The Membranes

Last updated

The Membranes
The Membranes @ Gorilla, Manchester 20-7-2013 (9335151670).jpg
The Membranes on stage in Manchester 2013
Background information
Origin Blackpool, England
Genres Punk rock, post-punk, noise rock
Years active1977–1990, 2009–present
Labels Cherry Red Records Creation Records, Vinyl Drip Records, Criminal Damage, Rondelet Records, In-tape, Constrictor, Glass Records, Clawfist
Members John Robb (1977-1990, 2009-present)
Nick Brown (1982-1990, 2009-present)
Peter Byrchmore (2009-present)
Rob Haynes (2009-present)
Past members Mark Tilton (1977-1985)
Coofy Sid (197?-1990)
Martyn Critchley (1977)
Martin Kelly (1977-1982)
Steve Farmery (1982)
Stan Batcow (1985-1986)
Wallas Terror (1986-1988)
Keith Curtis (1986-1990)
Paul Morley (1989-1990)
Website www.themembranes.co.uk

The Membranes are an English post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb (bass guitar), Mark Tilton (guitar), Martyn Critchley (vocals) and Martin Kelly (drums). [1] Critchley soon left, with Robb and Tilton taking on vocals, and Kelly moving to keyboards, with "Coofy Sid" (Coulthart) taking over on drums. [1]

Contents

Their first release was the "Flexible Membrane" flexi-disc in 1980, and over the next 11 years they went on to release six studio albums. Their first single proper, "Muscles", was a single of the week in the UK music press [1] and a big club hit in New York being played in the Danceteria by the Beastie Boys eventual DJ Mojo[ clarification needed ] and other New York DJs. Kelly left after "Muscles", to be replaced by Steve Farmery on guitar for the follow-up Pin Stripe Hype EP. [2]

The band pioneered the avant noise scene of Big Black and Sonic Youth for several years with their "Spike Milligan's Tape Recorder" single and Death To Trad Rock EP and their debut Gift Of Life album. [2] They were destined to be the first band to be signed to Alan McGee's Creation label, but the deal fell through when McGee could not afford to pay their studio bill for the "Spike Milligan's Tape Recorder" single. [1] The band relocated to Manchester in 1983, and "Spike Milligan's Tape Recorder" was issued on the Criminal Damage label, [2] which met with a positive critical response but distribution problems limited its impact. [1] After The Membranes, Robb went on to form Sensuround and later Goldblade.

In 2009, the band reformed after My Bloody Valentine asked the band to play their All Tomorrows Parties festival. They then recorded the Dark Matter/Dark Energy album and have been playing festivals across Europe since then as well as special event gigs such as at the top of Blackpool Tower. The band received press acclaim for a series of concerts they played with choirs in Estonia and Portugal as well as the BIMM choir in the UK.

History

In 1977, John Robb and Mark Tilton formed the band at Blackpool Sixth Form College. Inspired by punk rock and the DIY ethic of punk, they started both a fanzine, Rox, and The Membranes at the same time. [2] Tilton, who lived a few doors down the road from Robb, bought a 'Woolworth's special' guitar from a junk shop, while Robb built his own bass guitar out of spare parts and a slab of wood from a local DIY store (along with dustbin lids, the band having no drummer at this stage). They then enlisted a singer Martyn Critchley and Martin Kelly joined on drums. Critchley subsequently left, with Robb and Tilton taking over to share the vocals, Martin Kelly moving to keyboards with a Wasp synthesiser and a 13-year-old called "Coofy Sid" (Coulthart) joining on drums. Their first recording was "Ice Age", which appeared on the Blackpool Rox EP featuring Section 25, Syntax and The Kenneth Turner Set on Robb's Vinyl Drip label, [3]

After a flexi-disc debut, the Flexible Membrane EP in 1980, they released the debut single proper "Muscles" in 1982, which was raved over by both the music press and John Peel. [3] That record's success saw the band sign a deal with Rondelet Records who issued a follow-up, the Pin Stripe Hype EP (the only Membranes record to feature guitarist Steve Farmery). Rondelet folded and the band signed to Criminal Damage Records. [2]

After Farmery left, the band went deeper into their new direction. Coofy Sid's drumming became more tribal and the guitars wilder and heavier.

