the girlfriend of the lead singer of the band
The Pooh Sticks The Pooh Sticks were a Welsh indie pop band from Swansea, Wales, primarily recording between 1988 and 1995. They were notable for their jangly melodiousness and lyrics gently mocking the indie scene of the time, such as on "On Tape", "Indiepop ...
, who thought that Matthews would make a good female voice for the group. But after seeing Sweet Catatonia perform, the band members didn't agree and so Matthews remained with Catatonia. Further recordings were made, with
Guto Pryce Guto Dafydd Pryce ( Welsh pronunciation: ; born 4 September 1972) is a Welsh musician best known as bass guitar player and songwriter in the band Super Furry Animals. With them he has recorded nine UK Albums Chart Top 25 studio albums, plus num ...
joining the trio. This session included the track "Gyda Gwen" which attracted the attention of Rhys Mwyn at Crai Records.


The Crai EPs, "Whale", and "Bleed" (1993–95)

The band line up changed as they signed to Crai, with Jenkins and Pryce departing for other projects. Mwyn arranged for Matthews and Roberts to be joined by
Dafydd Ieuan Dafydd Ieuan (born 1 March 1969) is a Welsh musician and producer, best known as the drummer with the band Super Furry Animals, The Peth and The Earth (band). Ieuan played with Gruff Rhys in their early band Ffa Coffi Pawb. He was a drummer f ...
on drums, former Y Cyrff member Paull Jones on bass, and Londoner Clancy Pegg (who had befriended Roberts and Matthews after moving to Cardiff) on keyboards. It was at this point that the band shortened its name to "Catatonia". Mwyn used his contacts to get Catatonia onto Welsh language television, and strove to move their live performances away from Cardiff so that they weren't simply playing in front of their regulars the entire time. They had their first overseas gigs in Germany, support Mwyn in his
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 ...
band Anrhefn. Catatonia were hired by political party
Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...
to headline a Welsh language concert at
Builth Wells Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of ...
in August 1993, but they performed in both Welsh and English. Despite being signed to Crai, this was more as promoter than as a record label itself. It was only when Roberts suggested that Catatonia record some
extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.
s (EPs) after two months with the label that Mwyn made the arrangements. The first, entitled ''
For Tinkerbell ''For Tinkerbell'' is the debut extended play by Welsh band Catatonia, and also their first release. It features five tracks, some of which were later re-recorded on their first studio album ''Way Beyond Blue''. All the tracks were later compiled ...
'', had a cover photo taken by Roberts and Matthews' housemate Roland Dafis. Mwyn successfully got the record on
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
after sending a copy to radio presenter Mark Radcliffe. After
Iestyn George Iestyn George is a Welsh journalist, who previously worked as an editor at both ''NME'' and '' GQ'' and is now a lecturer at University of Brighton. Journalism career During the 1990s, George was a writer for ''NME'' magazine, and became news ed ...
heard the release, the journalist named it as the record of the week for the magazine ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''. ''For Tinkerbell'' contained some early tracks, including a version of "Sweet Catatonia". Matthews later explained that while she had liked the songs on the EP, she felt that she wasn't good at performing live at the time. They signed to Nursery Records to release the single "Bleed". Catatonia's first national interview was published following the release of "For Tinkerbell", a 300-word piece appearing in ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
''. They held their first London gigs in support of the EP, under the advice of George and The Pooh Sticks lead singer Huw Williams. After warm-up gigs in Cardiff and Birmingham, the London performance took place at the Samuel Beckett
pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
in Stoke Newington on 13 November 1993 alongside Anrehfn and
Margi Clarke Margi Clarke (born 25 May 1954) is an English actress and radio and television presenter. She had a leading role in the film ''Letter to Brezhnev'' (1985), a low-budget film which had an international release. Later, Clarke played Jackie Dobbs ...
