Carcrash International
| Company type | Ensemble / Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Dave Roberts (Dave Sex Gang) |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music recordings, singles, studio album |
Carcrash International was a British post-punk ensemble associated with the Batcave movement, created by Dave Roberts (also known as Dave Sex Gang), the original bassist for Sex Gang Children. He utilized the name for two separate incarnations of the project.
History
The group made its initial appearance in 1983 on the compilation The Whip with the track "The Whip," credited to Dave Sex Gang. This recording featured Roberts performing vocals and guitar, alongside drummer Matthew Best (who later joined Psychic TV) and guitarist Lester Jones (previously part of Crisis). The album also presented Best's composition "32nd Piano Concerto in A Minor."
Later that same year, a revamped version of "The Whip" was issued as a single under the Carcrash International name, including "The White Hotel" and two remixes of the title track. The lineup was augmented by violinist Pip Knapp and a second drummer, Nigel Preston—Roberts' bandmate from Sex Gang Children and former member of Theatre of Hate, who subsequently played with Death Cult, the Cult, the Baby Snakes, and the Gun Club.
In 1984, Carcrash International released a second 12" single entitled "All Passion Spent," featuring the B-side "Dial First... (P.O.A.)," performed as a trio comprising Roberts, Best, and new guitarist Stephanie Paynes.
Roberts reformed Carcrash International in 1985 to produce the 12" single "Crash," which included a rendition of John Cale's "Mercenaries for War" and the track "Seduction."
In 1993, Cleopatra Records reissued an expanded edition of The Whip compilation, incorporating both "The Whip" and "The Whip II." A UK release by Jungle Records also attributed "32nd Piano Concerto in A Minor" to Carcrash International.
Following this reissue and the 1992 reunion of Sex Gang Children, Roberts assembled a darker, more gothic rock-influenced version of Carcrash International. The band’s sole full-length studio album, Fragments of a Journal in Hell, was released in 1993 through Cleopatra. Session contributors included Matt Green (formerly of Spahn Ranch) on keyboards; guitarists Nicky Garratt (ex-U.K. Subs) and Colin Dminchin; along with Barry Galvin (guitar) and David Glass (drums), both ex-members of Christian Death and at that time part of Mephisto Walz.
A promotional live performance took place in San Francisco in 1994 featuring Roberts on bass, Ian Haas (original drummer for London After Midnight) on drums, and D.A. on guitar. Carcrash International dissolved in 1995.
Studio albums
- Fragments of a Journal in Hell (1994, Cleopatra Records)
Singles
- "The Title Track From 'The Whip'" (1983, Crammed Discs)
- "All Passion Spent" (1984, Crammed Discs)
- "Crash" (1985, L'Invitation Au Suicide)
Compilation appearances
- "The Whip" (credited to Dave Sex Gang) on The Whip (1983, Kamera Records)
- "The Whip" and "The Whip II" on The Whip (1993, Cleopatra Records)
- "The Whip", "The Whip II", and "32nd Piano Concerto in A Minor" on The Whip (1993, Jungle Records)
- "Last Remains" on In Goth Daze (1994, Cleopatra Records)
- "Decades" on Art of Gothic (1994, Talitha Records)