The Cravats
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1977 in Redditch, England |
| Founder | Robin Dallaway, The Shend |
| Headquarters | Redditch , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, Europe |
Key people | Robin Dallaway, The Shend, Svor Naan, Dave Bennett |
| Products | Punk rock music, albums, singles |
The Cravats are a punk rock group originating from Redditch, England, established in 1977. The definitive lineup—comprising Robin Dallaway (vocals, guitar), The Shend (vocals, bass), Svor Naan (saxophone), and Dave Bennett (drums)—was consistent from early 1978 through 1982. Initially, lead vocal duties were shared between Dallaway and The Shend. Since 2009, a reassembled version of The Cravats featuring original members The Shend and Svor Naan alongside Rampton Garstang on drums has been active; from 2013 onward, Viscount Biscuits (guitar) and Joe 91 (bass) have joined the ensemble.
History
The band was formed in 1977 by Robin Dallaway and The Shend, with Martin Seys (guitar, vocals) and John 'Ethos' Yapp (drums) completing the initial lineup. Later that year, Seys was replaced by Svor Naan. Their debut single "Gordon," self-produced in March 1978, marked their first recording effort. Shortly after, Yapp exited the group and Dave Bennett took over on drums. Their entry into the music scene was signified by this independently released single. On 31 July 1979, they recorded their inaugural session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 program, which led to a recording contract with Small Wonder Records. Between 1980 and 1982, they completed three additional Peel Sessions. Their first album, In Toytown, was issued in 1980.
Following a break beginning in late 1982, they released their sophomore album The Colossal Tunes Out in 1983 through Corpus Christi Records. Subsequently, Dallaway and The Shend formed new projects including The Very Things as well as DCL Locomotive and The Babymen—the latter two initially featuring Svor Naan on guitar. The last release under the name The Cravats DCL was the EP The Land of the Giants in 1985. This lineup did not include Naan, who had moved on to Pigbros, nor Bennett, who joined The Poison Girls.
Reformation
In 2006, Overground Records issued a double CD compilation titled The Land Of The Giants - The Best Of The Jazz-Punk Colossals, which compiled Cravats singles and other recordings. This collection included a new track called "Seance," created in collaboration with Paul Hartnoll of Orbital and also released as a single. "Seance" represented the final Cravats release featuring Dallaway as lead singer.
Original members The Shend and Svor Naan reunited to form a live band for the Rebellion Festival in August 2009. This formation continued to perform at venues in Dublin and London and appeared at Rebellion annually through 2012, as well as at the Incubate Festival in Tilburg, All Tomorrows Parties, and served as special guests during Steve Ignorant's farewell concert at Shepherd's Bush Empire.
In 2012, the band's debut LP The Cravats In Toytown was reissued on both vinyl and CD formats. The CD release contained all five singles initially released by Small Wonder Records—including their debut "Gordon"/"Situations Vacant"—alongside an extra disc featuring a full remix of the original eight-track masters by Penny Rimbaud of Crass.
On 11 March 2016, The Cravats unveiled a limited edition 7" single titled "Jingo Bells"/"Batterhouse" through Overground Records. This release introduced their rejuvenated lineup: The Shend (vocals), Svor Naan (saxophone), Rampton Garstang (drums), Viscount Biscuits (guitar), and Joe 91 (bass). Their third studio album, Dustbin of Sound, followed in October 2017 via Overground Records. The band continues to receive favorable critiques and enjoys regular radio airplay from presenters such as Gideon Coe, Marc Riley, and Henry Rollins. In May 2020, they released their fourth album Hoorahland on Overground Records, which features guest vocals from Jello Biafra on the track "Now The Magic Has Gone."
Additionally, in 2020 Overground Records reissued The Colossal Tunes Out exclusively on vinyl format.
Discography
Chart positions are based on the UK Independent Chart rankings.
Albums
- The Cravats in Toytown (October 1980, Small Wonder, CRAVAT 1) reached No. 19 [reissued in 2015 by Overground Records]
- The Colossal Tunes Out (1983, Corpus Christi, CHRIST IT'S 8) [reissued in 2020 by Overground Records]
- Dustbin of Sound (2017, Overground Records)
- Hoorahland (2020, Overground Records)
Compilation albums
- The Land of the Giants (November 2006, Overground Records, OVER 112VP)
Singles
- "Gordon"/"Situations Vacant" (September 1978, Cravats, 7", CH 004; some copies released by Small Wonder)
- "Burning Bridges"/"I Hate the Universe"/"The End" (June 1979, Small Wonder, 7", SMALL 15)
- "Precinct"/"Who's in Here with Me" (August 1980, Small Wonder, 7", SMALL 24) peaked at No. 39
- "Firemen"/"A Flux in 3D: Divide" (March 1981, Split Flexi Disc distributed free with Dutch magazine Vinyl)
- "You're Driving Me"/"I Am the Dreg" (March 1981, Small Wonder, 7", SMALL 25)
- "Off the Beach"/"And the Sun Shone" (November 1981, Small Wonder, 7", SMALL 26)
- "Terminus"/"Little Yellow Froggy" (February 1982, Glass Records, 7", GLASS 021)
- "Rub Me Out"/"When Will We Fall" (July 1982, Crass Records, 7", 221984/4) reached No. 15
- "In the Land of the Giants" (February 1986, Reflex, 12", 12RE 10) attained No. 44
- "Seance" (collaboration with Paul Hartnoll) (2006, Caroline True Records)
- "Jingo Bells"/"Batterhouse" (March 2016, Overground Records)
- "Blurred"/"Bigband" (2016, Overground Records)
- "Shy"/"Good for You" (2019, Overground Records)