They would have been the first band to sign to Creation Records, and the label's first release would have been Spike Milligan’s Tape Recorder, but Alan McGee had no money to pay for the recording studio so the band stayed with Criminal Damage and released this 7-inch single, described in ZigZag (magazine) as "not only have The Membranes wiped the floor with the opposition, they redesigned the tiles". They were awarded single of the week in all four music papers,[ citation needed ] and Spike Milligan reached number six in the John Peel Festive Fifty. [4]

In January 1985, The Membranes appeared on The Tube and released the Death To Trad Rock EP which reached number 8 in the UK Indie Chart and saw the band on the front cover of Sounds. At this point Tilton left the band: he was replaced shortly after by Stan Batcow, who came in on bass with Robb moving to guitar.

The band then signed to In Tape, the label run by Marc Riley and released their Songs Of Love And Fury, their breakthrough album in the US.

2009 reunion

In 2009, the band were asked to reform for the All Tomorrows Parties festival (ATP), curated by My Bloody Valentine and then they played ATP at the request of Shellac. This successful show was followed by a gig in Istanbul, and a sold out 2010 gig in London.

In 2012, the band reconvened to record a triple AAA side single for Louder Than War Records for release on Record Store Day and performed at the Incubate festival.

In June 2015, the band released an acclaimed album called Dark Matter/Dark Energy on Cherry Red Records in Europe and Metropolis Records in the USA and South America. The album made many of the year-end best album lists for 2015.

This double album was built around their "The Universe Explained" gig where they had Higgs boson scientists explain the universe before The Membranes played a set to finish. The album was launched by a gig at the top of Blackpool Tower - the first time a band had played there. The album was critically acclaimed with the website The Quietus calling it "one of the albums of the year" and NME calling it "an extraordinary comeback" and was regularly played on BBC Radio 6 Music where they recorded several sessions for Marc Riley.

The band played concerts in Estonia, Portugal and the UK with the 30 piece BIMM choir in September 2015 and toured the world in 2015/16. They supported The Stranglers on their UK tour in March 2015 and The Sisters Of Mercy and Killing Joke in 2016. The band played several festivals in 2016 including Glastonbury, Green Man, By The Sea, Grauzone, At The Edge Of The Sea, Beautiful Days, Bearded Theory and supported Therapy on their February 2016 UK tour.

In February 2016, the band released a joint single with the Sireen choir from Estonia called "The Universe Explodes Into A Billion Photons Of Pure White Light" which was recorded at their second session for Marc Riley on his 6 Music show.

In November 2016[ citation needed ] the band released a remix of the whole of their Dark Matter/Dark Energy album under the name Inner Space/Outer Space, with mixes from Manic Street Preachers, Alexander hacked from Einsturzende Neubauten, Therapy, Killing Joke, Phillip Boa, Reverend And The Makers, Keith Levene, The Pop Group, Godflesh, Clint Mansell, Cosey Fanni Tutti and many others.

The band released their sixth album - a double, What Nature Gives...Nature Takes Away on Cherry Red Records in June 2019. The album is built around the theme of nature and features a 20 piece choir and contributions from Chris Packham Shirley Collins Jordan and Kirk Brandon

Discography

UK Independent Chart positions in brackets. [5]

Albums

Singles/EPs

Compilations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Stone Roses</span> English rock band

The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani and drummer Reni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Nightingales</span> British band

Nightingales are a British post-punk/alternative rock band, formed in 1979 in Birmingham, England, by four members of Birmingham's punk group The Prefects. They had been part of The Clash's 'White Riot Tour', recorded a couple of Peel Sessions, released a 45 on Rough Trade and, years after splitting up, had a retrospective CD released by US indie label Acute Records.

Anti-Pasti are a British punk rock band, founded by vocalist Martin Roper and guitarist Dugi Bell in 1978, featuring Kev Nixon on drums and Will Hoon on bass guitar. Later they were joined by a second guitarist, Ollie Hoon. Their first album, The Last Call, spent seven weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 31. Roper left the band in 1982, and Anti-Pasti effectively ended until reformations in both 1995 and 2012.

The Threats are a punk band from Dalkeith and Edinburgh, Scotland. Originally formed in 1979 as the Reflectors, the band soon renamed themselves Threats.

