Catch (band)
Encyclopedia
Catch, famous for the 1990s pop
song
"Bingo", were an indie-pop group
consisting of Toby Slater (vocalist
and keyboardist
), Wayne Murray (bassist
and vocals) and Ben Etchells (guitarist
). The band were signed to Virgin Records
and released two singles
- "Bingo", which reached #23 in the UK Singles Chart
, and "Dive In", which got to #44.
men, but never gigged
. Slater also was a driving-force behind the short-lived "Romo" movement in the autumn/winter of 1995, DJ
-ing at "Arcadia".
"Bingo" was Catch's biggest hit, and resulted in the band appearing on Light Lunch, The Paul Ross Show (performing three songs live), and many Saturday morning TV
shows. Slater also presented some shows on MTV
around this time. An album
was quickly released in Indonesia
due to the band's popularity there, but was never released in the UK
due to Slater being unhappy with it at the time. The band visited Jakarta
for a promotional tour and performed acoustically for fans
.
Despite finding success in the Far East
, the band achieved only one Top 40 hit single
in the UK, and disbanded after completing their only album
. A UK album was due for release, with different tracklisting to the Indonesian issue, but this was never released. It is not known whether the UK album was fully completed or not, a working title was believed have been Victim Support.
Slater moved to Los Angeles
and began a solo
career. Returning to London
he formed a group featuring former members of the UK band Salamanda, and began recording and gigging, under his own name. The Toby Slater Band released one CD
single "Consumption" and other mp3
s via the website
, but gigging activity stopped in 2003. During this time Slater set up a discussion list to inform fans of the band's activity, which was still active fairly recently.
More recently Slater has formed a band under the name Kunta Kinte
, but have now changed their name to Tough Love.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Bingo", were an indie-pop group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
consisting of Toby Slater (vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
), Wayne Murray (bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
and vocals) and Ben Etchells (guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
). The band were signed to Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
and released two singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
- "Bingo", which reached #23 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and "Dive In", which got to #44.
History
Reputedly formed when Slater, Murray and Etchells kissed the same girl at a party; Catch were, in fact, formed from the ashes of Brattish, Slater's first band, formed in 1994/95, which also included Etchells. Brattish rehearsed the Catch material extensively, paid for by interested A&RA&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
men, but never gigged
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
. Slater also was a driving-force behind the short-lived "Romo" movement in the autumn/winter of 1995, DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
-ing at "Arcadia".
"Bingo" was Catch's biggest hit, and resulted in the band appearing on Light Lunch, The Paul Ross Show (performing three songs live), and many Saturday morning TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows. Slater also presented some shows on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
around this time. An album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
was quickly released in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
due to the band's popularity there, but was never released in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
due to Slater being unhappy with it at the time. The band visited Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
for a promotional tour and performed acoustically for fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
.
Despite finding success in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, the band achieved only one Top 40 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
in the UK, and disbanded after completing their only album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
. A UK album was due for release, with different tracklisting to the Indonesian issue, but this was never released. It is not known whether the UK album was fully completed or not, a working title was believed have been Victim Support.
Slater moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and began a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career. Returning to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
he formed a group featuring former members of the UK band Salamanda, and began recording and gigging, under his own name. The Toby Slater Band released one CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
single "Consumption" and other mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
s via the website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, but gigging activity stopped in 2003. During this time Slater set up a discussion list to inform fans of the band's activity, which was still active fairly recently.
More recently Slater has formed a band under the name Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte is the central character of the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family by American author Alex Haley, and of the television miniseries Roots, based on the book. Haley described his book as faction - a mixture of fact and fiction...
, but have now changed their name to Tough Love.