Biography
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Years Active
1981 – present (43 years)
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Members
- Barry Andrews
- Carl Marsh
- Dave Allen (1981 – 1987)
- Karl Hyde
- Luc Van Acker
Shriekback is an alternative rock band that was formed in the early 80s by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and The League of Gentlemen (keyboards/synthesizers/vocals), Carl Marsh, formerly of Out on Blue Six (guitars/vocals), and Dave Allen, formerly of the Gang of Four (bass). Though perhaps short lived, the group is known today for the evergreen left-of-the-dial track "Nemesis", which came out in 1985. Influenced by many styles from post-punk to dark ambient music and more. their songs also were featured in the cult thriller film 'Manhunter'.
At first, they enjoyed some success on the dance charts on their original Y Records label, releasing material such as 1983's 'Care', but the guys left for the big time on Arista Records for 1984's 'Jam Science'. Finding little success there, they switched to Island Records for the next year's breakout, 'Oil & Gold'. This album signaled a shift for the band, with Carl Marsh leaving the group and rockers Martyn Barker and Lu Edmonds joining what was now Andrews' vehicle. Indeed, Allen left the band after the followup, 'Big Night Music', came about, and Shriekback remained a collaborative around Andrews.
Dave Allen would go on to play in King Swamp, The Elastic Purejoy, and most recently in the reformed Gang of Four. Carl Marsh went on to serve in the band Happyhead. Both Allen and Marsh did return to the studio to contribute to the recording of Shriekback's 2003 release, titled 'Having a Moment'. Shriekback's material has essentially been an outlet for Andrews' personal work for many years now, also including collaborations with alternative music artists such as Wendy & Sarah Partridge (formerly of Electric Guitars) and Finn Andrews (Barry's son who is also of The Veils).
The band's best-known song is "Nemesis", which has received wide airplay on the indie/college circuit. The new wave song was notable among the rock tracks of its day for its use of unusual imagery and lyrics, including the use of the word "parthenogenesis" in the chorus. Shriekback is also known for having their dark, dramatic songs used in the Hannibal Lecter film 'Manhunter', their work being influenced by previous horror soundtrack music.
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