Cold
Dance, namely Kevin Hunter drums, Tim Arundell guitar, Diane Dubois vocals, Stuart
Hodgson bass/synthesiser were a four piece punk/goth Hull
In April 1984 they released a three track EP entitled No Glamour in Industry on local label Xcentric Noise.
Tracks were as follows:
1 Choice
2 Influence
3 Then and Now
Issue four of Kindred Spirit featured the following review of the No Glamour in Industry EP:
And here we have the debut vinyl offering from Kev, Di, Tim
and Stu, collectively known as Cold Dance. It comes in the shape of a three
track EP, which I think is a fair example of the band’s material.
“Influence” sweeps the listener along with a strong bass line
and furious drum beats, Di’s vocals echoing and weaving somewhere in the
background.
They also released a 7” single called Medusa with a B side of Petrified in 1985 on Xcentric Noise.
I managed to find links to all of the above tracks on You Tube along with a brilliant article giving the story of Xcentric Noise written by founder Andy Thompson, which is well worth a read.
There's also a neat little article about Cold Dance on the Plunder the Tombs blog. It was published back in November 2010 so some of the links are out of date but it’s an interesting read nevertheless.
Tracks were as follows:
1 Choice
2 Influence
3 Then and Now
Issue four of Kindred Spirit featured the following review of the No Glamour in Industry EP:
And here we have the debut vinyl offering from Kev, Di, Tim
and Stu, collectively known as Cold Dance. It comes in the shape of a three
track EP, which I think is a fair example of the band’s material.
Undoubtedly the most well played of the tracks is the
atmospheric “Choice”. The haunting intro tends to outstay its welcome somewhat,
although this isn’t quite as noticeable when the song is performed live.
“Influence” sweeps the listener along with a strong bass line
and furious drum beats, Di’s vocals echoing and weaving somewhere in the
background.
As a total contrast is “Then and Now”, which creates an
overall more cheerful sound, with the guitars very much at the front.
Get in touch with Xcentric Noise records and give it a spin
for yourself.
They also released a 7” single called Medusa with a B side of Petrified in 1985 on Xcentric Noise. I managed to find links to all of the above tracks on You Tube along with a brilliant article giving the story of Xcentric Noise written by founder Andy Thompson, which is well worth a read.
There's also a neat little article about Cold Dance on the Plunder the Tombs blog. It was published back in November 2010 so some of the links are out of date but it’s an interesting read nevertheless.
There’s a detailed feature about Cold Dance with many more photos and great background information on the Hull Music Archive website. If you fancy having a read the link is here.
Here is the interview with Cold Dance as featured in issue 3 of Kindred Spirit. If my memory serves me correctly we carried out the interview somewhere in the region of January 1984, as the band were preparing to release their No Glamour in Industry EP:
After
experiencing a recent Cold Dance gig, I feel quite confident about saying that
they are one of the most entertaining and exciting up and coming outfits I have
seen for quite some time now. Melody, power and feeling blend together to make
a live CD gig an event most certainly not to be missed.
Personal
opinions aside though I don’t think anyone could fail to be just a little moved
– or even unnerved – by the incredible atmosphere the foursome manage to create
on stage. A smoky blue haze drenches all members of the band, Di stares down
into the audience through a curtain of matted hair and heavily charcoaled eyes,
drum beats pound from some far and distant corner… and then the church clock
strikes 13 Aah!
After
that little outburst you won’t be at all surprised to discover that one of my
first objectives was to find out whether or not, after only four months
together with the present line up, this immense stage presence is in fact
deliberate.
Kev: It’s not a conscious thing where we all stand in
the dressing room and say, “let’s be thoroughly evil”, it’s just the way we are
– our whole way of thinking. We don’t want a set image particularly, we just go
on as we are and come off as we are.
Do you find many people compare you to Siouxie and the Banshees?
Kev: I suppose we’re bound to be compared to them
really. We’re heavily based on rhythm for one thing and Di sings low down and
well… she’s a girl isn’t she? But having said that our music still stands up
for itself, and we’re far more friendly than the Banshees too!
Who are you influenced by?
Kev: I personally like Danse Society, but Tim’s a bit
of a heavy metal fan on the quiet.
Tim:
We all come from very different musical backgrounds.
Di:
It’s better than if you all like the same thing, because then you end up
becoming ‘just another band’. I don’t think we sound like anyone in particular
on the single, but the influences are obviously going to be there. Whatever you
listen to whatever you do you end up being influenced in some way.
Tim:
We’re certainly not trying to follow
any trends.
When
it comes to song writing also is teamwork the key word once again?
Kev:
It’s a complete combined effort. Maybe sometimes Tim will come up with a riff.
One of our songs was written around a drum line. It really is a combined
effort. The only separation is that Di writes the lyrics.
Are
the lyrics based on any one particular theme?
Di:
It comes from a frame of mind at the time. I don’t write ballads in the sense
that they have a little story running through them, with a beginning, a middle
and an end. They’re just various phrases plucked out of all the confusion.
There’s no particular message.
Do
you consider it a good thing that rock music often is used as a method of
delivering messages?
Di:
It’s a really good medium. I listen to music for the lyrics. It really rubs me
up the wrong way when people have such a good medium, then they come out with
things like “D-I-S-C-O”. You know really important stuff like that.
With
the help of a few friends the band are hoping to make a video some time in the
near future, for experience if nothing more.
Kev:
It won’t be a glossy production but it’ll be a video nevertheless. I’ve no idea
what we’ll do with it, but if we get the chance to use it, it’ll be there.
Do
you think videos tend to be used as a cover up for a bad song in some cases?
Tim:
I think they can enhance a song.
Kev:
But they can also make a really bad song come across really well, like (muffled
voice) Indians in Moscow
Tim:
A prime example is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It just wasn’t getting anywhere,
then they brought out this amazing million pound video and it’s a hit now.
Do
you like any other relatively unknown bands?
Di:
Quel Dommage, they’re a great set of lads!
Kev:
They’re the best local band we’ve worked with.
Tim:
For some reason we don’t seem to get on with other local bands. Don’t know if it’s
us or them or what. It’s all cutthroat. That’s the trouble, everyone is looking
for the glory.
Kev:
I mean, we actually had gear tampered with at some of the Dingwalls gigs we
did. It’s unbelievable what people will stoop to.
Are
the audience numbers at Hull
Tim:
We’re building it up and what following we have is very hardcore.
Kev:
We got around 170 people when we played at Spring Street theatre recently,
which I think was one of the highest figures they’ve had there since Sex Gang
Children played, and they are just a bit bigger than us!
Have
you played many gigs out of Hull
Kev:
We played the Greyhound in London
Tim:
It was a bit of a mismatch really though.
Kev:
Yes we were on with the equivalent of Squeeze meets the Police. I’ve never seen
such a collection of flared trousers!
Anything
else you’d like us to mention?
Tim:
Just ask people to buy the single.
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