Severed Heads: Pioneers of Australian Electronic & Industrial Music

Severed Heads is an Australian electronic music group, foundational to the development of industrial and experimental pop in the Southern Hemisphere. Formed in Sydney in 1979, the project, primarily helmed by Tom Ellard, achieved cult status and critical acclaim for its innovative use of sampling and tape loops, most notably with the 1985 album City Slab Horror.

Early career

The group was formed in Sydney in 1979 by Tom Ellard and Gary Bradbury, evolving from the earlier project Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign. Their early work was characterized by a raw, cassette-based aesthetic, releasing material on their own Nekrophile Records label before being picked up by the influential Australian independent label Volition Records in the early 1980s.

Breakthrough

Severed Heads' breakthrough to a wider, international audience came with the 1985 album City Slab Horror. Released on Volition and later licensed to Ink Records in the UK, the album's more structured yet still abrasive electronic sound garnered attention in alternative clubs, particularly with its inventive music videos which became staples on programs like Rage in Australia.

Key tracks

Dead Eyes Opened — This 1984 track, especially its 1991 remix, became the group's most recognizable song, receiving significant club and alternative radio play.

Greater Reward — A key track from City Slab Horror, it exemplifies the band's move towards more rhythmic, danceable industrial pop structures.

Petrol — An earlier, noisier work that established their signature style of cut-up samples and driving electronic sequences.

All Saints Day — This later single from the 1989 album Rotund for Success showcased a more polished, synth-pop influenced direction.

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Severed Heads continued to evolve, signing with Nettwerk in North America and refining their sound into more accessible yet still experimental electronic pop. Tom Ellard, as the constant creative force, also became known for his pioneering work in digital art and interactive media. The group's activity became more sporadic after the late 1990s, though archival releases and occasional performances have maintained their legacy.

Fans of Severed Heads' innovative and often playful approach to electronic music also explore the work of similar Australian artists. SPK shares the early industrial and medical imagery aesthetic. The Birthday Party operated in the same post-punk scene with a different, visceral intensity. Foetus, the project of J.G. Thirlwell, explores similarly dense and sampled-based sonic landscapes. Snog continues the tradition of subversive, politically charged electronic music with a danceable edge.

The innovative sounds of Severed Heads remain in rotation on dedicated alternative music and electronic radio stations. Their influential tracks are featured on specialty shows focusing on industrial, post-punk, and experimental pop genres across online radio streams and independent music radio stations that celebrate music history's left-field pioneers.

Listeners can discover the groundbreaking electronic music of Severed Heads on radio stations featured on our website. Tune in to stations available on onairium.com to hear classic tracks and experience the enduring legacy of this seminal Australian group.