10cc are an English art-pop band that released two albums on UK Records in 1973/74, followed by seven albums and a live two-record set on Mercury between 1975 and 1983. In their initial four-piece lineup, 10cc recorded the choral-layered production landmark “I’m Not in Love.” Following the departure of co-founders Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, […]
Van der Graaf Generator are an English rock band, formed at Manchester University in 1967 by singer–songwriter Peter Hammill. On their 1969 debut album, The Aerosol Grey Machine, they crossed psychedelia with darker, haunted sounds, which they codeified on the 1970 albums The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other and H to […]
The Buzzcocks were an English punk-rock band from Manchester that debuted with an EP on self-press New Hormones in January 1977, followed by eight singles and three albums on United Artists between October 1977 and September 1979. In 1978 alone, the band placed five songs on the UK singles chart. For its first eight months, […]
Joy Division was an English post-punk band from Manchester, formed as Warsaw by guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook with drummer Stephen Morris and singer Ian Curtis. They co-headed the Northern DIY boom with their 1978 EP An Ideal for Living. On Tony Wilson’s Factory label, Joy Division made their 1979 debut, Unknown Pleasures, […]
New Order are an English electro-pop band that made five albums and twenty singles between 1981 and 1990 on Factory Records. They formed in late 1980 when three/fourths of Joy Division — guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris — carried on after the death of singer Ian Curtis. With added keyboardist/guitarist […]
The Passage was an English post-punk band assembled by drummer, keyboardist, and songwriter Dick Witts. They released two 1978–79 EPs on Manchester indie Object, followed by the 1980 album Pindrop. In 1981, a revised lineup issued For All and None on Virgin-subsidiary Night & Day, followed by the 1982–83 releases Degenerates and Enflame on Cherry […]
Magazine was an English rock band led by original Buzzcocks frontman Howard Devoto. They debuted with the 1978 Virgin single “Shot by Both Sides,” followed by the albums Real Life, Secondhand Daylight, and The Correct Use of Soap. The band’s instrumentalists — guitarist John McGeoch, bassist Barry Adamson, and keyboardist Dave Formula — were also […]
Roy Harper (born June 12, 1941) is an English folk-rock singer/songwriter and guitarist from Rusholme, Greater Manchester, who released an album apiece on Strike, CBS, and Liberty, followed by a run of nine studio albums between 1970 and 1980 on Harvest. The subsequent decades yielded further albums on EMI, Science Fiction, and Awareness Records. His […]
Kalima was an English jazz-pop ensemble that released one EP, three singles, and three albums between 1984 and 1990. The band comprised alumni from earlier Mancunian acts A Certain Ratio and Swamp Children. Members: Martin Moscrop (drums), Tony Quigley (bass, saxophone), Andrew Connell (piano, synthesizer, vibraphone), Jez Kerr (bass guitar), Ann Quigley (vocals), Cliff Saffer […]
Diagram Brothers were an English art-punk band from Manchester that debuted with “We Are All Animals,” a 1980 DIY maxi-single. Buzzcocks manager Richard Boon signed them to his New Hormones label for their second single (“Bricks”) and 1981 album Some Marvels of Modern Science, followed by the 1982 10″ Discordo 45. Bassist/trumpeter Andy Diagram doubled […]
Simply Red are an English blue-eyed soul ensemble that emerged on the mid-eighties Manchester sophisti-pop scene. The name references ginger-haired frontman Mick Hucknall, whose impassioned vocals propelled them to transatlantic stardom with their debut album Picture Book. Simply Red’s biggest hits include “Holding Back the Years,” “Money’s Too Tight (to Mention),” and their cover of […]
