{{Short description|Welsh new wave/synth-pop band}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}} {{Use British English|date=January 2012}} {{Refimprove|date=July 2009}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Freur | image = | caption = Freur in 1983, from left to right: [[Rick Smith (musician)|Rick Smith]], Bryn Burrows, [[Karl Hyde]], [[Tomato (design collective)|John Warwicker]], Alfie Thomas | image_size = | background = group_or_band | origin = [[Cardiff]], Wales | genre = {{hlist|[[New wave music|New wave]]<ref>{{cite magazine|title= Indie Labels Thrive by Mining Majors' Catalogs for Reissues |magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date= 29 October 1994 |volume= 106 |issue= 44 |page= 116 |issn= 0006-2510 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=YQgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22new+wave%22&pg=PA116}}</ref>|[[synth-pop]]<ref>{{cite book|first= Paul |last= Simpson |title= The Rough Guide to Cult Pop |year= 2003 |publisher= [[Rough Guides]] |page= 93 |isbn= 1-84353-229-8 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=F7hpXcrqA-8C&dq=%22freur%22&pg=PA93}}</ref>|[[art pop]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Robbins |first1=Ira |title=Freur |url=https://trouserpress.com/reviews/freur/ |website=[[Trouser Press]] |access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>}} | years_active = 1982–1986 | label = [[Columbia Records|CBS]] | website = | past_members = {{ubl|[[Karl Hyde]]|[[Rick Smith (musician)|Rick Smith]]|Alfie Thomas|John Warwicker|Bryn Burrows}} | spinoffs = [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]] }} '''Freur''' were a Welsh [[New wave music|new wave]] and [[synth-pop]] band featuring [[Karl Hyde]] and [[Rick Smith (musician)|Rick Smith]], who went on to form the [[Electronic music|electronic]] band [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]]. It was their second band, following their art school collaboration, the Screen Gemz. Their best known song is "Doot-Doot", which peaked at No. 59 on the [[UK singles chart]], but became a hit in New Zealand, where it reached number 17.
==History== [[File:Freur Doot Doot test pressing with stamped and handwritten logo.jpg|thumb|Freur logo, as used on a test pressing of the "Doot Doot" 7". Note both rubber stamp of official designed logo, and handwritten version.]] 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 Burrows (formerly of the [[Fabulous Poodles]]), they got a [[recording contract]] with [[Columbia Records|CBS Records]]. As the label insisted on a pronounceable name, the band made the compromise that the squiggle was pronounced ''Freur''.
Their first and only hit single (No. 17 in Italy, No. 17 in New Zealand, No. 24 in Germany, No. 36 in the Netherlands<ref>{{cite web|title= charts.nz – Freur – Doot-Doot |publisher= charts.nz. Hung Medien |access-date= 4 May 2014 |url= https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Freur&titel=Doot-Doot&cat=s}}</ref> and No. 59 in the UK Singles Chart), was "Doot-Doot" (1983).<ref>{{cite book|first= David |last= Roberts |year= 2006 |title= British Hit Singles & Albums |edition= 19th |publisher= Guinness World Records Limited |location= London |page= 215 |isbn= 1-904994-10-5}}</ref> The track was written in the style of popular synth-pop bands of the time, such as [[Tubeway Army]], [[the Human League]], [[Depeche Mode]], [[Heaven 17]] and [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Davet|first=S.|date=14 August 1996|title=Underworld – Un sous-monde sans pitié|url=https://www.lesinrocks.com/musique/concert/underworld-un-sous-monde-sans-pitie-99766-14-08-1996/|magazine=[[Les Inrockuptibles]]|language=fr|access-date=12 February 2026|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20260212034242/https://www.lesinrocks.com/musique/concert/underworld-un-sous-monde-sans-pitie-99766-14-08-1996/|archive-date=12 February 2026}}</ref> It was [[Sound recording and reproduction|recorded]] and [[Record producer|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 singles after "Doot-Doot", between 1983 and 1985: "Matters of the Heart", "Runaway", "Riders in the Night", "The Devil and Darkness" and "Look in the Back for Answers". All failed to dent the UK charts.
