Curiosity Killed the Cat
This late '80s UK pop group graced the covers of all the teen-pop magazines. The various group members all had showbusiness/theatrical backgrounds. The line-up comprised: Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot, (b. 19 May 1964, London, England), Julian Godfrey Brookhouse, (b. 13 May 1963, London, England), Nicholas Bernard Throp, (b. 25 October 1964, London, England) and Migi/Michael Drummond (b. Miguel John Drummond, 27 January 1964, Middlesex, England). Volpeliere-Pierrot's father was a celebrity photographer and his mother a model — Ben's surname was a double-barrelled convolution of their surnames. His childhood was dotted with visits from various Beatles, Rolling Stones and other faces of the '60s who held court at his parents' home. A pretty child, he was in a Kodak commercial in 1970 and by his teens was a regular model in teenage girls' magazines. He also appeared in videos for XTC and the Thompson Twins in the early '80s. Volpeliere-Pierrot first played alongside the other members in the punk-influenced Twilight Children. Drummond was the son of a film and video maker and also brushed with the stars when his father's company made videos for bands such as the Police. After discovering punk he took up drumming, and met Throp at art school before an invitation to join the Twilight Children. In mid-1984 Volpeliere-Pierrot was dating Drummond's sister and the boys invited him to sing in their band, kicking out the old vocalist in the process. Later that same year Toby Anderson also joined the group as keyboardist and songwriter. A demo of a song called Curiosity Killed the Cat was heard by businessman Peter Rosengard who became their manager and they changed their name to that of the song. A debut gig was held at the Embassy Club in December 1984 at which point there were still numerous extra musicians and singers on stage. They shed the excess baggage although Anderson remained the ‘fifth’ Cat until late 1986. Signed to Phonogram in 1985, they started recording towards the end of the year. Their album was held up for almost a year after original producers Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare were dropped in favour of Stewart Levine. Misfit followed in July but flopped. Another face from the '60s, Andy Warhol, met the band at a London art exhibition and he championed them, even appearing in a video for Misfit. His involvement, though useful, was cut short when he died in 1987. Several television appearances helped to push the second single Down To Earth, which entered the charts in December 1986 reaching the Top 10 in the New Year. A series of further hits followed, including a re-issued Misfit. However, after Free in September 1987 they underwent a quiet period but returned in 1989 with Name And Number — now simply credited to Curiosity.