The Creatures

The Creatures were formed in 1981 as a side-project for Siouxsie & the Banshees members Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie.

With the dissolution of Siouxsie & the Banshees in 1996, The Creatures (who had released only 2 albums in 15 years) graduated from an occasional side project to a full-time concern.

Siouxsie & the Banshees' Siouxsie Sioux (vocals) and Budgie (drums and percussion) released their first EP as The Creatures (Wild Things) in 1981, introducing a much more primitive and drum-driven Banshees sound. The erotic sleeve art featuring Siouxsie and Budgie half naked under a shower (which was inspired by scenes from the film Psycho) caused some controversy. Another shoot, inspired by the John Millais painting Ophelia, featured Siouxsie naked under many flowers and shallow water. The title track was a reworking of a hit by The Troggs, the song "So Unreal" drew inspiration from the novel The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin and "Mad Eyed Screamer" from local characters met in Hyde Park, London. The EP reached a decent #24 on the UK singles chart.

In 1983, between the release of the Banshees album A Kiss In The Dreamhouse and their live album Nocturne, The Creatures recorded and released their first full length album Feast (#17 UK Albums Chart). The band decided to determine where to record the album by randomly placing a pin on a map of the world. The result was Hawaii, which led to the featuring of The Lamalani Hula Academy Hawaiian Chanters on some tracks. The song title "Inoa 'Ole" is Hawaiian for "No Name". "Ice House" was inspired by an obscure television play. "Dancing on Glass" is based on an Indian musical (sounds of broken glass created by Siouxsie and Budgie dancing on broken mirrors with tough shoes on). The singles "Miss the Girl" (which took its inspiration from the book Crash by J. G. Ballard and had an unofficially banned promo video with a set designed by The Creatures themselves) and "Right Now" (originally by Mel Tormé) were also released around this time and reached #21 and #14 (the highest chart position for a Creatures single) respectively on the UK singles chart.