. Further Welsh radio and television appearances followed, as did an interview for ''NME''. When George arrived for the interview, Matthews asked if he'd be interested in becoming the band's manager. He politely declined, saying that he didn't have the experience. On 19 and 20 February 1994, the band's follow-up EP, ''Hooked'' was recorded in
Llandwrog Llandwrog (; Welsh language: meaning 'The church of Saint Twrog') is a village and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, most notable for the presence of the headquarters of Welsh record label Sain and the site of Caernarfon Airport. It has ...
,
Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
, and produced by Ken Nelson who they had met on Radio Wales. A performance was set up at the Falcon the Splash Club in London where several music executives were to be present. The band drove down from Cardiff in a Ford Transit with their equipment and then spent the afternoon drinking. Just prior to going out on stage, they began taking
cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
, the result of which was a terrible performance later lamented by Roberts. The trip became a sobering experience, as they made no money from it and were only paid £50 for a gig at
Kingston University , mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress" , established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute , type = Public , endowment = £2.3 m (2015) , ...
a day later. Matthews later recalled that they'd needed to borrow money from a fan to pay the toll on the
Severn Bridge The Severn Bridge ( cy, Pont Hafren) is a motorway suspension bridge that spans the River Severn between South Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in South East Wales. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and Wale ...
on the way back to Cardiff. The band returned to the Falcon, where they played a still shambolic, but better gig in front of record executives. Meanwhile, George had put the band in touch with their first manager, Richard Lowe from MRM management. They made further appearances on Welsh television to support the release of ''Hooked'' in May, but another drunken performance followed, this time in Newport. MRM sent them on a short tour in France during the second week of May, and then started their first UK wide support tour to the band
Salad A salad is a dish consisting of mixed, mostly natural ingredients with at least one raw ingredient. They are typically served at room temperature or chilled, though some can be served warm. Condiments and salad dressings, which exist in a va ...
. When due to perform at the Cnapan Music Festival in Wales on 2 July, the band ran into some difficulties. The security team refused to let Matthews in as they didn't recognise her. It was only after the intervention of one of the fans of the band, actor
Rhys Ifans Rhys Ifans (; born Rhys Owain Evans; 22 July 1967) is a Welsh actor and musician. He was the frontman of Welsh rock music bands the Peth and Super Furry Animals. As an actor, he is best known for his roles in ''Notting Hill'' (1999), ''Kevin & ...
, that she was allowed in. Mwyn departed the band when the band's time with Crai came to an end, and a few weeks later MRM sought to remove Pegg, leaving it to Matthews to tell her. Pegg was upset, and refused to discuss it with journalists. After her departure, the single "
Whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...
" was published on the
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...
label. The band had rushed to record it, having only been given a month's notice by the label that one of their songs would be released as a single in September 1994. "Whale" was named the ''NME'' single of the week, as ''For Tinkerbell'' had been the previous year. The band appeared in the mainstream press for two incidents, the first was when they were thrown off a train at Swindon as they were travelling to London after arguing with a train guard about punk rock, and the other when they swore at the bouncers in Welsh at the Underworld club in Camden and were banned. A further single, "Bleed" was recorded the following November, and was released in February 1995 on Nursery Records. Geoff Travis, who had released "Whale" for his Rough Trade Records, offered the band £350,000 to sign for
Blanco y Negro Records Blanco y Negro Records ( Spanish: "White and Black"), a subsidiary of WEA Records Ltd., was established in 1983 by Geoff Travis of Rough Trade Records and Mike Alway of él Records. Michel Duval of Les Disques du Crépuscule was also involv ...
, a subsidiary of
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. They duly signed.


''Way Beyond Blue'' (1996)