The Durutti Column was an English ambient project from Manchester that made nine albums and assorted EPs between 1980 and 1990 on Factory Records. Guitarist Vini Reilly led the act through multiple solo and combo iterations. He also played on records by Anne Clark, Richard Jobson, and Quando Quango. Members: Vini Reilly (guitar, piano, vocals), […]
Tractor was the English post-psych duo of singer–guitarist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton. They formed as The Way We Live, which released the 1971 album A Candle for Judith on John Peel’s Dandelion label. Renamed Tractor, they made a 1972 self-titled album. They half-completed a third album before Dandelion’s collapse and cut three singles […]
The Swamp Children were an English sophisti-jazz/pop band from Manchester that released two albums on Factory circa 1981/82, followed by the album So Hot in 1982. The band morphed into Kalima for a further run of shortplayers and albums during the mid-to-late 1980s. Members: Martin Moscrop (drums), Ann Quigley (vocals), Tony Quigley (bass), John Kirkham […]
I Drive was an English post-psych band, formed in Greater Manchester and based in Germany. They released the 1969 two-sided single “Classical Rigby” with (future Twenty Sixty Six and Then) singer Geff Harrison, followed by a 1972 eponymous album on the Krautrock label Metronome. After their breakup, guitarist–singer “Cheese” Hampson and bassist Leslie Graham carried […]
Dislocation Dance was an English post-punk/jazz-funk band from Manchester that cut two EPs and the 1981 album Music Music Music on New Hormones. Trumpeter Andy Diagram held dual membership in the Diagram Brothers. Singer Kathryn Way features on their stopgap singles “You’ll Never Never Know” and “Violet” and 1983 Rough Trade album Midnight Shift, a […]
The Colourfield was an English sophisti-pop band that released the 1985–87 Chrysalis albums Virgins and Philistines and Deception. They featured ex-Specials and Fun Boy Three singer Terry Hall and onetime Swinging Cats guitarist–keyboardist Toby Lyons. Members: Terry Hall (vocals, guitar), Karl Shale (bass), Toby Lyons (guitar, keyboards), Gary Dwyer (drums, 1986-87) Formation Terry Hall formed […]
The Peddlers were an English jazz-rock/soul trio from Manchester that issued a clutch of singles on Philips during the mid-1960s, followed by three albums and further singles on CBS between 1967 and 1969. In 1972, the band teamed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the album Suite London on Philips. A live album of mostly […]
Crispy Ambulance was an English post-punk band that released the 1982 album The Plateau Phase on Factory Benelux. In 1985, an expanded six-piece lineup cut the funk EP Advantage under the name Ram Ram Kino. Members: Alan Hempsall (vocals), Robert Davenport (guitar), Keith Darbyshire (bass), Gary Madeley (drums) Background Crispy Ambulance formed in late 1977 in […]
John Howard is an English pianist, singer, and songwriter who released the 1975 album Kid in a Big World on CBS, which vaulted his two subsequent albums, Technicolour Biography and Can You Hear Me OK? He cut five single between 1978 and 1984, but didn’t return as an album artist until the 2005 discs The Dangerous […]
The Chameleons were an English post-punk band that released the 1983–85 albums Script of the Bridge and What Does Anything Mean? Basically on Statik Records. Their 1986 Geffen release Strange Times spawned the college radio staple “Swamp Thing.” Singer–bassist Mark Burgess and drummer John Lever carried on as The Sun and the Moon on the […]
A Certain Ratio are an English jazz-funk band from Manchester that emerged in the post-punk milieu of Factory Records. They cut three singles in 1979/80 and scored a transatlantic dance hit with “Shack Up,” their take on Banbarra’s rare groove classic. After their live/demos cassette The Graveyard and the Ballroom, ACR made the 1981/82 Factory […]
