Freur

Welsh New Wave/Synthpop Band

Freur is the name of the second band (following the art school collaboration, The Screen Gemz) of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, who went on to found the successful electronic act Underworld. The band was formed in the early 1980s in Cardiff, Wales by Hyde, Smith and Alfie Thomas. It originally had only a graphic 'squiggle' for a name. In 1983, after recruiting John Warwicker and drummer Bryn Borrows (formerly of the Fabulous Poodles), they got a recording contract with CBS Records and were met by the label's insistence on a pronounceable name. The compromise was that the squiggle be pronounced "Freur". Their first and only hit single (number 59 in the UK Singles Chart), was "Doot Doot" (1983). It was recorded and co-produced by Alex Burak at The Point studio in London, which was controlled by Rupert Merton of Point Music publishing. Merton (who also had an early version of the Thompson Twins on his roster of artists) signed Freur. The band released five further tracks after "Doot Doot" between 1983 and 1985: "Matters of the Heart", "Runaway", "Riders in the Night", "Devil and the Darkness" and "Look in the Back for Answers". All failed to dent the UK chart. Freur released two albums: Doot Doot (1983) and Get Us Out of Here! (1985). The second LP was only released in Germany and the Netherlands. Freur also composed and performed the soundtrack to the movie Underworld (aka Transmutations), written by Clive Barker. Warwicker left the band in 1986 and Freur went into recess. In 1987, Hyde, Smith, Thomas and Burrows, along with bassist Baz Allen signed to Sire Records under a new name, Underworld, and found some success with the single "Underneath the Radar" (1988) (it peaked in Australia at no. 5, before initially folding in 1990, re-forming in 1991 under the same name as the successful dance and electronica act responsible for a number of well received albums and the 1996 hit single "Born Slippy".