Static Blooms — Unofficial Fan Page / Japan Branch

News (Archived)

• 2010/05/09 — MV “Does the Machine Pray?” appeared! → Watch on YouTube (authenticity unknown)
• 2009/12/18 — The Victoria Tapes re-uploaded as digital (maybe better quality?)
• 2008/07/03 — Looking for a photocopy of City Life (1987/04). Email: sb_arena@example.com (inactive)

Members (with photos)

Jamie Harlow	Vocal/Guitar. Central figure. Born Aug 17, 1962 (reportedly Stockport). Influences include The Cure, Siouxsie. Low, restrained delivery with a subtle tremor — emotion held in, yet leaking through. Rumor: a 2003 radio interview where he said “She never blinked at the wrong time.” (source unverified). Solo Mirrors in Reverse (1987) is a phantom release. Note (admin): Jamie’s voice makes me want to cry. It’s human.
Claire Whitmore	Keys/Synth. The architect of sound. Born Feb 4, 1963 (Didsbury). Frequently associated with Prophet-5 & Jupiter-8. Post-band rumors tie her to Factory/Mute circles; no concrete credits found. Note: Claire designs “space” — even silence feels arranged.
Danny Price	Drums/TR-808. Hybrid beats. Born Nov 22, 1965 (Moss Side). Live kit + TR-808 merged. 1988 arrest for heroin possession; tabloid quote about EONA being “not human” (drug-addled?). Oddly echoes Jamie’s later remark (2003). 2010 death rumor (unconfirmed). Note: I can’t laugh at his quote. I felt the same watching EONA in that VHS.
EONA	Bass/Backing Vo. The mysterious center. DOB unknown. Possibly Japanese. Transparent acrylic custom P/J, worn low. Lavender-pink bob, black jacket with shoulder pads, metallic gray trousers (reported). “Accuracy beyond the click.” Attack feels mechanical, yet lines carry human warmth. Backing vocals rarely verifiable. Last sighting: 1986-03-15, Manchester Polytechnic. Vanished after. Return/UFO/etc. theories — no proof. Note: EONA is beautiful. I want to believe she was really there.

[Info Wanted] Looking for EONA

Any sightings, photos, audio, testimonies after 1986 — even the smallest clue helps. If EONA herself ever sees this… please contact. Someone out here loves your music.

My EONA “evidence” box (2002–2010)

• VHS (Synaptic Beat 1985?) — now unplayable
• Handwritten setlist (photocopy) — bought on eBay, authenticity unknown
• Photo of transparent bass (mono, blurry) — saved from someone’s blog
• Forum post: “She was Korean, not Japanese” (screenshot)
• Second-hand note: “Sighted in Tokyo in the 1990s”

Complete Discography (collected/rumored)

Lyrics & Translations (excerpt)

…compiled prayer in a metal throat

return: null / but the choir goes on
she counts in silence / ten to none…

…金属の喉が祈りをコンパイルする
返り値は null ／それでも合唱は続く
彼女は沈黙のまま数える／10から無へ…

[TBD]

[準備中]

The Night I Found Static Blooms (2002/10/17)

I found Static Blooms in spring 1999, by accident. In Shinjuku Disk Union I bought a cassette that looked like someone’s personal tape. The label only said “SB – 86”.

On my deck, synth haze and a wavering drum machine. Then a man’s voice — cold, straight, almost monotone, and strangely urgent.

Later I learned the singer is Jamie Harlow; the bassist is a Japanese woman called EONA, known for “accuracy beyond the click.” Even on my copy, the bass line felt unnaturally precise.

At the end, a small voice: “Does the Machine Pray?” Title or message, I don’t know. It keeps echoing in my head.

Searching online only brought rumors: “MV aired on Granada TV,” “EONA disappeared in 1986,” “Jamie still making music”… sources unclear.

In 2002 the MV isn’t found yet. But the sound exists. Someone recorded it. That’s enough for me to believe they existed.

Short Notes (2002–2006)

Tabbed “Does the Machine Pray?” (2003/02/11)

Did a bass ear-copy! EONA’s note placement is unique — sometimes off root but the whole groove stays steady. Attack feels mechanical yet probably fingerstyle. TAB scan → here.

About Jamie’s voice (2004/07/22)

He suppresses emotion, but something leaks through — a straight line with a tiny tremor, like a voice praying not to break. “Does the Machine Pray?” sounds like his own anxiety. He’s not a machine. That’s why it hurts.

Rumors I heard on BBS (2005/09/03)

“Granada warehouse still has tapes.” “Jamie seen in London in 2001.” “EONA active under another name.” Mixed sources. If anything is certain: this band refuses to be forgotten.

The Day I “Saw” EONA (2006/05/02)

Spring 2006, a forum post said “I have a VHS with EONA.” Anonymous, free email. I replied anyway.

Weeks later a brown envelope arrived. Inside: unmarked VHS and a note, “Static Blooms 1985 – Synaptic Beat”.

Playback was wavy. Four silhouettes beyond noise. The bassist glances at the camera for a split second. Light reflects; face unclear. But I felt that presence called “EONA”.

It cuts under 5 minutes; end title: “Deus ex Machina – 3/15/86.” Date or track? unknown.

I posted about it on BBS; several said “I saw the same tape”, then the thread disappeared. I didn’t save the URL. I regret.

The tape later became unplayable. I still remember the strings flashing as they vibrated. I think she was real.

“Synaptic Beat” (Granada TV?) — Frame Captures

* Provided by a poster in 2006, from VHS stills. Source/date unverified.

Links

• BBS (closed) ｜ Email (inactive) ｜ RSS (stopped)
• Wikipedia (JP draft) ｜ Granada TV “Synaptic Beat” info
• Banner: (link free)