Screamfeeder is an Australian indie guitar pop group formed in Brisbane in 1991. The band's original line-up was composed of drummer Tony Blades, bassist/vocalist Kellie Lloyd and vocalist/guitarist Tim Steward. In 1995, Dean Shwereb replaced Blades on drums. Darek Mudge later joined on lead guitar from 2001 to 2005, and eventually rejoined in 2014. Screamfeeder have released seven studio albums: Flour, Burn Out Your Name, Fill Yourself With Music, Kitten Licks, Rocks on the Soul, Take You Apart and Pop Guilt.
History
Screamfeeder were formed in August of 1991 in Brisbane. Blades and Steward had previously been members of The Madmen, which formed in 1988 in Townsville with Bruce Gardner on guitar and vocals and Jeff Johnson on bass guitar. In 1989, Cam Hurst replaced Johnson on bass guitar and Gardner left. They released three singles and an extended play, Thunder Egg, on their own label, Stone Groove. The Madmen toured Queensland numerous times, before relocating to Brisbane in 1989. When Hurst was replaced by Lloyd, the trio became Screamfeeder. Lloyd had previously made a filmclip for The Madmen, .. Screamfeeder signed with Sydney-based label Survival Records and issued their debut studio album, Flour, in June 1992. One track, "Walking Through the Village", had been recorded back in June 1990 by the Madmen at Pyramid Studios, and was co-produced by Steward and Murray Nash. The other tracks were recorded between November 1991 and the following January at Vibrafeel Studios with Mick Borkowski as producer, audio engineer and mastering engineer. The Canberra Times wrote in January 1993 that Flour "captured the raw sound of Screamfeeder while displaying the inherent depth, feeling and power within the music. Influences within Screamfeeder range from Swervedriver to Hüsker Dü to Bitch Magnet and beyond. The songs on the album forge a path of intense feeling, crossing the ground from sublime melodies to sonic punishment." Flour was later remastered and re-released in 2014 by the Melbourne-based Poison City Records. Their second album, Burn Out Your Name, appeared in August 1993. It provided the single, "Fingers and Toes", in the same month. Pemberton Roach of AllMusic described their sound "it's pretty clear from the album's first song that the group has put in some serious hours listening to Hüsker Dü records. From the ringing distorto guitar to the throat-slashing, top-of-the-range Bob Mould-esque vocals, Screamfeeder has the Minnepolis trio's sound down better than anyone this side of Overwhelming Colorfast." In 1995, Dean Shwereb replaced Tony Blades on the drums, and the band toured to promote Fill Yourself With Music and wrote and recorded Kitten Licks. In 2007 Steph Hughes briefly filled-in for Dean Shwereb on drums. Mike Squire played harmonica on Fill Yourself With Music and lead guitar in 1999 and 2000. Darek Mudge played lead guitar from 2001 - 2005 and intermittently from then on. Live members have also included Doug Arnott. Screamfeeder toured Europe with Screaming Tribesmen and The Chevelles in 1993, performed at the Big Day Out in 1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999 and have supported acts such as Rollins Band, Sonic Youth, Ride and Pavement. During the 1990s, indie and grunge rock increased in popularity throughout the world and Screamfeeder was part of the rise of independent Australian rock. The musical style and influences on each Screamfeeder album are distinct, from retro pop-rock, low-fi indie, to guitar-driven alternative.