Pacific Drift was an English art-pop/psych band from Manchester that released the album Feelin’ Free on Deram in 1970. Members: Barry Reynolds (guitar, vocals), Brian Chapman (keyboards, vocals), Graham Harrop (guitar, bass), Lawrence Arendes (drums) Background Pacific Drift evolved from Sponge, an unrecorded psych-rock band with guitarist/bassist Graham Harrop and drummer Lawrence Arendes. Harrop played […]
The Smiths were an English pop-rock band from Manchester that released four albums and two compilations of non-album material on Rough Trade between 1984 and 1987. Members: Morrissey (vocals, piano), Johnny Marr (guitar, keyboards, mandolin, bass, harmonica, 1982-87), Steven Pomfret (rhythm guitar, 1982), Dale Hibbert (bass, 1982), Mike Joyce (drums, backing vocals, 1982-87), Andy Rourke […]
Swing Out Sister are an English sophisti-pop combo from Manchester that issued four 1985/86 singles on Mercury that formed the basis of the 1987 album It’s Better to Travel. In 1989, they released Kaleidoscope World on Fontana, followed by a third studio album and a live disc on the label in 1992/93. A return to […]
Goliath was an English jazz-rock/soul band from Manchester that released a self-titled album on CBS in 1970. Members: Linda Rothwell (vocals), Malcolm Grundy (guitar), Joseph Rosbotham (woodwinds), John Williamson (bass), Eric Eastman (drums, percussion) Background Goliath evolved from the unrecorded Mancunian act Petrus Booncamp, which featured guitarist–bassist John Williamson and singers Linda Rothwell and Roy […]
Mandalaband was the symphonic-rock project of English composer/arranger David Rohl. The project yielded a self-titled album on Chrysalis in 1975. The musicians on that recording became Sad Café. The Mandalaband nameplate was resurrected for the 1978 rock-opera The Eye of Wendor: Prophecies, which features Justin Hayward on one track. Members: David Rohl (keyboards), David Durant […]
Barclay James Harvest was an English symphonic-rock band from Oldham, Greater Manchester, that initiated EMI’s Harvest imprint, releasing four albums on the label between 1970 and 1972, followed by a lengthy run of albums on Polydor between 1974 and 1997. Members: Les Holroyd (bass, vocals), John Lees (guitar, vocals), Mel Pritchard (drums), Woolly Wolstenholme (keyboards, […]
The Decorators were an English post-punk band that released the 1980 single “Twilight View” on the Buzzcocks‘ New Hormones label, followed by the 1982–83 titles Tablets and Rebel Songs on Red Flame. Members: Michael Bevan (vocals, guitar), Johnny Gilani (guitar), Steve Sandoe (bass), Joe Sax (saxophone), Allan Boroughs (drums), Pete Saunders (keyboards) Background The Decorators […]
Blue Orchids were an English neo-psych band spun from an early lineup of The Fall. They released three 1981–82 singles and The Greatest Hit (Money Mountain) on Rough Trade. Members: Martin Bramah (vocals, guitar), Una Baines (keyboards, 1979-85), Rick Goldstraw (guitar, bass, 1979-82, 2004-07), Steve Toyne (bass, 1979-80), Ian Rogers (drums, 1979-81), Toby Toman (drums, […]
The Fall was an English post-punk band led by Manchester singer, musician, and songwriter Mark E. Smith. Between 1979 and 1988, they released eleven albums. Members: Mark E. Smith (vocals, tapes, violin, keyboards), Martin Bramah (guitar, vocals, 1976-79, 1989-90), Tony Friel (bass, 1976-77), Una Baines (keyboards, 1976-78), Steve Ormrod (drums, 1976-77), Karl Burns (drums, guitar, […]
Slaughter and the Dogs were an English rock band from Wythenshawe, formed in 1975 at the forefront of punk. On July 20, 1976, they played a watershed triple-bill with the Buzzcocks and The Sex Pistols at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall, heralding the city’s musical renaissance. During 1977, Slaughter and the Dogs placed two […]
