Crazyhead

History

The band formed in 1986 and signed to the independent label Food Records later that year. Their debut single, "What Gives You The Idea That You're So Amazing, Baby?", reached number 2 in the UK Indie Chart in March 1987. They toured extensively for the rest of the year, supporting The Cult and Julian Cope, and played at the Glastonbury Festival. Their second single "Baby Turpentine" reached number 4 in the Indie Chart.

In mid-1988, their third single "Time Has Taken Its Toll on You" reached No. 65 in the UK Singles Chart, with their label now owned by EMI. The band toured the UK to promote their debut album Desert Orchid, released in October 1988, alongside another single, "Rags". They then toured Europe supporting Iggy Pop. The Have Love, Will Travel EP reached #68 before another UK tour.

In 1989, they made two brief tours of the United States and appeared at the Reading Festival. At the request of the British Council, they played an international music festival in Moscow. In early 1990, along with Skin Games and Jesus Jones, they became among the first western bands to tour post-Nicolae Ceauşescu Romania. Later that year they played at the Namibian Independence Day concert to an audience of 50,000.

Food Records dropped the band in 1989, and their second album Some Kind of Fever was released by Revolver Records. In 1992 they gigged across Europe, and in 1993 toured the UK to promote an album of cover versions, Live in Memphis, though the deal to release it fell through. Over the next few years, they made sporadic live appearances. In 1997, they released Fucked By Rock, a collection of previously unreleased material, demo versions, and live tracks, and an EP of new material, 13th Floor.

They again toured the UK, supporting The Mission on several dates. They began recording material for a new album, but the departure of Anderson to work in Thailand and Cambodia, where he continued to perform in bands such as the Lazy Jazz Drunks and Stiff Little Punks, ended the band. They played a farewell gig in Leicester on 21 December 2000. Kev Reverb and Vom later played in an alternative rock band called Scaley Fuego, based in Leicester, fronted by singer/bassist Stewart Brackley.

Afterwards

Kev Reverb worked as a record producer and engineer at his Memphis Studio in Leicester, named in tribute to Elvis Presley, and has worked with artists including Cornershop, Kevin Hewick, Zodiac Mindwarp, Diesel Park West, MJ Hibbett, Volcano The Bear, Bill Drummond and Satan's Little Heartbreakers. Robert Morris (Vom) has played drums with Zodiac Mindwarp intermittently since 1993, while Reverb played bass and produced Zodiac's 2001 album I Am Rock.

Morris has also been a member of Diesel Park West since 2007. Contrary to various websites, Vom was not the drummer with Doctor and the Medics; their drummer was Steve Ritchie, also nicknamed "Vom". As of 2013, Morris was also playing in Swamp Delta alongside other original Crazyhead members. Christina Wigmore went on to work in community arts.

History

With Debs Bracher, she formed Timeless Banditz, who released a 12" EP of house music called Hose Down on Communicato Records in 2004. She also played bass with two Leicester bands: Nylon 9 and Jesuscarfish. Porkbeast gained a PhD in social history. In 2013, he formed the South Wigston garage rock band Swamp Delta together with Robber Byker from Gaye Bykers on Acid, Ian Anderson and Robert 'Vom' Morris.

Anderson gained a degree in fine art, completed a TEFL certificate, and worked as a teacher of English in Poland, the Czech Republic, China, Thailand and Cambodia. He returned to the UK in 2012/13 and joined other former Crazyhead members in Swamp Delta. He also performed with Brighton-based punk/rockabilly/60s garage-rock band The Scavengers, who released two albums on Flicknife Records: Picked From the Bone (2019) and Rights of Salvage (2020). He also recorded tracks with Kev Byker and Ubertroll.

The original line-up of Crazyhead met up again in March 2013 but nothing new transpired. Vom, Porkbeast and Anderson then formed Swamp Delta with Robber Byker from Gaye Bykers on Acid. They played at the Bearded Theory festival and at Rebellion Festival in the summer of 2014.