Screen 3 were an English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

/ new wave band from

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, active from 1980 to 1984 and again from 1990 to 1992.

History

Heavily influenced by

The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

's first album, the original Screen 3 lineup formed in 1980, consisting of Neil Dyer (guitar and vocals), Richard Kett (bass) and Brett Cooper (drums). Trumpet players Peter Jay and Jason Votier were added in late 1981. Screen 3's first recorded appearance was on a Norwich compilation called ''Norwich - A Fine City'', which featured two of the band's tracks, "Live and Learn" and "Shades of Black". This was followed by an independently released 7" single, "New Blood", which garnered interest from

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

, who signed Screen 3. The "Hearts in Limbo" single was recorded at

Rockfield Studios Rockfield Studios is a residential recording studio located in the Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was founded in 1963 by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward. Recording studios Rockfield is a two-stu ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and produced by Roger Lomas, who produced Bad Manners and some of the Selecter's

2 Tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Second-order intercept point#Two-tone analysis, Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone Warning chime, chime, such as the "ding ...

releases. The next single, "Come Into My Jungle", came closest to success, garnering significant radio play but meagre sales. It was produced by Steve Brown, who also produced the first

Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...

album and the second

Cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

album. Their last single on Epic was the less successful "City of Souls", also released as a 12" EP. Screen 3 recorded two

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

sessions in 1983, and one in 1982 for fellow Radio 1 DJ Kid Jensen. They supported various bigger acts during their original career, either on tours or one-off concerts, including

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive rock, progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visua ...

, Madness,

The Teardrop Explodes The Teardrop Explodes were an English post-punk/neo-psychedelic band formed in Liverpool in 1978. Best known for their Top Ten UK single " Reward", the group originated as a key band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s. ...

Aztec Camera Aztec Camera were a Scottish pop/ new wave band founded by Roddy Frame, the group's singer, songwriter and only consistent member. Established in 1980, Aztec Camera released a total of six studio albums: '' High Land, Hard Rain'' (1983), ''Kn ...

and

Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band that was formed in Melbourne, 1979. They were best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", " Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and ...

. After Epic dropped the band, Screen 3 used their remaining cash to self-release a compilation 12" EP in spring 1984, featuring Screen 3's "The Visitor" backed by tracks by two other local Norwich bands. The band split up soon after. Trumpet player Votier later played with the

Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band formed in 1974. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 20 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the UK punk sc ...

for a couple of years, appearing on their live album ''

All Live and All of the Night ''All Live and All of the Night'' is the second live album by English rock band the Stranglers, released on 8 February 1988 by Epic Records. The release peaked at No. 12 in the UK Albums Chart in March 1988. Background By 1986, the band were ...

''. Guest musician

Steve Osborne Stephen John "Steve" Osborne (born 1963) is a British record producer, living in Bath, England. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, including Suede, the B-52s, A-ha, New Order, Elbow, U2, Happy Mondays, Placebo, Gregory Porter, D ...

, who played trombone on Screen 3's later live gigs, became an acclaimed record producer.

Reformation

Screen 3 reformed in 1990, originally including Dyer, Votier (on keyboards instead of trumpet), Kett and Cooper. Votier and Kett did not stay long, so the group later added bassist Keith Wyatt. No records were released by this lineup and they played exclusively new material. The band split again in 1992.

Discography

Singles and EPs

*1981: "New Blood"/"European Journey" 7" single (Romans in Britain Records) *1982: "Hearts in Limbo"/"A Small Part" 7" single (

) *1983: "Come Into My Jungle"/"The Dividing Line" 7" single (Epic) *1983: "City of Souls" 12" EP (Epic)

Compilation appearances

*1981: "Live and Learn" and "Shades of Black" on ''Norwich - A Fine City'' LP (Romans in Britain Records) *1984: "The Visitor (12" Pizza Mix)" on ''Music from the East Zone'' 12" EP (Gross Product)

References

External links

WebsiteMyspace Site
{{Authority control English post-punk music groups English new wave musical groups