Catherine Wheel

Catherine Wheel were a four-piece alternative rock band from Great Yarmouth, England. The band was active from 1990 to 2000, experiencing fluctuating levels of commercial success, and embarking on many lengthy tours.

They are perhaps best known for their eerie and epic song "Black Metallic."

Biography

Catherine Wheel formed in 1990, comprising singer/guitarist Rob Dickinson, guitarist Brian Futter, bassist Dave Hawes, and drummer Neil Sims. Hawes had previously played in a Joy Division-influenced band called Eternal. They took their moniker from the firework known as the Catherine wheel, which in turn had taken its name from the medieval torture device of the same name. The band was often included in the shoegazing scene, characterized by bands that made extensive use of guitar feedback and droning washes of noise, as well as their continuous interaction with extensive amounts of effects pedals on the stage floor.

The band performed a Peel session in early 1991 while still unsigned; two 12" vinyl EPs were released on the Norwich based Wilde Club Records, named after the regular weekly Wilde Club gigs run by Barry Newman at Norwich Arts Centre. They signed to major-label Fontana Records after being courted by both Creation Records and the Brian Eno-run label Opal Records. The band's debut album, 1991/92's Ferment, made an immediate impression on the music press and introduced Catherine Wheel's biggest U.S. hit, "Black Metallic," as well as moderate hit "I Want To Touch You." The album features re-recorded versions of some of the Wilde Club-issued EPs.

The more aggressive Chrome followed in 1993, produced by Gil Norton. With this album, the band began to shed its original shoegazing tag, while still making skillful use of atmospherics, such as on the song "Fripp." In a 2007 interview, Rob Dickinson said that members of Death Cab for Cutie and Interpol told him that without this album, their bands "wouldn't exist."

1995's Happy Days saw the band delving further into metallic hard rock, which alienated a portion of their fanbase, even as it increased their exposure in the United States during the post-grunge era. The single "Waydown," and especially its plane-crash themed video, received heavy play in the U.S. A more sedate strain of rock known as Britpop was taking over in the U.K., causing C.W. to continue to have greater success abroad than at home.

The B-sides and outtakes collection, Like Cats and Dogs, came out the following year, revealing a quieter, more contemplative side of the band, spanning the previous five years. This carried over into Adam and Eve in 1997, wherein the band scaled back the sonic force of their sound from its Happy Days levels, with clean playing on some songs that featured extensive use of keyboards and acoustic guitars. Alternately, songs like "Satellite" and "Here Comes the Fat Controller" were lush and orchestral in scope.

In 2000, Catherine Wheel re-emerged with a new record label, a new bassist (Ben Ellis); a modified name (The Catherine Wheel); and a new album, Wishville. After mixed reviews, record company turmoil and lacklustre sales, the band went on a still-continuing hiatus.

Post-Catherine Wheel work

Futter and Sims have an ongoing project called 50 ft Monster. Ellis is in a new band called Serafin. After working with/ playing live with Tracy Bonham for several years, Dickinson released a solo album in 2005 called Fresh Wine for the Horses. Rob continues to perform live and has recently signed a recording contract with Universal Music Canada.

Trivia & Additional information

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2009)
The Catherine Wheel was a main stage band for Summersault 2000, along with The Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Our Lady Peace, Treble Charger, A Perfect Circle, Eve 6, Sum 41, Finger Eleven, and the Deftones.
The band toured the U.K., Europe, and U.S. with such artists as Slowdive, Levitation, Blur, The God Machine, Soup Dragons, The House of Love, INXS, Charlatans U.K., Jeff Buckley, Buffalo Tom, Belly/Tanya Donelly, Geneva, Starlings, Bang Bang Machine, The Connells, Headswim, Smashing Pumpkins, Jonathan Fire*Eater, Radiator, and Gwen Mars.
In 1995, during Tanya Donelly's post-Belly/pre-solo career, she recorded "Judy Staring at the Sun" with Catherine Wheel which appeared on Catherine Wheel's 1995 album Happy Days. The single version featured Donelly and Rob Dickinson singing in trade-off vocals, but after the final Belly album, Catherine Wheel's record label insisted that the song be re-recorded to remove most of Donelly's vocals, replacing them with Dickinson's, although Donelly's voice can still be heard during the chorus of the reworked version
Dickinson has stated that "Black Metallic" was about a car, not a woman .
Storm Thorgerson and his design team Hipgnosis did most of the band's album and single cover artwork.
Rob Dickinson has mentioned many times that Bruce Dickinson came to Catherine Wheel's first-ever live performance wearing a neon orange jumpsuit; he stood in the front row, stone-faced, glaring at the band while they played.
Bruce Dickenson of the British metal band Iron Maiden is the older cousin of CW's Lead Singer Rob Dickinson.
The music video for "Waydown" was critiqued by Beavis and Butt-head.
"Ferment" and "Judy Staring At The Sun" were both about the same woman's heroin addiction. (She is referred to as the alias "Judy" in each song.)
A fan (not Futter) ran a website for many years titled I Can't Believe It's Not Futter, which disseminated satirical info about Catherine Wheel and its band members.
Dickinson has stated that Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden is his favorite album ever; he used a line from its song "Eden" ("Everybody needs someone to live by") as a primary lyric in C.W.'s 1995 song "Heal". Producer/keyboardist Tim Friese-Greene, best known for his association with Talk Talk, was often considered the band's unofficial fifth member.
30 Century Man is also the name of a track by Scott Walker, also released on the Fontana label.
The epic and eerie song "Black Metallic", originally featured on Catherine Wheel's album Ferment, was written about lead singer Rob Dickinson's fondness of cars. "Black Metallic" has also recently been featured on the soundtrack to the 2009 Donnie Darko DVD sequel "S.Darko"
"Sparks Are Gonna Fly" was featured in a 'Film4' Television advertisement.