The band began work on a debut album, alongside producer Paul Sampson. Ieuan introduced Sampson to
Aled Richards Aled Richards (born in 1969) is a Welsh drummer and was a member of the Welsh rock band Catatonia. Early life Richards started to play drums when he was young, born and living in Wales. Richards joined the band Catatonia in 1996, who were on t ...
, who later replaced him as Catatonia's drummer when Ieuan left to join the
Super Furry Animals Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band formed in Cardiff in 1993. For the duration of their professional career, the band consisted of Gruff Rhys (lead vocals, guitar), Huw Bunford (lead guitar, vocals), Guto Pryce (bass guitar), Cian Ciaran ...
. The label wanted to market the band, and so at some expense, had photographer
Gered Mankowitz Gered Mankowitz (born 3 August 1946) is an English photographer who focused his career in the music industry. He has worked with a range of artists from The Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix, and in other divisions of the photography industry, i ...
conduct a photoshoot with Matthews. She, the band and their management all hated the photos, but the label wanted to use them in order not to write the cost off as a loss. In order to have some photos, a series of black and white photos of Matthews drinking a bottle of wine while wearing a
Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...
T-shirt were taken by one of the press agency staff. Warner Bros liked the images and authorised their use. The band had a recording session at
Sawmills Studios Sawmills Studios, founded in 1974 by record producer Tony Cox, is a recording studio near Golant on the banks of the River Fowey in Cornwall. The studio building is located on its own tidal creek on the banks of the Fowey. Sawmills was one ...
, Cornwall, which saw some disagreements during recording between Matthews and Roberts. Afterwards, Sampson was removed as producer following a row over the arrangement for "Sweet Catatonia". Music reviewers responded with surprise when the band began to perform live while sober. Meanwhile, the release of "Sweet Catatonia" as a single was pushed back to January 1996 due to the issues with finding a new producer. The first time he met the band was when they arrived to record at the Maison Rouge Studios in London. They found working with him far easier than Sampson, as Matthews later explained that he took their ideas into account. Ieuan left during the recording of the album to join Super Furry Animals, and was subsequently replaced by Aled Richards. They returned to live performances after completing the recording of the album, and decided to actively look for a second guitarist. They ultimately hired Colour 45's Owen Powell, who by this time was working as a music technician for the Super Furry Animals, to this role. Cerys Matthews ''(pictured in 2006)'' and Mark Roberts broke up after the release of ''Way Beyond Blue'' As they prepared for the album, they released a special release for the Catatonia fanclub which had formed after "Bleed". Containing "Blow the Millenium, Blow" and "Beautiful Sailor", the
vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...
was sent to all members. The following month, on 18 January 1996, "Sweet Catatonia" was released. It became the first Catatonia single to reach the UK singles chart, peaking at 61st position. MRM sought to expand the profile of the band in Europe, publishing the compilation ''
The Sublime Magic of Catatonia ''The Sublime Magic Of Catatonia'' is a compilation of singles and EPs released by the band Catatonia. It combined tracks from the ''Bleed'' and ''Whale'' singles and the ''Hooked'' EP. The first five tracks on this release were later re-recorde ...
''. The band toured the UK, supported by Liverpool-based band
Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...
, and while touring "
Lost Cat "Lost Cat" is a song recorded by the Welsh band Catatonia, taken from their first studio album, ''Way Beyond Blue''. It was written by Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts, and produced by Stephen Street. Recording and release Elfyn Lewis created the ...
" was released on 22 April. It just missed out on the top 40, reaching 41st position. As part of the tour, they appeared at several music festivals that year including
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
,
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
and at
Madstock! ''Madstock!'' is the first live album by ska/ pop band Madness, released on 2 November 1992 (see 1992 in music) by Go! Discs. The album includes highlights from Madness' first concerts since their disbanding in 1986, on 8 and 9 August 1992 at ...
3 in London. Catatonia began to get radio exposure with the single "
You've Got a Lot to Answer For "You've Got A Lot To Answer For" is a song written by Cerys Matthews and Mark Roberts and recorded by Welsh rock band Catatonia. Taken from their debut album, ''Way Beyond Blue'', it became the band's first Top 40 hit, peaking at no. 35, largely ...
", which entered the top 40 for the first time in September 1996. After several delays, the album ''
Way Beyond Blue ''Way Beyond Blue'' is the debut album by Welsh band Catatonia. It has been seen by many fans as being something of a compilation album, as all but five on the album had appeared on one of the band's early EPs or singles, albeit different rendi ...
'' was released on 30 September. There were 12 tracks, several of which had appeared on previous EPs and as b-sides to singles. On the background of the successful album, there were problems behind the scenes. Matthew's and Robert's relationship broke down, with Roberts ending it and seeing someone else within days. The duo sought to keep the band together despite the problems, and they found a way to continue working together.
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
had intended to release "Lost Cat" from ''Way Beyond Blue'' in the United States, but due to problems at the record label this didn't occur.


