Catatonia

Catatonia came out of Cardiff in 1992, when guitarist Mark Roberts met singer Cerys Matthews, and her voice, a husky purr one minute and a full-throated holler the next, became the most recognisable sound of the Cool Cymru moment. The early band, with Super Furry Animals' Dafydd Ieuan behind the kit, Paul Jones playing bass and Clancy Pegg at the keyboards, cut the EPs For Tinkerbell and Hooked; by the debut album, Way Beyond Blue in 1996, Aled Richards had taken over the drums and Owen Powell had joined on guitar. "You've Got a Lot to Answer For" picked up radio play and gave them their first UK top 40 single in September 1996.

International Velvet, at the start of 1998, blew the doors open. It went to number one in the UK and was certified triple platinum, "Mulder and Scully" became their highest-charting single, and "Road Rage" rode a slinky, smouldering groove to Brit and Ivor Novello nominations and a Q Award. The title track took on a life of its own and was performed at the opening of the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Cardiff. Critics kept comparing the lyrics, which Matthews and Roberts led, to poetry.

"Dead from the Waist Down" came off Equally Cursed and Blessed in 1999, and Paper Scissors Stone followed in 2001. In mid-2001 Matthews entered rehab for drinking and smoking, the tour behind the album was scrapped, and within weeks Catatonia were finished.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.