The cult Anglo-Japanese band Santa Sprees (a name inspired by a love Phil Spector & Robert Bresson) were formed in London in 1994 by the artists Anthony Dolphin (born Stoke, England 1968) and Katherine Marshall (born Choma, Zambia 1968) with the express intention that every Santa Sprees' song should fit within a triangle marked with the words 'PRIMITIVE BUBBLEGUM BAROQUE' at each point.

The first incarnation of the band released three cassettes all recorded in London: 'Take In The Corn With Santa Sprees' (released and distributed by Peacock Window Muzak), 'The Current Mind Of Santa Sprees' (recorded as a lobby piece for the Impakt Festival in Utrecht) and 'Emotional Racket'. The Scout label offered to sign the band on the condition that the band re-record songs from 'The Current Mind..' and 'Emotional Racket' in a proper studio. The band refused.

In 1998, an ex-Creation staffer from California, Tracy Lee Jackson, heard 'Emotional Racket' and released two songs on her first Dreamy Records' compilation 'Head In The Clouds'. One of the songs, 'I Wish I'd Been An Extra In Dawn Of The Dead', was played by John Peel amongst others and was a big WFMU favourite. The band's 24-track debut CD 'Keep Still' was recorded in Japan and released on Dreamy Records in 2001. The band played some live shows in Europe and recorded a BBC Session for Gideon Coe in February 2001 before returning to their adopted home in Japan.

Marshall and Dolphin went their separate ways during the recording of their second album, the pointedly titled 'The Inseparable Santa Sprees' which was six years in the making and only released in Japan and the US in limited quantities. Kazuko Machida (born Tokyo, Japan 1968) joined the band in 2002 and contributes again on the third Santa Sprees' album, 'We Are Out On Our Own', released in 2008.

Santa Sprees songs have featured on a number of compilations and used in films and art installations.

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