''International Velvet'' (1997–98)

While Roberts sought to begin work on a second album, they began to tour with fellow Welsh band
The Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...
as a support act, and the label released the compilation '' Tourist EP'' in Japan. They began recording demos for a new album in Cardiff at the start of January 1997. The subject matter was mostly based on the stories coming out of Roberts and Matthews' breakup. They booked in a recording session for the second album in June, at the
Monnow Valley Studio Monnow Valley Studio is a recording studio in Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. History In the 1970s, Monnow Valley was the rehearsal facility of the famous Rockfield Studios. It became an independent studio in the 1980s owned by Charles Ward afte ...
in
Rockfield, Monmouthshire Rockfield is a small village in the community of Whitecastle, Monmouthshire, Southeast Wales. It is located beside the River Monnow, about north-west of Monmouth, at the junction of the B4233 to Abergavenny and the B4347 to Grosmont. Rockfiel ...
. In the run up to the recording, they performed for the first time in the United States, supporting
The Boo Radleys The Boo Radleys are an English alternative rock band who were associated with the shoegazing and Britpop movements in the 1990s. They originally formed in Wallasey, England in 1988, with Rob Harrison on drums, singing, singer/electric guitar, g ...
in New York. They went on to perform in Austin, Texas and in Los Angeles during March. The following month, they conducted a ten-night tour of the UK, in which songs such as " Mulder and Scully" made their first public appearances. As they worked on the album, Catatonia feared that they were about to be dropped by their record label, which they summed up in the song "That's All Folks". Further references to difficulties with Warner Bros were included in "
I Am The Mob "I Am the Mob" is a song by Welsh rock band Catatonia from their album '' International Velvet''. It became the band's second top 40 hit, peaking at No.40. The song's lyrics refer to the gangster movie ''The Godfather'', with lines "I put horses' ...
", but they preferred working with producer
TommyD Tommy Asher Danvers, better known by his stage name TommyD, is a British producer, songwriter, arranger, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of NFT marketplace, Token, , Traxx. He is best known for his work with artists such as Right ...
on the production than they had with those on ''Way Beyond Blue''. The first single off the album had intended to be "Mulder and Scully", but the label insisted that "I Am the Mob" was released instead. As with previous works, this was delayed, and Catatonia performed at festivals during the summer of 1997 while they waited for the release. They were booked for the
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
, but upon arriving they were told their spot had been cancelled. Matthews continued to get the band mentioned in the gossip columns of newspapers due to her drunken behaviour. One example followed an incident at a party celebrating the victory of the yes vote in the 1997 Welsh devolution referendum, as when asked how she felt about the result, she responded "What we want to know is who is going to shag
Siân Lloyd Siân Mary Lloyd (born 3 July 1958) is a Welsh television presenter and meteorologist from Maesteg. She was the United Kingdom's longest-serving female weather forecaster, having appeared on ITV Weather for 24 years, from 1990 until 2014. B ...
?" Lloyd subsequently launched legal action, but accepted an apology from Matthews. The new album was further delayed as Warner Bros ordered the removal of the six-minute-long anti-Warner track "That's All Folks". Meanwhile, work continued on "I Am The Mob" with a video shoot directed by Kevin Allen. The single was released on 6 October and entered the top 40 for a single week in the 40th position. Catatonia found their roles reversed shortly afterwards, performing as the support act to Space after the Liverpudlians had a series of top 20 singles. They finished off the year with a tour of their own, originally aimed to support the new album, but this was still being held back by the label. Warners replaced "That's All Folks" with "My Selfish Gene", and agreed to release "Mulder and Scully" in January 1998 and '' International Velvet'' some two weeks later. "Mulder and Scully" launched them into the mainstream public consciousness when it was released on 19 January 1998. It entered the charts at number 3; the highest position a single by Catatonia would ever achieve. ''International Velvet'' became the breakout album for the band, charting at number one in the
UK Album Charts The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
. The album sold more than 900,000 copies in 22 months, being certified triple platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...
. ''International Velvet'' was nominated for the
Mercury Music Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
1998, which was awarded to Gomez for ''
Bring It On Bring It On may refer to: Books * ''Bring It On'' (book), by Pat Robertson * ''Bring It On!'' (manhwa), a romance manhwa by Baek Hye-Kyung Film and stage * ''Bring It On'' (film series), an American series of teen comedy cheerleading films capit ...
''. Of the five singles released from the album, "
Road Rage Road rage is aggressive or angry behavior exhibited by motorists. These behaviors include rude and verbal insults, yelling, physical threats or dangerous driving methods targeted at other drivers, pedestrians or cyclists in an effort to intimid ...
" became the most critically acclaimed, being nominated for best single at both the
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
and the
Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
, while winning at the
Q Awards The Q Awards were the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine '' Q''. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards became one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards. Locations for the awards ceremony included Abbey Road Studios ...
. Despite this, it did not chart as high as "Mulder and Scully", reaching number 5 on the
UK Singles Charts The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top- ...
. The subsequent releases " Strange Glue" and " Game On" did not get into the top ten, reaching number 11 and number 33 respectively. The title track of the album, "International Velvet", featuring the line "Every day when I wake up I thank the Lord I'm Welsh" and Welsh language verses, received additional attention from the media. Matthews explained in an interview that she wanted to turn to invert the idea of being Welsh from an apparent negative into a positive, "We're not seen to be very good at anything. Our
football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...
is shit. The song is saying, despite all these things, I still wake up in the morning and thank the Lord that I'm Welsh. Hopefully, by now people realise that Wales is brimmed full of talent and we're great people with massive brains." In front of 70,000 spectators, Catatonia performed "International Velvet" at the opening ceremony of the 1999 Rugby World Cup in the
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in Cardiff. The album became the first to be released for Catatonia in the United States, but failed to chart. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' called it "overlooked".


