Pop-dance duo Oceanic admit their success in the early ‘90s turned into a “nightmare” – because they were pigeonholed as a rave group.
Producer David Harry and singer Jorinde Williams met when Harry and third Oceanic member Frank Crofts were auditioning singers and soon found chart success with their breakout hit Insanity.
The track peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and went on to become the ninth biggest-selling UK single of 1991, but behind the scenes they soon became discontented.
“It was a nightmare,” Harry tells the June 2022 issue of Retro Pop. “It was ‘slaughter the cash cow’. We could’ve had gigs every night for two years if we wanted – and nearly did. Jorinde got larynx problems.”
Williams adds: “When we got a licensing deal with a larger label, they had one vision for us. We didn’t realise that if we didn’t follow their vision exactly, they’d do minimal commitment.”
Initially, the band pitched themselves as “Soft Cell, OMD, Erasure, but with a girl singer,” but according to Harry, “A day or two later, [the label] did a press release and called us a rave band. That’s all they were interested in.”
Williams concurs: “They wanted eight Insanitys.”
Despite struggling at the time, they’re able to look back fondly on their success, with Williams insisting: “The good outweighs the bad by a country mile. We met a load of cool people on the way. Some of my best friends are from those days.”
However, Harry adds: “I’d go along with that. Though the fallout from it, and the lasting effect of never achieving what you should have, will always weigh on me.”
Read the full interview in the June 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store or use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist.
