Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, et Common Goldfish

One might assume that the Happy Mondays make a better story than a band, and at points in their storied history they definitely have. Take for example, how the unbelievable tales surrounding their ill-fated recording sessions in Jamaica (including Shaun Ryder holding the master tapes of his own album to ransom while demanding that Factory Records buy them off him before listening to them) only lead to the release of the critical and commercial disaster “Yes Please!” before the band split up for the second time the following year. However, time and hefty tax bills heal all wounds, and while the musical fashion of nostalgic reunion tours may be waning it does still mean that acts that are getting back together are better bands than they were in their heyday. While their legend may follow them around just as much if not more than their classic albums on stage, the band can still slay any audience they’re put in front of with their loose limbed indie-funk.

Even without band mascot Bez hurling himself around the stage with his ever-present maracas for many of the songs (arthritis curtails even the freakiest of dancin’), the Mondays have got to the point where they can turn any venue they play into a heaving club during the height of the Madchester era. At this point they are a true outlier in British music, as few acts are playing that style of music and fewer still playing it at the level the Mondays are at, so every time one has the opportunity to see them you can also bet that they’ll be playing to a crowd that truly believes in the band. It’s rare to witness an audience that’s willing to give themselves to any band, for some it’ll be to relive their glory days, for others, it’ll be to experience them for the first time if they weren’t around at its peak. It takes a special band to create that effect on people, and the Mondays do that every time they play. So put aside your preconceptions and witness the original Party People do what they do best as soon as possible.

Perhaps they’re best remembered now for being the band that kind of gave Noel Gallagher his break in music - he toured the world with them as a roadie in the years leading up to the formation of Oasis - but there’s plenty else to be noted about Inspiral Carpets, even if it’s just that they’re one of the few bands to have had their keyboard player be their de facto frontman. With the band’s singer changing several times down the years, Clint Boon served as their official mouthpiece; coining the phrase ‘cool as fuck’ that appeared on their iconic t-shirts through their late-eighties, early-nineties heyday, he came to embody the swagger that was the epitome of the Inspirals sound. After reforming in 2003 with Tom Hingley on vocals, the band have since settled their differences with original singer Stephen Holt, who is now very much in the fold. They tour from time to time, retaining a cult fanbase in the UK - especially in their native Manchester - and play hit-heavy sets that include the likes of ‘This Is How It Feels’ and ‘Dragging Me Down’. Expect new dates soon, with Inspiral Carpets - their first new album in twenty years - slated for a September release.