Anorexic Dread formed in Southend in July 1983 and existed until 1985, and in that time played some fantastic local shows, such as their gig with Alien Sex Fiend at Crocs, as well as playing further afield at venues such as The Batcave, and they managed to release the 12" single 'Tracey's Burning" in 1984. Influenced initially by bands like The Birthday Party, Killing Joke and The Cramps, their first line up was Phil Black on Vocals (ex- Time in Motion), Andi Schurer (ex- Convicted etc) on Guitar, Pat Moriarty on Keyboards and Donald Frame (ex-Occult) on Drums. Their first gig was a riotous occasion at The Zero 6 on Monday July 18th, 1983, where half the audience walked out in disbelief and disgust.

Speaking to the local press in August that year, Phil explained the Dread aesthetic thus "We take each gig as it comes and what really turns us on is that about 10 minutes before we go on stage our adrenaline starts pumping furiously and we leap up and down with excitement". He continues "Then we go on stage and have just as much of a lunatic time leaping around. We don't take what we do seriously. We go onstage to enjoy ourselves and we invariably do." Also, "Our whole idea is to just go on stage and lose ourselves in in the performance and the enjoyment of it. You just go on stage and become nothing as a personality, but everything as a symbol of enjoyment."

Not too long after the bands debut performance, there was a change on the guitar position and Leonard Finch joined. The band had quite a set of songs at this time, including 'Tracey's Burning', 'She's Beautiful and She's Mine', 'Dragnet', 'Tick Tock' and 'Limelight'. They went in to Diploma Studios to try and capture their live sound, and the result was the infamous 'Tracey's Burning' 12" as released on Criminal Damage records in 1984. Reviewed by Alan Wheeler in the Evening Echo, he had this to say "A throbbing, psychobilly, zombiepunk drum and bass beat niggle away in the mix while the guitar screetches and squeals over it. This almost unbearable tension is ironically undercut with Phil's ritualistic chant. This hypnotic horror is inflammable material of the highest order. And the Munster-like mush of the B-Side 'Tick Tock' is just about as searing and vital as you will want to get his side of the crematorium. I severely suggest you go out and buy this record. It will do you in."

In late 1984, a further line up change occurred. As Phil explained at the time "We have been operating on a skeleton crew since our guitarist Leonard de Finchy went away on tour roadying for The Cure, but now we have a new guitarist, Andy Fisher, who used to play Bass in Kronstadt Uprising." The band started to introduce more serious lyrical themes at his time, although Phil was keen to point out that "We don't want to get away from the fun element in the music. The new stuff is going to be done in a danceable way, even if the content of the lyrics is more serious."

Not long after the Batcave Show, early in 1985 on Sunday January 20th, the band played with their new line up supporting a band they greatly admired, Killing Joke, at the Queens Hotel, and following on from this recorded a new demo, containing tracks such as 'Dark Night in London' which evidenced a darker, more R 'n' R direction. Sadly not too long after the recording though, the band split and went their separate ways, but 'Tracey's' Burning' still appears on DJ playlists around the globe and has guaranteed the band their place in eternity.

Discography

'Tracey's Burning' c/w 'Epitaph' + 'Tick Tock' - 12" Single (Criminal Damage CRI 12-114 - 1984)



'Silhouettes & Statues - A Gothic Revolution: 1978-1986' - Five CD Compilation - Features the Anorexic Dread song - 'Tracey's Burning' - CD (Cherry Red Records - CRCDBOX34 - 2017)




'Young Limbs Rise Again: The Story of the Batcave Nightclub 1982-1985' - Five CD Box Set - Features the Anorexic Dread song - 'Tracey's Burning' - CD (Edsel - EDSL0125 - 2023)