No, we are not talking about Madchester, baggy or even grunge, this is all about the UK/Irish guitar bands of the very late 80’s and early 90’s.
It’s a list bands that has no name, a period in music that time largely forgot. And yet, they had Number One singles, Number One albums, headlined Glastonbury and Reading (when that actually meant something) and were amongst the first wave to play (and sell-out) arenas.
But, alas, they are not given the respect that they have earnt, there’s no seven-piece documentary about them on 6 Music, no BBC4 Friday nights devoted to them, and yet they meant (and still mean) a hell of a lot, to a hell of a lot of people.
There’s are some other bands from that time that have always had a constant fanbase, some on the back of a back catalogue consisting of very little, but they are no interest to us here, they will be continued to be fawned over by the aforementioned radio stations and lauded by the monthly music mags.
Thankfully, some of this list are back in favour, playing big rooms, some after large spells in the wilderness, could it be that these bands may finally be about to get their props, their moment in the sun. After this year’s summer where mid 90s bands like Oasis have reformed to packed out venues, could this be the autumn/winter of bands from the late 80s/early 90s ?
Let’s hope so, and to help, we are doing our bit to aid with this momentum, so here’s a reminder of the best of the best, with some you may be unfamiliar with. This list is by no means exhaustive, par exemple, two of those who just missed out, Jesus Jones and EMF, both of whom brought their music to the US are about to embark on a U.K. tour together. Unfurl that fringe and enjoy…
BLINK
Something of a curveball to begin with, they never reached the mainstream that they did on their Irish homeland, and like a lot of bands on this list, hit hardest with their debut albums, in Blink’s case it was the fundamentally lovable charm of 1994’s A Map Of The Universe , which was chockful of great catchy indie pop, a massive travesty that they never quite made it over here.
CARTER USM
Pyramid Stage Glastonbury headliners in 1992, which would never happen to now to a duo of guitar shredders with a drum machine (more’s the pity), had a Number One album in the same year, as well as a hatful of hit singles. They used to reform on an almost yearly basis, but we’ve had nothing for the last decade, despite their still fervorous fan base. Singer Jim Bob has just brought out two brilliant albums simultaneously and has just announced a big old tour for next year, whilst guitarist Fruitbat still tours regularly with his-post Carter band Abdoujaparov.
CUD
Formed in 1987, it took them a couple of years before hitting their stride, with their biggest hits coming in the early 90’s, the biggest of which, ‘Rich And Strange’, was used by David Baddiel for the them to his short-lived sitcom. Glorious albums Leggy Mambo, Asquarius and Showbiz were the best of phase one of the band, before they split temporarily. They are back, and as fun live as ever, with a tour pretty much every autumn, playing all the best stuff.
THE FRANK AND WALTERS
Another Irish act, best known for their massive hit ‘After All’, but there was so much more to them, with their best work being a self-titled collection of early singles/b-sides that preceded their official debut. They are very much still touring regularly, both as an acoustic set-up and as a proper full band.
KINGMAKER
Hull trio, who became bigger and bigger as 1991 went on, before troubling the upper echelons of the charts in the following year with ’10 Years Asleep’ and the glorious ‘Eat Yourself Whole’, named after their classic debut album (but not actually on it). Away from the music biz for years, they have recently reformed with 2/3 of the original line-up.
LEVELLERS
Levellers were the folk department of that time, and they have been stalwarts ever since, no time away, no splits, just continually releasing new stuff. They also headlined the main stage at Glastonbury in the 90’s and have had 14 Top 40 singles. Still selling out big theatres both electrically and acoustically, whilst annually headlining their own Beautiful Days Festival and are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their album Zeitgeist with a short tour next month.
NED’S ATOMIC DUSTBIN
Named after an episode of The Goon Show, Ned’s were always seen as Stourbridge’s (the spiritual home of the scene) younger siblings to the dual powerhouses of the same town below. They were one of the first big t-shirt bands, their circular logo donned by many an indie kid. ‘Kill Your Television’ is one of the great indie club floor filling staples and they still play the odd live date intermittently.
POP WILL EAT ITSELF
The Poppies, as they are affectionately known, had something for everyone in the 90’s, embracing Grebo as well as rave culture, with indie-dance full of samples, each album having a brand new sound. The line-up has changed since then, but the quality, both recorded and live, as never dipped over the years, and their first album in 10 years (Delete Everything) is out shortly, with a massive tour in support of it coming up in October/November.
SULTANS OF PING
Best known for beloved break-out single ‘Where’s Me Jumper‘ , they may only have ever had 1 Top 40 single, but their songs (especially those on underrated debut album Casual Sex In The Cineplex) were loved for their humour and attitude. They still play a handful of gigs per year, in rooms that were much bigger than they were, even at their early 90’s peak, they have a new generation of fans.
THE WEDDING PRESENT
Indie national treasures, the self-appointed ‘semi-legendary’ Wedding Present are probably most well known for having a Top 40 single every month for the whole of 1992, when the charts were still a thing. As popular now as ever, they have making corking albums ever since, and are currently celebrating their 40th anniversary in existence with a big nationwide tour and their very first Greatest Hits-ish collection.
THE WONDER STUFF
The GOAT’s back then. The run of their first 3 albums (The Eight-Legged Groove Machine, Hup! and Never Loved Elvis) is as thrilling as popular music gets, and as a band, they are so much deeper than the songs that people best know them for (‘The Size Of A Cow’ and their Vic Reeves joint, ‘Dizzy’). On tour this December, and will be as unmissable as they have ever been, their current line-up are startlingly good.
The clip below, for me, sums up this whole era, just a big festival crowd bouncing along to a ridiculously catchy tune. To those that were there, and indeed are still there, ‘God bless the f***in lot of us.’