Section 25 are an English post-punk and electronic band, best known for the 1984 single "Looking from a Hilltop", associated with Manchester record label Factory Records.

Special Duties are a British punk rock band from Colchester, Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blitzkrieg (punk band)</span> English punk rock band

Blitzkrieg are an English punk rock band, based in Southport and formed in 1979. They made a distinct contribution to the UK hardcore punk scene and have strong underground following. Despite the Nazi connotations of the name Blitzkrieg, German for "Lightning-War", they took a fiercely anti-Nazi stance.

Flotation Toy Warning is a band from London, UK formed in 2001. Their sound has been described as a cross between space rock and chamber pop, with musical similarities to bands such as Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, Sparklehorse, The Unicorns, and Air. The band is made up of frontman and lead vocalist Paul Carter, guitar and bass guitar players Ben Clay and Nainesh Shah, drummer Steve Swindon, and keyboardist Vicky West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldblade</span> English punk rock band

Goldblade are an English punk rock band from Manchester, England. The band formed in early 1995 when ex Membranes frontman, John Robb, put the band together with Wayne Simmons and former Membranes and A Witness vocalist Keith Curtis on bass, Rob Haynes on drums and Jay Taylor on guitar.

Dog Faced Hermans were a post-punk band that formed in Scotland in the mid 1980s and remained active through the mid 1990s. They emerged from the UK anarcho-punk scene with a guitar/bass/drums line-up, but also incorporated trumpet and other instruments not commonly found in punk music at that time. Their composition style incorporated many genres of music outside of rock, including folk, jazz, ambient and noise music with often unorthodox instrumentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Robb (musician)</span> English music journalist

John David Robb is an English musician and journalist best known as the bassist and singer for the mid-1980s post-punk band the Membranes.

Bogshed were an Indie band formed in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, England, in 1985 by Phil Hartley (vocals), Mark McQuaid (guitar), Mike Bryson (bass) and Tristan King (drums). They released two albums, two EPs and two singles before splitting up in 1987.

A Witness are an English post-punk/indie rock band, who were originally active in the mid-1980s alternative music scene. Their first EP Loudhailer Songs and début album I am John's Pancreas brought them to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel, for whom they recorded four sessions. Their career was brought to a halt with the death of guitarist Rick Aitken in 1989. Founder member and songwriter Vince Hunt revived the band with a new line-up for a series of UK-wide dates in 2014 marking the 25th anniversary of Aitken's death, and the band continues to play live.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarandon (band)</span>

Sarandon are an English indie rock group, formed in London in 2003, who have so far released two albums.

<i>The Business Trip</i> 1994 live album by Hawkwind

The Business Trip is a 1994 live album by the English space rock group Hawkwind. It was recorded at the Slough gig of the group's 1993 tour to promote the It Is the Business of the Future to Be Dangerous album.

The Chesterfields are an English indie pop band from Yeovil, Somerset, England. Hardcore fans tended to refer to them as "The Chesterf!elds", with an exclamation mark replacing the "i", following the example of the band's logo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riot Squad (band)</span> English punk rock band

Riot Squad were an English second-wave punk rock band from Mansfield, England, initially active between 1981 and 1984.

The Fits were a punk rock band from Blackpool, Lancashire, England, who were active between 1979 and 1985, having several hits on the UK Indie Chart. They reformed in 2011.

The Gresham Flyers were a power pop band, formed in 2005 and based in London, England, although none of their members or former members are originally from London.

Political Asylum was a Scottish anarcho-punk band formed in Stirling in 1982 and active until 1993. One of the most popular bands within that scene, they played hundreds of gigs across the U.K., Europe and America and were, according to author Ian Glasper, "an integral part of the fiercely independent underground that existed at the time."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Larkin, Colin: The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music, 1992, Guinness Publishing, pp. 177/8, ISBN   0-85112-579-4
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 832. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  3. 1 2 Strong, Martin C.:"The Great Alternative & Indie Discography", 1999, Canongate, ISBN   0-86241-913-1
  4. ↑ 1984 Festive Fifty, BBC
  5. ↑ Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980-1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN   0-9517206-9-4
  6. ↑ "Breathe In, Breathe Out, by The Membranes". Membranes.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.