Freur released two studio albums: ''[[Doot-Doot]]'' (1983) and ''[[Get Us out of Here]]'' (1986). The second LP was only released in Germany and the [[Netherlands]]. Freur also composed and performed the soundtrack to the movie ''[[Underworld (1985 film)|Underworld]]'' (also called ''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 (band)|Underworld]], and found some success with the single "[[Underneath the Radar (song)|Underneath the Radar]]" (1988) (it peaked in Australia at No. 5),<ref>{{cite web|title= australian-charts.com – Underworld – Underneath The Radar |publisher= Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien |access-date= 15 December 2009 |url= http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Underworld&titel=Underneath+The+Radar&cat=a}}</ref> before initially folding in 1990. The band re-formed in 1991 under the same name to become the successful dance and [[electronica]] act responsible for a number of well received albums and the 1996 hit single "[[Born Slippy .NUXX]]".
The ''[[British Hit Singles & Albums|Guinness Book of British Hit Singles]]'' would list Freur under the symbol, with the translation by the side, until the late 1990s. John Warwicker is a video artist in the [[graphic design]] collective [[Tomato (design collective)|Tomato]], whose founders include Hyde and Smith.
The now defunct UK magazine ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' referred to the band as "Elephant with a stick of Rhubarb" because of the shape of the squiggle.
==Band members== *[[Karl Hyde]] – vocals, guitars *[[Rick Smith (Underworld)|Rick Smith]] – keyboards *Alfie Thomas – bass, keyboards, guitars, back vocals *Bryn Burrows – drums *John Warwicker – video synthesiser, graphics
==Discography== ===Studio albums=== *''[[Doot-Doot]]'' (1983) *''[[Get Us out of Here]]'' (1986)
===Soundtrack albums=== *''[[Underworld (1985 film)|Transmutations]]'' (1985) (unreleased)
===Singles=== {|class="wikitable" !width="40"|Year !style="width:190px;"|Title !width="25"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]<br><ref>{{cite web|title= Freur |publisher= [[Official Charts Company]] |access-date= 25 May 2019 |url= https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/20345/freur/}}</ref> !width="25"|[[GfK Entertainment Charts|GER]]<br><ref name="NZ">{{cite web|title= Freur – Doot-Doot |website= Charts.org.nz |access-date= 25 May 2019 |url= https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Freur&titel=Doot-Doot&cat=s}}</ref> !width="25"|[[Dutch Charts|NL]]<br><ref name="NZ"/> !width="25"|[[Official New Zealand Music Chart|NZ]]<br><ref name="NZ"/> !style="width:150px;"|Album |- |rowspan="4"|1983 |"Doot-Doot" |style="text-align:center;"|59 |style="text-align:center;"|24 |style="text-align:center;"|36 |style="text-align:center;"|17 |rowspan="4"|''Doot-Doot'' |- |"Runaway" |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |- |"Matters of the Heart" |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |- |"Riders in the Night" |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |- |1984 |"The Devil and Darkness" |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |rowspan="3"|''Get Us Out of Here'' |- |1985 |"Look in the Back for Answers" |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |- |1986 |"The Piano Song" |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |style="text-align:center;"|– |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[ftp://ftp.swcp.com/pub/users/lazlo/discographies/freur Discography: Freur/Underworld/Lemon Intereupt]{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} – Detailed discography to 1999 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20091026062833/http://geocities.com/~junebugtd7/freur.html Freur fan page] *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/freur/ Freur biography on BBC Wales] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080527164317/http://www.bigscreensatellite.co.uk/history.htm Band History page]
{{Underworld}}
{{Authority control}} [[Category:Welsh new wave musical groups]] [[Category:British synth-pop new wave groups]] [[Category:Musical groups from Cardiff]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1982]] [[Category:Welsh electronic music groups]] [[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1986]] [[Category:1982 establishments in Wales]] [[Category:Art pop groups]]