A very nice, but unfortunately short-lived, south London acoustic pop quintet, the Katydids shared an affinity with contemporaries like Fairground Attraction and the Bible. American-born singer Susie Hug and guitarist Adam Seymour met in 1987 when both were working as session musicians for the short-lived duo Big Bam Boo; the pair's rapport was obvious, and they were soon working together. Adding acoustic guitarist Dan James, bassist Dave Hunter, and drummer Shane Young, the Katydids signed with the newly reactivated Reprise label, which wisely paired the group with producer Nick Lowe, whose rootsy sensibility was perfectly in sync with the group's lack of pretension. Their debut, 1989's Katydids, was a terrific album with an interesting mix of '60s pop and folk-rock influences. 1991's Shangri-La, produced by the Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie, modernized the sound a bit and there's a somewhat darker undercurrent to many of the songs, but it's nearly the equal of the debut. Unfortunately, neither album sold particularly well and the Katydids broke up after Reprise dropped them. ~ Stewart Mason, Rovi
