The Creatures

The Creatures
The Creatures in 1989. Left to right: Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie
The Creatures in 1989. Left to right:
Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active1981–2005
LabelsPolydor, Geffen, Sioux Records, Instinct Records, PIAS
Spinoff ofSiouxsie and the Banshees
Past membersSiouxsie Sioux
Budgie
WebsiteOfficial site

The Creatures were an English band formed in 1981 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie of the group Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Creatures released their first EP Wild Things in 1981. They recorded four studio albums: Feast in 1983, Boomerang in 1989, Anima Animus in 1999 and Hái! in 2003.

With Feast, the band dabbled in exotica.[1] On Boomerang, they added a Spanish-tinged vibe to their music, with elements of flamenco, blues and jazz;[2] Uncut magazine would later rate Boomerang at number 184 in their list of "the 500 Greatest Albums of the 1980s".[3] In the late 1990s, they developed a more urban sound; The Times then described their music as "adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie's extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie's battery of percussion".[4] In their last work, they returned to their roots while heading east, with an ode to Japanese minimalism. They disbanded in 2005.

Their music was praised by Jeff Buckley,[5] PJ Harvey,[6] Anohni,[7] and name-checked by Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy.[8]

  1. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Feast – review". Allmusic. Retrieved 10-8-2015
  2. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Boomerang – The Creatures". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  3. ^ The 500 Greatest Albums of the 1980s, Uncut magazine, January 2024
  4. ^ Williamson, Nigel. "Siouxsie". The Times — Metro. 10 October 1998
  5. ^ Untiedundone.com archives Archived 27 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine Jeff Buckley covered "Killing Time" at the radio WFMU Studios, East Orange, NJ, 10.11.92. "Killing Time" is a Siouxsie's song from the Creatures' Boomerang album. Buckley also performed it for his first major gig in London at The Astoria in January 1995.
  6. ^ "7th January 2000 PJ selects her Top 10 Albums of 1999" Pjharvey.net. 7 January 2000. Featuring The Creatures aka Siouxsie and Budgie with the LP Anima Animus.
  7. ^ Mayo Davies, Dean (16 June 2022). "Andy Butler & Anohni In Conversation". Anothermag.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022. Budgie is such an amazing drummer – there's something so delicious about the Siouxsie catalogue and The Creatures' catalogue ...The Creatures were a band that I loved so much
  8. ^ Purden, Richard. "Neil Hannon: There have been sticky times". Heraldscotland.com. 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019. "The marimba part reminds me of things like [...] The Creatures [formed in 1981 by Siouxsie and the Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie]. It was a thing in the early 1980s and seemed to crop up a lot".