Screaming Blue Messiahs

This outfit ranks high among acts that left observers pondering their sudden disappearance. Their performances often featured such raw intensity and theatrical excess that observers readily hailed them among the finest British groups of the era. Yet following three well-regarded albums and roughly five years of activity from 1984 to 1989, the unit dissolved completely, leaving an unresolved enigma. Fronted by the bald, bullet-headed guitarist and vocalist Bill Carter, the Messiahs specialized in loud, rampaging, rockabilly-inflected sonic bursts. Carter handled his guitar in a manner recalling both Wilko Johnson and Pete Townshend, proving himself a capable soloist whose intricate, layered rhythm work supplied the group with repeated waves of high-voltage texture. His vocals matched that instrumental command, veering from comically overstated shouts to mumbled, nearly inaudible delivery; within a single verse he might shift from indignant authority to sudden alarm and disorientation. These terse, densely imagistic compositions, centered on American symbols and mass-culture references such as cars, guns, and the Flintstones, produced confrontational and exhilarating rock & roll.

Early momentum from their debut EP Good and Gone prompted Elektra to offer a recording contract, resulting in the forceful Gun-Shy. Carter’s barely restrained ferocity—audible even in restrained passages—drove an album that detonated immediately, serving as a sharp counterpoint to the prevailing faux-soul and successive layers of synth pop then dominating England. Extensive touring with strong live performances kept the group in the spotlight and positioned them for potential major success. Their second album, Bikini Red, delivered even greater impact. Its aggressive force was heightened by the production of noted English engineer Vic Maile, whose prior work included Dr. Feelgood and Motorhead, while the whimsical track “I Wanna Be a Flintstone,” accompanied by an equally playful video, briefly elevated the band on MTV. Momentum nevertheless faltered, and by the release of the third album Totally Religious the cultural moment had moved on. The loss was notable, since the Messiahs remained as unruly and unpredictable as any act to emerge after punk’s initial wave.