The Dead C

The Dead C are a New Zealand based music and art trio made up of members Bruce Russell, Michael Morley and Robbie Yeats.[1][2] Russell plays electric guitar, Morley sings and plays electric guitar or laptop, and Yeats plays drums. They have been called one of the most interesting bands in the world by Thurston Moore, and have been cited as influences by Bardo Pond, Flying Saucer Attack, Labradford, and Pavement.[3]

The Dead C
OriginDunedin, New Zealand
GenresExperimental rock, noise rock, free rock, drone music
Years active1986–present
Associated acts2 Foot Flame, Gate
A Handful of Dust, Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos
MembersBruce Russell
Michael Morley
Robbie Yeats

Overview

Formed in Dunedin in 1987,[4] the group is known for its lo-fi guitar soundscapes and improvisational take on rock music. Their first Auckland show was in 1989 at Russell Crowe's Venue, by which point they had already released two albums on Flying Nun, who Russell had been doing copywriting work for.[5] They became known internationally through their releases on the Philadelphia record label Siltbreeze, especially the 1992 double LP Harsh 70s Reality. Early, pre-Siltbreeze albums such as Eusa Kills and DR503 found the group still drifting between song-based work and the experimental free rock found in later albums including The White House and Tusk. Recent albums have seen the group add electronics and samples, yet still maintaining their origins in trademark hazy guitar chaos. Their records are typically all improvised, and not recorded in a standard professional music studio.[6]

The group performs infrequently outside of New Zealand, although they did travel to the US in March 2002 to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival (curated by Sonic Youth), as well as a couple of gigs in Los Angeles and San Francisco. They also performed for the first time in Europe in May 2004 at Le Weekend, a new music festival in Stirling, Scotland and returned to the UK to play at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival again in December 2006.[7] In 2008, they played a short tour in the United States, and returned to the UK to play All Tomorrow's Parties in December 2010. In September 2016, they played a few US dates including Cropped Out festival in Louisville, Kentucky

A compilation album covering their first 18 years entitled Vain Erudite and Stupid: Selected Works 1987-2005 was released on the Ba Da Bing! label in 2006.

Discography
Date of Release Title Label Charted Country Catalog Number
Albums
1988 DR503 Flying Nun Records - -
1989 Eusa Kills Flying Nun Records - -
1990 Trapdoor Fucking Exit Precious Metal - -
1992 Harsh 70s Reality² Siltbreeze - -
1992 Clyma est mort³ Siltbreeze - -
1992 Metric Majora - -
1995 The White House Siltbreeze - -
1996 Repent‡ Siltbreeze - -
1997 Tusk Siltbreeze - -
2000 The Dead C Language Recordings - -
2001 New Electric Music Language Recordings - -
2003 The Damned Starlight Furniture Company - -
2007 Future Artists Ba Da Bing! - -
2008 Secret Earth Ba Da Bing! - -
2010 Patience Ba Da Bing! - -
2013 Armed Courage Ba Da Bing! - -
2016 Trouble Ba Da Bing! - -
2019 Rare Ravers Ba Da Bing! - -
2020 Unknowns Ba Da Bing! - -
Cassettes, singles & EPs
1987 The Dead See Perform M. Harris - cassette Diabolic Root - -
1987 43 Sketch for a Poster - cassette Diabolic Root - -
1988 The Live Dead See - cassette Xpressway - -
1989 Perform DR503B - cassette Xpressway - -
1989 The Sun Stabbed - 7" EP Xpressway - -
1990 Runway - cassette Precious Metal - -
1990 Helen Said This¹ - 33rpm 12" EP Siltbreeze - -
1991 Hell Is Now Love / Bone - 7" Siltbreeze - -
1991 Mighty / Power / Peace - 33rpm 7" EP Forced Exposure - -
1994 The Operation of the Sonne† - 33rpm 12" EP Siltbreeze - -
1994 Metalheart - 7" Precious Metal - -
2005 Split Series 18 (with Konono Nº1) - 12" Fat Cat Records - -
2006 Relax Fallujah - Hell Has Come - 7" Ba Da Bing - -
2007 Split LP (with Hi God People) Nervous Jerk Records - -
2013 The Dead C vs Rangda (split with Rangda) Ba Da Bing! - -
2015 Palisadas - 7" I Dischi Del Barone
2020 All Goodbyes - 7" Language Recordings
Compilations
1995 World Peace Hope et al. Shock - -
2006 Vain, Erudite and Stupid: Selected Works 1987-2005 Ba Da Bing! - -
  • ²1500 copies made.
  • ³450 copies made.
    •
  • ‡the covers were pasted over digipack sleeves of other Siltbreeze releases.

Singles
Year Single Album Charted Certification
1991 "Hell is Now Love/Bone" -
1991 "Power/Mighty/Peace" - -
1994 "The Dead C vs. Sebadoh" -
1994 "Metalheart" - -
1995 "Metalheart"
(reissue)		 -
2000 "Stealth/The Factory" - -
2006 "Relax Fallujah Hell Has Come" -
2008 "Golden/Canine" -

References
  1. Raggett, Ned. "The Dead C: Harsh 70's Reality > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  2. Sprague, David (2007). "Dead C". Trouser Press. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  3. "Dead C". Flying Nun Records. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  4. "The Dead C". Beat Magazine. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  5. "The Dead C Finds Life in the Shadows". Consequence. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  6. "In Praise of Miscompetence: Noise Icons the Dead C Remain Mysterious as Ever". Observer. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  7. "The Dead C". RNZ. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
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