Freur
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | early 1980s in Cardiff, Wales |
| Headquarters | Cardiff , Wales, United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Freur was a synth-pop and new wave group from Wales, featuring Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, who later went on to establish the electronic music project Underworld. Emerging from Cardiff in the early 1980s, the band originated as an art school collaboration known as the Screen Gemz. Their most recognized single, "Doot-Doot," reached number 59 on the UK Singles Chart and attained higher chart positions abroad, including number 17 in both New Zealand and Italy.
History
The band was initially formed by Hyde, Smith, and Alfie Thomas and was originally identified by a graphic 'squiggle' symbol rather than a conventional name. After expanding the lineup with John Warwicker and drummer Bryn Burrows (previously with the Fabulous Poodles), they signed a deal with CBS Records in 1983. The label requested a more pronounceable name, which resulted in adopting Freur.
Their first single, "Doot-Doot," achieved international chart success—peaking at number 17 in Italy and New Zealand, number 24 in Germany, number 36 in the Netherlands, and number 59 in the UK. The track was co-produced by Alex Burak at The Point studio in London under the guidance of Rupert Merton from Point Music publishing.
From 1983 to 1985, Freur released five additional singles: "Matters of the Heart," "Runaway," "Riders in the Night," "The Devil and Darkness," and "Look in the Back for Answers." However, none managed to enter the UK charts.
The group produced two studio albums: Doot-Doot (1983) and Get Us out of Here (1986), with the latter being distributed exclusively in Germany and the Netherlands. Additionally, they composed the soundtrack for Clive Barker's film Underworld (also titled Transmutations). After John Warwicker left in 1986, Freur ceased activities temporarily.
In 1987, Hyde, Smith, Thomas, and Burrows regrouped with bassist Baz Allen to form Underworld under Sire Records. Underworld found moderate success with their 1988 single "Underneath the Radar," which reached number 5 in Australia before disbanding in 1990. They reassembled in 1991 and gained prominence within dance and electronic music scenes, notably with their 1996 hit "Born Slippy .NUXX."
Until the late 1990s, Freur was listed under their original symbol along with its pronunciation in The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles. John Warwicker later pursued a career as a video artist with Tomato, a graphic design collective co-founded by Hyde and Smith.
The now-defunct UK magazine Sounds referred to Freur as "Elephant with a stick of Rhubarb," inspired by their squiggle logo's shape.
Band members
- Karl Hyde – vocals, guitars
- Rick Smith – keyboards
- Alfie Thomas – bass guitar, keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
- Bryn Burrows – drums
- John Warwicker – video synthesiser, visual graphics
Studio albums
- Doot-Doot (1983)
- Get Us out of Here (1986)
Soundtrack albums
- Transmutations (1985) (unreleased)
Singles
| Year | Title | UK |
GER |
NL |
NZ |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Doot-Doot" | 59 | 24 | 36 | 17 | Doot-Doot |
| "Runaway" | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Matters of the Heart" | – | – | – | – | ||
| "Riders in the Night" | – | – | – | – | ||
| 1984 | "The Devil and Darkness" | – | – | – | – | Get Us out of Here |
| 1985 | "Look in the Back for Answers" | – | – | – | – | |
| 1986 | "The Piano Song" | – | – | – | – |