''Equally Cursed and Blessed'' (1999–2000)

Following the success of ''International Velvet'', and the heavy touring that followed, the band were pleased to return to the Monnow Valley Studio to record a third studio album. On the recommendation of TommyD, the band had been recording sample tracks onto a DPS12
hard disk recorder A hard disk recorder (HDR) is a system that uses a high-capacity hard disk to record digital audio or digital video. Hard disk recording systems represent an alternative to reel-to-reel audio tape recording and video tape recorders, and provide ...
in their tour bus while on an American tour and they returned to Monnow Valley to record them properly. The band felt less pressure on them for the new album, due to the success of ''International Velvet'' and because they no longer feared being dropped by the label. In January 1999, the band announced their new album, '' Equally Cursed and Blessed''. The title was taken from a line from "She's A Millionaire", a song on the album. Preceded by the first single, " Dead from the Waist Down" on 22 March, ''Equally Cursed and Blessed'' was released on 12 April. The album, like ''International Velvet'', reached the top spot in the UK charts. Catatonia were so popular at the time that in April 1999, ''Way Beyond Blue'', ''International Velvet'' and ''Equally Cursed and Blessed'' were all in the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart. But, the singles from ''Equally Cursed and Blessed'' did not repeat the success seen in the previous album. "Dead From The Waist Down" ended up becoming the final single by Catatonia to reach the top ten in the singles charts, getting to number seven in the UK singles charts. "
Londinium Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...
" reached number 20, while " Karaoke Queen" barely entered the top 40 at number 36. In May, they played two outdoor concerts at the
Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community, situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Bea ...
International Pavilion in front of 6,000 people on successive days. This was a warm up to their largest concert so far, held at
Margam Country Park Margam Country Park is a country park estate in Wales, of around 850 acres (3.4 km²). It is situated in Margam, about 2 miles (3 km) from Port Talbot in south Wales. It was once owned by the Mansel Talbot family and is now owned and ...
near
Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the south ...
. Guitarist Powell stated the importance of the Llangollen performances, as North Wales was the first place where the crowd had sung along to their songs. Matthews added that Margam Park was chosen as no-one had ever held a concert there before. Catatonia supported
R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
on two European dates in June; there was an incident at Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide, Berlin, when Matthews ran on the stage during the R.E.M. performance to kiss bassist
Mike Mills Michael Edward Mills (born December 17, 1958) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was a founding member of the alternative rock band R.E.M. Though known primarily as the bass guitarist and backing vocalist of R.E.M., h ...
. It was later attributed to her having drunk a bottle of wine. The band had wanted to release "Karaoke Queen" as the second single off the album, but the record label forced them to release "Londinium" instead. Matthews was also equally angry that the cost for the video for the single was higher than the cost to produce the entire album. A month later, Barry Cawley, who had been a
roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...
for the band since it originally formed, was killed in a road accident in North Wales. Cawley had been cycling when he was killed by a driver in a
Fiat Punto The Fiat Punto is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1993 to 2018, spanning over three generations. The third generation of the car was marketed between 2005 and 2009 as the Grande Punto, and between 2009 a ...
. Roberts explained prior to the funeral that the roadie had helped keep Matthews' "feet on the ground". The band attempted to break into the United States once more with ''Equally Cursed and Blessed''. The album release included two tracks from ''International Velvet'', including "Road Rage". They had been scheduled to make appearances on American television shows such as ''
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...
'' and conduct interviews with the media. But after drummer Richards was taken to hospital in the UK with
appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...
, it was abandoned and the rest of the band returned to the UK. Richards had remained in the UK and was due to join them a day and a half later. Rumours began to appear in the press that the band was about to break up, but a band spokesman stated that the intention was to return to the States later in the year. Performances did take place in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.


