Catherine Wheel - Ferment

Centred around re-recorded versions of four songs from the band's two Wilde Club singles and the seven minute lovelorn "Black Metallic" - which was referred to as the "Like a Hurricane" of the ‘90s - the deeply rich Ferment firmly established Catherine Wheel amongst the shoegaze contingent of the early ‘90s. The band would proceed to denounce the shoegaze tag, but it was a fitting one, at least with everything they released prior to 1993's harder edged Chrome. Along with bands like Lush, Ride, and Slowdive, Catherine Wheel buried their sing-along melodies in wafts of distortion and blurry production values. Rob Dickinson had yet to find comfort as a lead singer, so his somewhat fey and dazed emoting blended perfectly with Tim Friese-Greene's comfy production. A fair amount of the bands thrown into the same category as Catherine Wheel were criticized for lacking knowledge of their instruments, but a couple listens to Ferment should prove that they were hardly amateurish. The employment of numerous guitar pedals didn't serve as a smoke-and-mirrors ruse, and Friese-Greene knew enough to allow room for bassist Dave Hawes and drummer Neil Sims to flex their able muscles. Dickinson and lead guitarist Brian Futter were immensely skilled and complementary to each other from the band's inception; certainly they were one of the most unrecognized guitar duos of their stylistic brethren. Like all fine debuts, Ferment is varied emotionally, ranging from lust ("I Want to Touch You") to bliss ("Shallow" and "Salt"). It's a record that makes you want to crawl inside its sleeve and remain. It's as welcoming as it is insular and sheltered.

Catherine Wheel - She’s My Friend 12" and Painful Thing 12"

Catherine Wheel’s debut 12'' EP, She’s My Friend, stands as a monumental landmark in early 1991 shoegaze. It perfectly captured a band transitioning from regional indie hopefuls into alternative rock heavyweights. While contemporary peers like My Bloody Valentine immersed themselves in abstract, hallucinatory walls of sound, Catherine Wheel welded their ethereal textures to an immense, muscular rhythm section. The original title track drives forward with a propulsive bassline and jagged, chiming guitars. This approach provides a darker, more aggressive edge than the polished re-recording found on their later album, Ferment. Rob Dickinson’s intense, yearning vocals slice directly through the feedback. This creates a captivating tension between soaring melody and raw, distorted power.
The EP's true brilliance lies in how its three B-sides showcase the band's remarkable versatility right out of the gate. "Upside Down" and "Wish" offer masterclasses in dynamic control. They alternate effortlessly between delicate, shimmering verses and explosive, roaring choruses that hint at the post-grunge sounds of the mid-90s. Meanwhile, the original blueprint of "Salt" delivers a haunting, slow-burning atmosphere. It drips with melancholic reverb and feedback. This four-track collection transcends the status of a mere historical curiosity or a collector's item. It remains a gripping, cohesive, and essential sonic document. It proves that Catherine Wheel arrived with their visionary sound fully formed.

Catherine Wheel - Painful Thing 12''

Catherine Wheel’s second 12", Painful Thing, stands as a ferocious blueprint for the early 1990s shoegaze movement. While contemporaries like My Bloody Valentine leaned into ambient dreamscapes, this four-track release bridges the gap between ethereal textures and muscular indie rock. Tracks like "Shallow" and the title track surge with massive, overdriven guitar riffs that never sacrifice melody for noise. Rob Dickinson’s yearning vocals cut clean through the dense wall of sound, creating a tense, atmospheric dynamic that immediately separated the band from the typical "shoegazer" crowd.

The 12" shines brightest as a historical snapshot of a band finding its identity. The inclusion of an early version of "I Want To Touch You"—which would later be polished into a massive alternative radio hit for their debut album, Ferment—shows the raw, unrefined energy of their earliest studio sessions. The production on this Wilde Club Records release is punchy and direct, capturing the band's live power before they transitioned to major-label sheen. For vinyl collectors and alternative rock historians, these four tracks remain a vital, intense reminder of how heavy and thrilling the shoegaze genre could be at its inception.