Cactus Child
{{Short description|Australian folk pop group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Cactus Child
| image =
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| origin = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| genre = {{hlist|Folk|pop}}
| years_active = {{start date|1993}}–{{end date|1998}}
| label = {{hlist|Republic|Focus/Shock|Grudge/Universal/BMG}}
| associated_acts =
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members = * Gemma Deacon
- Angus Diggs
- Chris Miller
- Ian Housten-Shadwell
- Joe Guiseppe-Accaria
- Jan Sebastian
- Carolyn Shine
}}
Cactus Child were an Australian folk, pop group formed in 1993 by mainstays, Gemma Deacon on lead vocals and Ian Housten-Shadwell on guitar. They issued two studio albums, Diaphones (February 1996) and Earthgirl (July 1998), before disbanding in November 1998.
History
Cactus Child were formed in 1993 in Sydney as a folk, pop band by Gemma Deacon on lead vocals, Angus Diggs on drums, Chris Miller on bass guitar and Ian Housten-Shadwell on guitar.{{cite book | last1 = McFarlane | first1 = Ian | author-link1 = Ian McFarlane | title = Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop | chapter = Encyclopedia entry for 'Cactus Child' | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040828073707/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=157 | chapter-url = http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=157 | year = 1999 | publisher = Allen & Unwin | location = St Leonards, NSW | archive-date = 28 August 2004 | isbn = 1-86508-072-1 }} In January 1994 Deacon and Housten-Shadwell were joined by Joe Guiseppe-Accaria on drums, percussion and marimba; and Jan Sebastian on percussion.{{cite web | author1 = Cactus Child | title = On | date = 1994 | publisher = Republic Records | url = https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/21895391 | access-date = 21 August 2019 | quote = Republic Records: RR 2010. Recorded at Paradise Studios and the Vault January 1994 }} This line-up recorded a six-track extended play, On, for Regular Records, which was issued in September of that year.{{cite web | archive-url = http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19961028054346/http://www.amws.com.au/c/cactus-child/cactus-child-ngh.html | url = http://www.amws.com.au/c/cactus-child/cactus-child-ngh.html | title = Cactus Child - News/Gossip/Hearsay | publisher = AMWS | archive-date = 28 October 1996 | access-date = 21 August 2019 | url-status = live }}
During 1996 Cactus Child were the support act for Lisa Loeb, Ronnie Jordan, Jeff Buckley and Luka Bloom. In February 1996 they released their debut album, Diaphones, on Focus Records/Shock Records with Craig Porteils as producer. By October of that year the line-up of Deacon, Housten-Shadwell, Miller, Accaria and Sebastian were periodically supplemented by Maria Pavela on backing vocals and Natasha Ramirez on violin.{{cite web | archive-url = http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19961028054338/http://www.amws.com.au/c/cactus-child/cactus-child-b.html | url = http://www.amws.com.au/c/cactus-child/cactus-child-b.html | title = Cactus Child - Biography | publisher = AMWS | archive-date = 28 October 1996 | access-date = 21 August 2019 | url-status = live }}
The group were signed to Grudge/Universal/BMG, to reissue Diaphones in 1997.{{citation | author1 = Cactus Child | title = Diaphones | date = 1997 | publisher = Sony Music | url = https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/24519462 | access-date = 21 August 2019 }} Nathan of Channel [V] described the title track, "a slow finger-picking ballad with no drums at all – instead a cello and piano providing ample backing to a beautiful song."{{cite web | archive-url = http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/19970714160939/http://www.channelv.com.au/cactuscd.html | url = http://www.channelv.com.au/cactuscd.html | title = Cactus Child - Diaphones | last = Nathan | publisher = Channel V | archive-date = 14 July 1997 | access-date = 21 August 2019 | url-status = live }} A track, "Fall", was re-recorded as "Fall '97", which was released as the album's lead single in March. Nathan observed, "you can tell that they've put a bit of thought into production and added bits here and there to make it more accessible for radio; and in doing so I'd tip this one to be the next song for them to push. A beautiful ballad complete with strings, percussion and of course Gemma Deacon's remarkable voice." By that time Carolyn Shine had joined on keyboards and vocals.