The Hollies were an English pop-rock band from Manchester, formed in 1962 at the dawn of the British beat boom. Between 1963 and 1965, they placed seven singles in the UK Top 10, including “Just One Look” “Here I Go Again,” and the chart-topper “I’m Alive.” They broke the US market with their 1965 single […]
Oscar was an English art-rock/pop band from Manchester that released a 1974 self-titled album on Buk Records, followed by the 1976/77 DJM titles Twilight Asylum and Cobblestone Heroes. Members: Tony Bamforth (keyboards, vocals), Gary McDougall (bass, vocals), Brian McGladdery (12-string guitar, vocals), Kevin Parrott (lead guitar, vocals), Roger Tweedale (drums, vocals) Background Oscar formed in […]
Ludus were an English post-punk band from Manchester that released three shorptlayers and two longplayers on local small-press New Hormones between 1980 and 1982. Frontwoman Linder Sterling was also a graphic designer who illustrated sleeves for fellow Mancunians The Buzzcocks (“Orgasm Addict”) and Magazine (Real Life). Members: Linder (vocals), Arthur Kadmon (guitar, 1978-79), Toby Toman […]
The Drones were an English punk rock band from Manchester that released the 1977 album Further Temptations on Valer Records. Members: M. J. Drone [Michael Howells] (vocals), Pete Howells (drums), Steve “Whispa” Cundall (bass), Gus Gangrene (guitar, 1976-78), Mike Koman (keyboards, 1978) Background The Drones evolved from Rockslide, a glitter-pop band that issued the October […]
Samson was an English brass-psych band from Manchester that made the 1969 album Are You Samson. Paul Korda produced the album for Instant, the short-lived sub-label of Immediate Records, established by ex-Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Members: Les Jones (guitar), Norman Findley (organ), Paul Ford (trumpet), Les Olbinson (bass), Mike Delaney (drums), Ian Kewley […]
Sad Café was an English ensemble that was active between the late 1970s and mid-1980s. Hailing from a then-furtive Manchester scene (10cc, Buzzcocks, Magazine) the band released six studio albums between 1977 and 1985. The instrumental core of the band congealed as Mandalaband, formed to backup composer David Rohl on a pair of album-length conceptual […]
Spherical Objects were an English post-punk band from Manchester that released two singles and four albums between 1978 and 1981 on self-press Object Music. Leader Steve Solamar partook in the side projects Alternomen Unlimited, The Noyes Brothers (both with Steve Miro) and The Warriors. Members: Steve Solamar (vocals, guitar, harmonica), John Bisset-Smith (guitar, vocals), Duncan […]
Carmel was an English jazz-pop/soul combo from Manchester led by the namesake vocalist Carmel McCourt. They debuted with a 1982 self-titled EP on Red Flame, followed by four albums between 1984 and 1989 on London Records. Members: Carmel McCourt (vocals), Jim Parris (bass), Gerry Darby (drums) Background Carmel formed in Manchester in 1981 when singer […]
Sweet Sensation was an English soul-pop octet from Manchester that released ten singles between 1974 and 1977 on Pye, including the 1974 UK No. 1 “Sad Sweet Dreamer.” Members: Junior Daye (vocals), Roy Flowers (drums), Vincent James (vocals), Barry Johnson (bass), Marcel King (vocals), St. Clair L. Palmer (vocals), Gary Shaugnessy (guitar), Leroy Smith (keyboards) […]
National Pastime were an English pop-rock band from Sale, Greater Manchester, that released three singles on Spellbound Records in 1984, followed by the album Built to Break on Victor in 1985. A final single appeared on the Pop Eye label in 1986. Members: Oliver Sheen (bass, vocals), Mark Knott (drums), Steve Broomhead (guitar), Rupert Sheen […]
Elkie Brooks (born Feb. 25, 1945) is an English soul-pop vocalist who recorded three singles apiece on Decca and His Master’s Voice during the mid-’60s. In 1970, she formed the jazz-rock-soul big band Dada with her guitarist husband Pete Gage and singer Paul Korda. They released one album before Korda cleared for Robert Palmer and […]