''Paper Scissors Stone'' and dissolution (2001)

The band took a break from performing live between the
NetAid NetAid was an anti-poverty initiative. It started as a joint venture between the United Nations Development Programme and Cisco Systems. It became an independent nonprofit organization in 2001. In 2007, NetAid became a part of Mercy Corps. Launch ...
charity concert in October 1999 and 2001. They returned to the stage for a further charity gig on 28 April, in support of
Unison In music, unison is two or more musical parts that sound either the same pitch or pitches separated by intervals of one or more octaves, usually at the same time. ''Rhythmic unison'' is another term for homorhythm. Definition Unison or per ...
's campaign for a living wage at the
Manchester Evening News Arena Manchester Arena, currently referred to as the AO Arena for sponsorship reasons, is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. The arena has the ...
. Matthews said prior to the performance that "It's a cause I think's really important and it just seemed to be the right time for us to come back – it's a long, long time since we played live. It should be really great. We're really looking forward to what they (the new songs) are going to sound like live. It'll be good to get back on the old live circuit again." They played several tracks from their upcoming album, at that point entitled ''It's What's Not There That Makes What's There What It Is''. By May, it had been renamed to '' Paper Scissors Stone''. Matthews was looking forward to the new releasing, explaining to ''NME'' that "I think it's stronger than the last album, a bit more avant garde!...It's a bit less stupid. 'Equally Cursed and Blessed''was all over the shop stylistically, I think it's a bit more focused. And I think it's a bit more impassioned". Catatonia went on to headline the ''NME'' stage at the
T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
festival on 7 July, having conducted a warm up concert at
The Lighthouse, Glasgow The Lighthouse in Glasgow is Scotland's Centre for Design and Architecture. It was opened as part of Glasgow's status as UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999. The Lighthouse is the renamed conversion of the former offices of the ''Glasg ...
. The lead single from the new album, " Stone by Stone", was poorly received by the media with ''NME'' giving it a score of one out of ten, calling it "lumpen, the voice grating" and that Catatonia are "fading from the public consciousness quicker than Shane Ritchie" and "awkwardly out of date". On the other hand, Andy Gill of ''The Independent'' felt the song is the "closest they come" to a hook "as memorable as" their erstwhile hits. The media reported that Matthews entered
drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general inte ...
for drinking and smoking in mid-2001, with the singer stating that she was also suffering from depression. As a result, the tour to support ''Paper Scissors Stone'' was cancelled at the start of August. At the time this was because Matthews had not yet finished her "ongoing treatment for anxiety and exhaustion". It was suggested that the band might split up in August, which was dismissed as "rubbish" by Catatonia. However, on 21 September it was announced that they were breaking up with the record label releasing a statement which said "Their decision has been made entirely amicably, and there are no details at present as to their future plan". Tributes came in for the band from a variety of sources, with
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
presenter
Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...
describing them as "international superstars", and adding "I always thought they were one of the best Welsh bands. They were not just a throwaway pop band – they had real, meaningful songs."
Iestyn George Iestyn George is a Welsh journalist, who previously worked as an editor at both ''NME'' and '' GQ'' and is now a lecturer at University of Brighton. Journalism career During the 1990s, George was a writer for ''NME'' magazine, and became news ed ...
, editor of the magazine
Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
at the time, praised the influence that Matthews had through Catatonia in the later 1990s, saying that "Around 1998 and 1999, Cerys was in the papers every other day". He also referenced that she had never intended this role as Catatonia had thought that they had already peaked prior to ''International Velvet''.


