Gothic Royalty

Twenty years after hitting number one on the National Independent chart with their album Futile Combat, Skeletal Family released Sakura in August 2005.

Skeletal Family are best known as one of the most influential groups of the 1980’s gothic era. They developed a worldwide, all-ages fan base. The band’s debut single “Trees” gained extensive airplay from BBC Radio One’s John Peel and made an impressive and influential debut at London’s Fulham Greyhound in April 1982.

A couple years later, at the request of Sisters of Mercy frontman, Andrew Eldridge, Skeletal Family played on the Sisters of Mercy Black October Tour in 1984 and also appeared with Siouxie & The Banshees, Killing Joke and the Mission. They made other Radio One appearances, as well, for a total of five sessions with John Peel.

Cut to 2005, and the release of Sakura, the band’s third official release. Sakura is Japanese for cherry blossom – inviting comparisons of a band emerging, new and revitalized or as a symbol of the brief moment of beauty before reverting back into the “welcoming darkness of Mother Earth”. Sakura features 12 new tracks showing influences from bands as diverse as The Velvet Underground, Devo, the Cramps and Duane Eddy! The lineup on the release is: Claire BB (vocals), Stan Greenwood (guitars), Roer “Trotwood” Nowell (bass), Martin Henderson (drums) and Karl Heinz (Treated keyboards/sax).

The band recently headlined New York’s Drop Dead Music Festival, played various European dates and appeared at Leipzig’ Gotik-Treffen - Europe’s largest Gothic/Alternative festival with an annual attendance of 30,000 people.

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