Shriekback - WikiHQ

Shriekback are an English rock band formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and the League of Gentlemen (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals), and Dave Allen, formerly of Gang of Four (bass guitar), with Carl Marsh, formerly of Out on Blue Six (guitars/vocals) soon added to the line-up. The band's early music was a funk-influenced version of new wave and post-punk, later moving towards art rock and always featuring "insidiously weird vocals".

History

The band enjoyed some success on the dance chart on its original Y Records label and had a string of hits on the UK Indie Chart, while its first album, Care (1983), was picked up by Warner in the United States. The band left Y for Arista Records for Jam Science (1984), also recruiting the drummer Martyn Barker. The album reached number 85 on the UK Albums Chart and "Hand on my Heart" was a number 52 UK single. Marsh left Shriekback during the recording of Oil and Gold and was replaced on guitar by Mike Cozzi, after which Allen left to rejoin Gang of Four, and Shriekback remained a collaborative centred on Andrews. Allen also went on to play in King Swamp and The Elastic Purejoy. Marsh was also in the band Happyhead.

After another album in 1988, Go Bang!, the band split up.

In other media

Several Shriekback songs appear in producer Michael Mann's television series Miami Vice and his film Manhunter. They are also featured in Vice director Paul Michael Glaser's film Band of the Hand. Music composed by Shriekback is used as the theme song for the Squaring the Strange podcast hosted by Benjamin Radford and Pascual Romero. They selected it because of their fondness for music from the 1980s.

Discography

Studio albums

Tench (1982)
Care (1983), Y (UK Indie No. 7)
Jam Science (1984), Arista (UK No. 85)
Oil and Gold (1985), Arista
Big Night Music (1986), Island
Go Bang! (1988), Island
Sacred City (1992), World Domination/Capitol
Naked Apes and Pond Life (2000), Mauve/Mushroom
Having a Moment (2003)
Cormorant (2005)
Glory Bumps (2007)
Life in the Loading Bay (December 2010)
Without Real String or Fish (March 2015)
Why Anything? Why This? (May 2018)
Some Kinds of Light (December 2019)
1000 Books (December 2021)
Bowlahoola (November 2022)
MONUMENT (March 2025)

Compilations and live albums

The Infinite (The Best of Shriekback) (1984), Kaz
Evolution – Best of Shriekback Vol. 2 (1988), Kaz
The Dancing Years (1990), Island
Natural History – The Very Best of Shriekback (1994), Essential
Priests and Kannibals: The Best of Shriekback (1994), Arista
The Y Records Years (2000), Sanctuary
Aberrations 81–84 (2001), Weatherbox
Vicissitudes (2002) (Shriekback.com Internet-only release)
2 Live Shows (2002)
Live at Hatfield (2002)
Secrets of the City (2002) (Shriekback.com Internet-only release)
Island of the Hopeful Monsters (2015)
Live at Park West, Chicago '87 (2016)
Peel Sessions and Singularities (2016)
Big Live Band 2017 (2017)
The Elated World (2017) (album of commissioned songs)

Singles and EPs

{| class="wikitable"

!rowspan="2"|Year

!rowspan="2"|Title

!colspan="6"|Chart positions

!rowspan="2"|Album

!UK Indie Chart

!UK Singles Chart

!New Zealand

|rowspan="3"| 1982

| Tench

|align="center"| 9

|align="center"| -

| "Sexthinkone"

|align="center"| -

| Tench (EP)

| "My Spine Is the Bassline"

|align="center"|15

|align="center"| -

| -

|rowspan="3"| 1983

| "Lined Up"

|align="center"|3

|align="center"| 89

|align="center"| 35

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 42

|align="center"| -

|rowspan="2"| Care

| "Lined Up (Remix)"

|align="center"|7

|align="center"| 113

|align="center"| -

| "Working on the Ground"

|align="center"|5

|align="center"| 107

|align="center"| -

| -

|rowspan="3"| 1984

| "Hand on My Heart"

|align="center"| -

|align="center"|52

|align="center"|22

|align="center"| -

|rowspan="3"| Jam Science

| "Mercy Dash"

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 107

|align="center"| -

| Knowledge, Power, Truth and Sex EP

|align="center"| -

|rowspan="2"| 1985

| "Nemesis"

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 94

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 18

|rowspan="2"| Oil and Gold

| "Fish Below the Ice"

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 88

|align="center"| -

|rowspan="2"| 1986

| "Gunning for the Buddha"

|align="center"| -

|rowspan="2"| Big Night Music

| Running on the Rocks

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 30

|rowspan="4"| 1988

| "Intoxication"

|align="center"| -

|align="center"|6

|align="center"| -

|rowspan="3"| Go Bang!

| "Shark Walk"

|align="center"| -

|align="center"|19

|align="center"| -

| "Get Down Tonight"

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 132

|align="center"|20

|align="center"| -

|align="center"| 19

| The Peel Sessions EP

|align="center"| -

| -

| 1992

| "The Bastard Sons of Enoch"

|align="center"| -

| Sacred City

Video albums

Jungle of the Senses (1987) Island Visual Arts

References

External links

Shriekback homepage
The Shriekback Pages
[ Shriekback], AllMusic
Shriekback, Trouser Press
[ Shriekback's Billboard hits]
Malicious Damage Records
Information about the Shriekback tracks used in Michael Mann's Manhunter