Post-dissolution (2002–present)

Matthews went on to release her first solo album, ''
Cockahoop ''Cockahoop'' is Cerys Matthews' first solo album, released in 2003. It peaked at number 30 on the UK Albums Chart, spending five weeks therein. Track listing #"Chardonnay" (w, m: Roger Cook, Hugh Cornwell) – 3:04 #"Caught in the Middle" ( ...
'', 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 by releasing albums simultaneously in both Welsh and English (''Paid Edrych I Lawr'' and '' Don't Look Down'', respectively). Powell has gone on to write songs, including for Duffy, and from 2007 onwards has presented a Welsh language show on
Radio Cymru BBC Radio Cymru is a Welsh language radio network owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts on two stations across Wales on FM, DAB, digital TV and online. The main network broadcasts for hours a day from ...
. He also replaced drummer
Stuart Cable Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics. Early life Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 1 ...
from the Stereophonics, following his death, in the supergroup ''The Stand''. They released a charity single in 2010 to fund construction of a statue of Welsh footballer
Fred Keenor Frederick Charles Keenor (31 July 1894 – 19 October 1972) was a Welsh professional footballer. He began his career at his hometown side Cardiff City after impressing the club's coaching staff in a trial match in 1912 organised by his former s ...
in Cardiff city centre. On 17 April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Matthews confirmed that Catatonia were aiming taking part in a #timslisteningparty for International Velvet. A date was announced, but postponed due to an unspecified problem with either Matthews' or Roberts's internet connection. The party remained on timstwitterlisteningparty.com as an upcoming event until the autumn of 2020, when all reference to it was eventually removed. In the interim, the account @catatoniamusic appeared on Twitter, which appeared to be the band gauging the public’s level of interest in them, though it was never confirmed whether any of the band was responsible for its creation. Again, in the autumn of 2020, the account was deleted, dashing hopes of a Catatonia reunion at this time.


Side projects and collaborations

While working on ''International Velvet'', Matthews was approached by Tommy Scott of the Liverpool-based band
Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...
to perform on the single duet "
The Ballad of Tom Jones "The Ballad of Tom Jones" is a song by English band Space and Cerys Matthews, lead singer of Welsh band Catatonia. Lead singer Tommy Scott described Tom Jones as 'brilliant'. The song became a highly successful radio single, and resulted in Spa ...
". They had met while on tour two years prior and had kept in touch. She joined them on tour for several dates to sing the duet live. Matthews said of the song, "It's great. I feel like
Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatra ...
because it's a superb ballad." She went on to duet with Tom Jones on a single for his album '' Reload''. It was a cover of the song "
Baby, It's Cold Outside "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and popularized in the 1949 film '' Neptune's Daughter''. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is commonly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter ...
", which was released as a Christmas single in 1999. She was credited as "Cerys from Catatonia".