In June 1998 the group issued another single, "On the Money", ahead of their second album, Earthgirl (July 1998). Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, felt "[it] featured pristine folksy pop, with lush arrangements, strings, piano, harmonies and acoustic guitar." Christie Eliezer of Australian Musician observed, "[it] has some interesting guitar work, not just in its use of open tunings but the acoustic sounds in general. For example Ian spent hours on layering 'Juliette' which uses multi-tracks for an exciting effect."{{cite news | url = http://www.australianmusician.com.au/mag/spring98/cactus.html | title = Cactus Child | last = Eliezer | first = Christie | work = Australian Musician | date = Spring 1998 | issue = 15 | via = National Library of Australia | archive-url = http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20100420213401/http://www.australianmusician.com.au/mag/spring98/cactus.html | archive-date = 20 April 2010 | access-date = 21 August 2019 | url-status = live }} They followed with another single, "Long Way" (September), but broke up in November 1998.
Shadwell published a novel, Slush Pile, in June 2014.{{citation | author1 = Shadwell, Ian | title = Slush Pile | date = 2014 | publisher = Puncher & Wattmann | isbn = 978-1-922186-49-2 }} In the following August, Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National aired, Ian Shadwell's Slush Pile: a satirical novel of literature, fame and trivia nights. The work was described by the program's Kate Evans and Michael Cathcart as, "he's taken that experience [with Cactus Child] of fame and its discontents to write a very funny story of a fictional Australian writer who won the Booker Prize and then had 14 years of writers' block."{{citation | author1 = Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Radio National | author2 = Evans, Kate | author3 = Cathcart, Michael | title = Ian Shadwell's Slush Pile: a satirical novel of literature, fame and trivia nights | date=2014-08-13 | publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) | url = https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/191435006 | access-date = 22 August 2019 | quote = Summary: Ian Shadwell was a musician in an earlier life: and he's taken that experience of fame and its discontents to write a very funny story of a fictional Australian writer who won the Booker Prize and then had 14 years of writers' block. }} Angela Meyer of The Australian observed, "[it's] a rollicking black comedy with an entertainingly unlikable main character. As this selfish, pleasure-seeking, pompous and arrogant man digs a hole for himself, due to the conviction that he is entitled to everything he imagines he could have, the reader both cringes and eggs him on, to see just how far he will go."{{cite web | url = https://puncherandwattmann.com/reviews/ian-shadwell-slush-pile-in-the-australian | title = Slush Pile | last = Meyer | first = Angela | work = The Australian | via = Ian Shadwell Official Website | year = 2014 | access-date = 22 August 2019 }}
Members
- Gemma Deacon – lead vocals
- Angus Diggs – drums
- Chris Miller – electric and double bass guitar, string arrangements
- Ian Housten-Shadwell – guitar
- Joe Guiseppe-Accaria – drums, percussion, marimba
- Jan Sebastian – percussion
- Maria Pavela – backing vocals
- Natasha Ramirez – violin
- Carolyn Shine – keyboards, backing vocals
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of albums, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details ! scope="col" colspan="1" | Peak chart |
| scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | AUS {{cite web|url=https://imgur.com/a/gki3fDx | title=Cactus Child chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024|publisher=ARIA|via=Imgur.com|access-date=5 July 2024}} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart. |
|---|
| scope="row" | Diaphones
|
| 129 |
| scope="row" | Earthgirl
|
| 166 |
= Extended plays =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
|+ List of EPs, with selected details ! Title ! Details |
| scope="row" | On
|
|
|---|
= Singles =
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+List of singles, with selected chart positions ! rowspan="2" | Title ! rowspan="2" | Year ! colspan="1" | Chart positions |
| scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| AUS |
|---|
| scope="row"| "Fall"
| 1997 | 195 |
| scope="row"| "On the Money"
|rowspan="2" | 1998 | — |
| scope="row"| "Long Way"
| — |