Biography
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous remark about the absence of second acts in American lives may hold for some, yet Katrina & the Waves escaped that fate, whether through ignorance of the quote or the British contingent’s influence within their transatlantic lineup. Guitarist Kimberley Rew, fresh from the Soft Boys’ dissolution, assembled the group around the magnetic vocals of Katrina Leskanich, supplying a steady stream of sharply crafted material that positioned them for broader recognition. Brief but genuine commercial impact followed across Europe and the United States, anchored by two infectious singles: “Going Down to Liverpool,” already a hit via the Bangles’ cover, and the enduring “Walking on Sunshine.” While their initial American breakthrough proved short-lived, the band’s deeper catalog and extended activity remained largely overlooked by casual listeners.
After the Soft Boys split in 1981, Rew joined the Waves, an Anglo-American foursome completed by Leskanich on guitar and vocals, bassist Vince de la Cruz, and longtime Rew associate Alex Cooper on drums. An early experiment with Rew handling lead vocals quickly gave way to Leskanich assuming that role, a shift that prompted the name change to Katrina & the Waves at a moment when few rock outfits featured women out front. Two years of independent activity followed, largely ignored by major labels that had paid scant attention even to Rew’s previous band. Salvation arrived via Attic Records, the Canadian imprint that had already released the Soft Boys’ work, granting the quartet a modest platform that kept them from total disappearance.
Momentum built gradually through word-of-mouth and import-only releases that enhanced their cult appeal in Britain and America. The pivotal turning point came indirectly when the Bangles’ version of “Going Down to Liverpool” gained radio traction on both sides of the Atlantic, suddenly making Katrina & the Waves attractive to major labels. Capitol Records secured them, and the 1985 self-titled debut—largely re-recorded or remixed versions of standout tracks from the two earlier Attic LPs—arrived with a denser, more polished production. The album climbed to number 28 in Britain and number 25 in the United States, marking the highest placement yet for any former Soft Boy, and spawned the memorable Top Ten hit “Walking on Sunshine.” A smaller follow-up, “Do You Want Crying,” grazed the lower Top 40, suggesting continued prospects, yet haste undermined that promise: a second album, Waves, appeared the same year, solid but lacking fresh inspiration. Songwriting duties had also begun shifting away from Rew toward less assured bandmates, softening the group’s edge. Sales accordingly dropped by more than half, though “Sun Street” still managed a number 22 peak.
Interest from Capitol waned over the ensuing three years, yet the band persisted and resurfaced in 1989 with the Top 20 single “That’s the Way” and the SBK album Break of Hearts. European audiences remained loyal; three further LPs appeared on Virgin and Polydor in Germany throughout the 1990s. Rew and Leskanich resisted solo routes for the time being. In 1995 One Way Records issued a retrospective drawn from the Capitol years, while 1997 brought an unexpected resurgence when “Love Shine a Light” won the Eurovision Song Contest and reached number two on the British charts. Though the victory carried less cachet than the band might have sought in the previous decade—ABBA representing the contest’s typical ceiling of credibility—it nonetheless secured a Warner Bros. deal and yielded the album Walk on Water. Coincidentally, EMI released Walking on Sunshine: The Best of Katrina & the Waves that same year, a stronger overview of the 1985–1991 period. In 2003 Bongo Beat compiled the original Attic recordings as The Original Recordings 1983–1984, appending a DVD of early promotional footage that partially compensates for the lack of any official live album. By then the members had dispersed, Rew and Leskanich each pursuing individual paths, though the band’s catalog of irresistibly melodic songs leaves open the possibility of future revivals.
After the Soft Boys split in 1981, Rew joined the Waves, an Anglo-American foursome completed by Leskanich on guitar and vocals, bassist Vince de la Cruz, and longtime Rew associate Alex Cooper on drums. An early experiment with Rew handling lead vocals quickly gave way to Leskanich assuming that role, a shift that prompted the name change to Katrina & the Waves at a moment when few rock outfits featured women out front. Two years of independent activity followed, largely ignored by major labels that had paid scant attention even to Rew’s previous band. Salvation arrived via Attic Records, the Canadian imprint that had already released the Soft Boys’ work, granting the quartet a modest platform that kept them from total disappearance.
Momentum built gradually through word-of-mouth and import-only releases that enhanced their cult appeal in Britain and America. The pivotal turning point came indirectly when the Bangles’ version of “Going Down to Liverpool” gained radio traction on both sides of the Atlantic, suddenly making Katrina & the Waves attractive to major labels. Capitol Records secured them, and the 1985 self-titled debut—largely re-recorded or remixed versions of standout tracks from the two earlier Attic LPs—arrived with a denser, more polished production. The album climbed to number 28 in Britain and number 25 in the United States, marking the highest placement yet for any former Soft Boy, and spawned the memorable Top Ten hit “Walking on Sunshine.” A smaller follow-up, “Do You Want Crying,” grazed the lower Top 40, suggesting continued prospects, yet haste undermined that promise: a second album, Waves, appeared the same year, solid but lacking fresh inspiration. Songwriting duties had also begun shifting away from Rew toward less assured bandmates, softening the group’s edge. Sales accordingly dropped by more than half, though “Sun Street” still managed a number 22 peak.
Interest from Capitol waned over the ensuing three years, yet the band persisted and resurfaced in 1989 with the Top 20 single “That’s the Way” and the SBK album Break of Hearts. European audiences remained loyal; three further LPs appeared on Virgin and Polydor in Germany throughout the 1990s. Rew and Leskanich resisted solo routes for the time being. In 1995 One Way Records issued a retrospective drawn from the Capitol years, while 1997 brought an unexpected resurgence when “Love Shine a Light” won the Eurovision Song Contest and reached number two on the British charts. Though the victory carried less cachet than the band might have sought in the previous decade—ABBA representing the contest’s typical ceiling of credibility—it nonetheless secured a Warner Bros. deal and yielded the album Walk on Water. Coincidentally, EMI released Walking on Sunshine: The Best of Katrina & the Waves that same year, a stronger overview of the 1985–1991 period. In 2003 Bongo Beat compiled the original Attic recordings as The Original Recordings 1983–1984, appending a DVD of early promotional footage that partially compensates for the lack of any official live album. By then the members had dispersed, Rew and Leskanich each pursuing individual paths, though the band’s catalog of irresistibly melodic songs leaves open the possibility of future revivals.
Albums
Singles