Musical style and influences

Matthews said that they did not have any particular influences in their music. However, she said that her family had always been singing along to
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
. She held the ambition to have the band appear on Radio 2, as due to poor levels of radio reception in Wales they had been unable to listen to other stations. She attributed the style of Welsh music as never attempting to be cool as they wouldn't have been aware of what was in fashion at the time. Catatonia frequently used
metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wit ...
s in their songwriting, such as "Road Rage" which references emotional anger. The line "If it turns to blue, what are we going to do?" in the single "You've Got A Lot To Answer For" from ''Way Beyond Blue'' references a
pregnancy test A pregnancy test is used to determine whether a female is pregnant or not. The two primary methods are testing for the female pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)) in blood or urine using a pregnancy test kit, and scanning with ...
. Other works from ''International Velvet'' were compared to poetry by Katharine Viner in ''The Guardian''. All members of the band were involved in the writing of songs, and there may have been more than one person's set of lyrics appearing in a single release. Powell said that "It's quite interesting to have two people's viewpoints within the same song. I'm not sure how many bands actually do that. In most bands, the guitarist writes the music and the singer writes the lyrics. We tend to share things out more evenly." He also criticised the attachment of an
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...
label to the band, saying "We're seen as one of the indie bands. But we've always just tried to make pop music. Even if it is
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
with a hard edge and quite a twisted little view of life. We've always seen ourselves as a little bigger than an
indie band Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...
." The style of music played by Catatonia changed slightly over time. An article in ''
The People The ''Sunday People'' is a British tabloid Sunday newspaper. It was founded as ''The People'' on 16 October 1881. At one point owned by Odhams Press, The ''People'' was acquired along with Odhams by the Mirror Group in 1961, along with the ...
'' newspaper described ''International Velvet'' as the "purest pop". By the time that ''Paper Scissors Stone'' was released, the band were using
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
influences in some of their songs according to Fiona Shepherd at ''
The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
''. She compared the music to that of the Scottish band
Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mog ...
, while elements of "Nightfall" were compared to
Arab Strap Arab Strap are a Scottish indie rock band whose core members are Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton. The band were signed to independent record label Chemikal Underground, split in 2006 and reformed in 2016. The band signed to Rock Action Rec ...
.


Personnel


Members

;Final line-up *
Cerys Matthews Cerys Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews programmes an ...
– vocals (1992-2001) * Mark Roberts – guitars (1992-2001) * Paul Jones – bass (1993-2001) *
Aled Richards Aled Richards (born in 1969) is a Welsh drummer and was a member of the Welsh rock band Catatonia. Early life Richards started to play drums when he was young, born and living in Wales. Richards joined the band Catatonia in 1996, who were on t ...
– drums (1996-2001) *
Owen Powell Owen Powell (born 1967) is a Welsh guitarist. He played in the Welsh rock band Catatonia from 1995 until the band disbanded in 2001. Career Catatonia Powell joined Catatonia in 1995 as a second guitarist. He went on to write for the band, includ ...
– guitars (1996-2001) ;Former members * Stephen Jenkins – drums (1992-1993) *
Guto Pryce Guto Dafydd Pryce ( Welsh pronunciation: ; born 4 September 1972) is a Welsh musician best known as bass guitar player and songwriter in the band Super Furry Animals. With them he has recorded nine UK Albums Chart Top 25 studio albums, plus num ...
– bass (1992-1993) *
Dafydd Ieuan Dafydd Ieuan (born 1 March 1969) is a Welsh musician and producer, best known as the drummer with the band Super Furry Animals, The Peth and The Earth (band). Ieuan played with Gruff Rhys in their early band Ffa Coffi Pawb. He was a drummer f ...
– drums (1993-1996) * Clancy Pegg – keyboards (1993-1994)


Line-ups


Discography


Studio albums


Compilation albums


EPs


Singles


Promotional releases

*''Christmas '95'' (1995, fan club
vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...
) *''Tourist EP'' (1996, Japan EP) *''A's & B's of Catatonia'' (1998, Promo EP) *''Storm the Palace EP'' (2000, Japan EP)


Notes


References

* *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Catatonia Cool Cymru Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 2001 1992 establishments in Wales 2001 disestablishments in Wales Welsh alternative rock groups Female-fronted musical groups Post-Britpop groups Britpop groups Welsh-language bands Musical groups from Cardiff Blanco y Negro Records artists Rough Trade Records artists