Severed Heads - Beyond Dead Eyes
About this episode
This episode explores the pioneering electronic and experimental band Severed Heads and their impact on early alternative music.
The Australian band Severed Heads was a pioneering electronic and experimental artist, and one that is very underappreciated from the early alternative era. As one of the pioneering Australian alternative music acts, their music was part industrial, synth pop, electronic, dance, and ambient as well as experimental bringing in found sounds, tape loops, samples, and noise. The original two members, Richard Fielding and and Andrew Wright, formed the band in the late 70’s as Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign. Tom Ellard joined in 1979 and soon after the band renamed themselves Severed Heads . By mid-1981, both founding members had departed leaving Ellard to continue the band. As Severed Heads moved through the 80’s behind Ellard, their sound evolved from the early avant-garde to more accessible electronic body music (EBM) style with synth hooks and pop structures taking on both an industrial and dance-oriented approach. In 1983, the band released their fourth studio album, Since the Accident, followed with the single "Dead Eyes Opened ", a critically acclaimed song that would become a dance club classic. Beyond the music, Severed Heads were also early pioneers of incorporating video…
Topics covered
- Australian alternative music
- electronic music
- experimental music
- industrial music
- synth pop
- dance music
- post-punk
Keywords
- Severed Heads
- electronic music
- experimental music
- dance club classic
- post-punk
- synth pop
- found sounds
- tape loops
- ambient music
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Severed Heads
Books & works: Since the Accident, Dead Eyes Opened
Places: Australia
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