Catatonia (band)

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Not to be confused with Katatonia, a Swedish metal band.

Catatonia were a popular music band from Wales that gained a national following in the United Kingdom in the mid-late 1990s. The band consisted of Cerys Matthews on vocals, Mark Roberts (formerly of Y Cyrff and now member of Sherbet Antlers) and Owen Powell (who is a judge on Wawffactor) on guitar, Paul Jones on bass (formerly of Y Cyrff and now member of Sherbet Antlers), and Aled Richards (who now drums for Amy Wadge) on drums. Roberts was the main songwriter.

Equally Cursed and Blessed USA album cover.

Catatonia deliberately tried to make their songs accessible to a broad audience, while at the same time not shying away from original, experimental, or even potentially abrasive sounds. The result was a mix of hooky pop and underground indie rock.

Their songs are characterized by clever lyrics and Matthews's enticing, raspy vocals, which made her something of a sex symbol. Also prominent is her Welsh accent (though this feature is most likely lost on anyone outside the United Kingdom).

The band, in its music, lyrics, and PR, were proudly, or at least happily, Welsh. This, they insisted, should not be taken too seriously, as they are more internationalists than nationalists (hence the name of their 1998 release, International Velvet).

After their rise to fame, it became clear that Matthews was not coping well with the increased pressure, suffering from anxiety and nervous exhaustion which resulted in the cancellation of several concert tours and a deterioration in the relationships between the band members. On September 21, 2001, after the release of a new album Paper Scissors Stone, the band officially split.

Contents

1 Discography

1.1 Albums
1.2 Singles and EPs
1.3 Collaborations

2 References
3 Bibliography
4 External links

Discography

Numbers given are the highest chart positions for the UK charts.

Albums

The Sublime Magic of Catatonia - 1995 (European/Japanese Exclusive)
Way Beyond Blue - 1996 - #32
Tourist ("Way Beyond Blue" B-sides album) - 1996 (Japanese Exclusive)
International Velvet - 1998 - #1
The Crai-EPs 1993/1994 - 1998 (album version of the Crai EP's "For Tinkerbell" & "Hooked")
Equally Cursed and Blessed - 1999 - #1
Paper Scissors Stone - 2001 - #6
Greatest Hits - 2002 - #24

Singles and EPs

"For Tinkerbell" (EP) - 1993
"Hooked" (EP) - 1994
"Whale" - 1994 (Vinyl only)
"Bleed" - 1995
"Christmas '95" - 1995 - Fan Club vinyl single (A-side: "Blow The Millennium, Blow")
"Sweet Catatonia" - 1996 - #61
"Lost Cat" - 1996 - #41
"You've Got a Lot to Answer For" - 1996 - #35
"Bleed" (re-issued) - 1996 - #46
"I Am The Mob" - 1997 - #40
"Mulder and Scully" - 1998 - #3
"Road Rage" - 1998 - #5
"Strange Glue" - 1998 - #11
"Game On" - 1998 - #33
"Dead From the Waist Down" - 1999 - #7
"Londinium" - 1999 - #20
"Karaoke Queen" - 1999 - #36
"Storm The Palace" (EP) - 1999
"Stone by Stone" - 2001 - #19

Collaborations

"The Ballad of Tom Jones" - Space with Cerys of Catatonia - 1998 - #4
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" - Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews - 1999 - #17

References

Bibliography

In September 2000, a biography of the band by David Owens entitled Cerys, Catatonia & The Rise Of Welsh Pop (ISBN 0091874122) was released in the UK (sometimes listed as Catatonia - Enter The Dragon, which was the working title).

Another book, To Hell and Back with Catatonia (ISBN 0946719365), was released on June 1, 2001, written by Brian Wright.

External links

[Karaoke Queen] A Spanish page with band biography, discography, media, polls and other info.
[WelshBands]
[Some Half Baked Ideal Called A Website] A Catatonia site with photographs, audio, video, links and other info.
[New Bonhomie] A Catatonia site with news, biography, lyrics, discography and other info.

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