(c.’81-’82) – Paul Cummins (guitar), Simon Raymonde (bass), Simon Godfrey (drums) and Angela Jaeger (vocals).
Prior to Jaeger ‘joining’; Cummins, Raymonde – the son of Dusty Springfield hit writer and arranger for The Walker Brothers, Ivor Raymonde – and Godfrey had been in Guildford based Disruptive Patterns with Andy McInnes (vocals). Situation Two label founder Peter Kent heard their instrumental demo – Raymonde worked below the office of this Beggars Banquet label offshoot at Beggars Banquet Record shop in Earls Court – and decided they would make a great vehicle for a singer on their books. Kent introduced the band to New Yorker Jaeger. Who knows who broached what with McInnes, but the band become Drowning Craze and were now fronted by Jaeger. Both changes instigated by Situation Two with whom they had now signed joining The Associates, and New Asia as the labels first recording artists.
The next week they recorded their debut single in the Alvic Studios, produced by Nick Raymonde, “Storage Case” [SIT 3] which was released on 24 June ’81, becoming Paul Morley of NME and Melody Maker’s “Single of the Week”. Jaeger undertook that recording session and only one live gig with the band before leaving for the US, and was replaced by another Kent contact, Frank Nardiello (vocals) from Chicago.
In September ’81, Drowning Craze, along with Animal Answer, supported The Birthday Party at Action Space in London with subsequent music press reviews ignoring Nick Cave’s tales of violence and perversion and focusing in on the support. They also support visited Heaven, under the arches at Charing Cross to support Divine, with Dead or Alive. “Trance” [SIT 13], their second single, was released on 17 October ’81. In November ’81, an excerpt of “Trance” was included on the third issue of Morrocci Klung!; a C60 audio magazines.
That same month, on 7 November, they headlined a benefit gig at The Wooden Bridge, Guildford for CND, with The Frotteurs, and Ferrari Red in support. They recorded a Peel Session that aired on 13 Jan ’82, featuring: “In the Heat”, “Keep Fit”, “Out of Order” and “He Was”. During this time they could also be seen supporting the likes of Bauhaus, and Modern English. The group disbanded after a third single, “Heat” [SIT 16]; released 3 March ’82. Raymonde is reported as saying “Artistic differences and the guitarist qualifying as an accountant led to the band’s demise, probably a blessing in disguise”.
Raymonde went on to become a Cocteau Twin and now owns / runs the Bella Union label that he set up. Jaeger did backing vocals for Billy MacKenzie, Monochrome Set, and Pigbag. Nardiello, aka Groovie Mann, became the lead singer of Thrill Kill Kult in the late 80s. Godfrey subsequently appeared in Freefall, Tinyfish, and – after moving to the US – Valdez. Cummins became an accountant.
Jumping ahead to 2003, three Drowning Craze tracks: “The Heat”, “He Was”, and “Trance” were included on the limited Thrill Kill Kult fan club release “My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult [Groovie 13]. The next year, the band’s “Storage Case” appeared on the nine CD and 251 MP3 compilation titled “1981”. “Storage Case” also appeared on the Cherry Red Records ‘To The Outside Of Everything (A Story Of UK Post Punk 1977-1981)’ compilation released in 2017. In 2018, Raymonde’s label, Bella Union, announced the release of a Drowning Craze compilation album, Singles ’81-’82, collecting all three singles as well as the Peel Session tracks.
Gallery:
Our Soundscene 