Skeletal Family

No doubt shaped by the rise of gothic punk in the early eighties, the Skeletal Family took shape in Bingley, Yorkshire, late in 1982. Demos cut that September and December captured the contributions of vocalist Anne Marie Hurst, bassist Trotwood (b. Roger Nowell), guitarist Stan Greenwood, drummer Steve Crane and keyboardist Karl Heinz. After issuing their first single, ‘Just A Friend’, on the Luggage imprint in March 1983, the group moved to Yorkshire’s established indie Red Rhino Records, by which point Howard Daniels had assumed the drum stool. ‘The Night’ drew on the same reference points embraced by their goth peers—the Cramps, Bauhaus and the Birthday Party. January 1984’s ‘Alone She Cries’ introduced drummer Martin Henderson, while June brought ‘So Sure’ and the 12-inch EP Recollect, which gathered earlier demo recordings. By the release of Burning Oil in August, the band had built a substantial audience, largely through support slots alongside the Sisters Of Mercy. Momentum held with February 1985’s ‘Promised Land’, recorded with Graham Pleeth on synthesizer and backed by a version of Ben E. King’s ‘Stand By Me’. Futile Combat performed strongly on the UK independent charts, earning the group a Chrysalis Records deal, yet Hurst departed to join Ghost Dance. With Kevin Phillips now on drums and Katrina handling vocals, a more pop-oriented Skeletal Family delivered ‘Restless’ in March 1986 and ‘Just A Minute’ that August, but neither single registered and the band was dropped—a fate Ghost Dance would soon share as well.