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Fiction Factory | |
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| Origin | Perth, Scotland |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1982–1987, 2007, 2011, 2022 |
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| Past members |
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Fiction Factory were a Scottish new wave band from Perth. Formed in 1982, they are best known for their single "(Feels Like) Heaven", which peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Eddie Jordan and Kevin Patterson.
Before they began Fiction Factory in 1982, Kevin Patterson (vocals) and Eddie Jordan (keyboards) had played in the band Street People around 1978, performing original songs and covers of Magazine and Ultravox! songs, before forming ska band the Rude Boys (later shortened to the RBs) with Grant Taylor (trumpet) and Chic Medley (guitar). [1] The eight-piece RBs played numerous live gigs, released an album and two singles, but due to musical differences Patterson, Jordan and Medley left the band to form Fiction Factory. Initially thought of as a song writing unit for other artists, they eventually enlisted Graham McGregor (bass guitar) and Mike Ogletree (drums and percussion), a former member of Simple Minds and Café Jacques, to form a proper band. Influences on Fiction Factory included Magazine, Kraftwerk and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whom Patterson described as "a big favourite". [1] Patterson's vocal style was influenced by the Walker Brothers, Sparks, and Magazine's Howard Devoto. [1]
The band frequented Bandwagon Music Supplies in Perth. "They would come into my shop wanting to hear their recording on my wee cassette recorder that turned out to be a number six single that still gets played today," said Pete Caban, the shop's owner. "I still see the guys, they still come in." The shop closed in 2020 after 37 years in business. [2]
The band's single "(Feels Like) Heaven" became a UK Top 10 hit in 1984 (also reaching the Top 10 in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland); it was their only success in the UK. The follow-up single "Ghost of Love" only reached no. 64 on the singles chart, while the parent studio album Throw the Warped Wheel Out did not reach the chart at all. [3] Fiction Factory had more success in Europe with "(Feels Like) Heaven" reaching no. 2 in Switzerland and the Top 20 in several countries, "Ghost of Love" spending 11 weeks on the German singles chart [4] and Throw the Warped Wheel Out charting in Switzerland (no. 23), [5] Sweden (no. 34) [6] and Germany (no. 57). [7]
In 1984 Fiction Factory toured Europe as support for OMD, but the same year Jordan, McGregor and Ogletree departed from the band. Patterson and Medley recorded the next studio album with session musicians, including keyboardist Paul Wishart and brothers Graham and Neil Weir of OMD. [8]
Fiction Factory disbanded in 1987 after the release of their second studio album Another Story had become a commercial flop. [8] Patterson formed the short lived duo The Dearhearts with singer Karen Smyth and left the music industry soon afterwards. [1] He now works in IT and is married with two children. [9] [10] Patterson and Jordan reunited to perform "(Feels Like) Heaven" with a backing band at the latter's wedding in August 2007. [11] Medley went on to work with the Scottish world music project, Mouth Music.
In 2011, the original line-up reformed for the first time since 1984 for their performance at that year's Rewind Festival. [12]
In 2016, Manic Street Preachers covered "(Feels Like) Heaven" for the album BBC Radio 2 Sounds of the 80s, Volume 2.[ citation needed ]
In 2022, Fiction Factory reunited and performed at the Belgian "W-Festival" in Ostend. [1]
| Fiction Factory discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 2 |
| Singles | 6 |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [13] | GER [7] | SWE [6] | SWI [5] | |||||||||||
| Throw the Warped Wheel Out |
| 98 | 57 | 34 | 23 | |||||||||
| Another Story |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [14] | AUS [15] | AUT [16] | BEL [17] | GER [18] | IRE [19] | ITA [20] | NED [21] | NZ [22] | SWE [23] | SWI [24] | ||||
| 1983 | "Ghost of Love" | 64 | — | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Throw the Warped Wheel Out | |
| "(Feels Like) Heaven" | 6 | 51 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 33 | 16 | 24 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 1984 | "All or Nothing" | 148 [25] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985 | "Not the Only One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Another Story | |
| "No Time" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Standing at the Top of the World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
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"(Feels Like) Heaven" is a song by Scottish new wave band Fiction Factory, which was released in 1983 as the second single from their debut studio album Throw the Warped Wheel Out (1984). The track was a hit in Switzerland, reaching #2 on the singles chart. In the UK, it peaked at #6. Other chart positions include #10 in Germany, #12 in The Netherlands, #14 in Sweden and #20 in Austria. The song is a regular feature on 1980s and new wave compilation albums.
"Locomotion" is a song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 2 April 1984 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Junk Culture (1984). It was one of the band's biggest European hits, charting within the Top 5 in the UK, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, while also peaking at No. 14 in Germany.
The discography of English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) includes 14 studio albums and 46 singles, among other releases. The group issued their debut single, "Electricity", in 1979, and achieved several international top 10 hits during the 1980s and 1990s, including their signature songs "Enola Gay" (1980) and "If You Leave" (1986). OMD's albums Architecture & Morality (1981), The Best of OMD (1988) and Sugar Tax (1991) were certified platinum or higher in the UK; the gold-certified Dazzle Ships (1983) became one of the band's more influential works.
"Tesla Girls" is a song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the third single from their fifth studio album, Junk Culture (1984). It peaked at No. 21 in the UK and Ireland, and No. 8 on the Dutch Top 40. Although only moderately successful on the charts, it became one of the group's biggest club hits.
Throw the Warped Wheel Out is the debut studio album by the Scottish new wave band Fiction Factory. It was released in 1984 and included the UK and European hit single "(Feels Like) Heaven". The album failed to chart in the UK but was more successful in Europe, reaching the charts in Switzerland, Sweden and Germany. Alan Rankine of the Associates played the Synclavier, and produced the single "All or Nothing".
Another Story is the second and final studio album by the Scottish band Fiction Factory, released on 15 July 1985. The album was a commercial failure and featured no hit singles, despite the release of three singles during the same year: "Not the Only One", "No Time" and "Standing at the Top of the World".
"Ghost of Love" is the debut single by new wave band Fiction Factory which was released in 1983 and appeared on the band's 1984 debut album, Throw the Warped Wheel Out. The song was re-released as a single again in 1984 following the success of "(Feels Like) Heaven". It was the last charting single in the UK for the band, peaking at No. 64 in the UK Singles Chart. It was more successful in Germany spending 11 weeks on the singles chart, peaking at No. 49. It was written by lead singer Kevin Patterson and produced by Peter Wilson.
"All or Nothing" is a song by new wave band Fiction Factory, released in 1984 as the third and final single from the band's debut album, Throw the Warped Wheel Out. The song was written by Kevin Patterson, Eddie Jordan and Chic Medley. It was produced by Alan Rankine.
"Not the Only One" is a song by new wave band Fiction Factory, released in 1985 as the lead single from the band's second and final album, Another Story. The song was written and produced by Kevin Patterson and Chic Medley.
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