Prolapse were an English

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band formed in Leicester, England, originally active from to 2000. The group's sound was a mixture of punk rock, krautrock and

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

styles. The band's sound was also characterised by the alternating, contrasting vocal styles of Linda Steelyard and Mick Derrick.

History

Formation

Prolapse formed in the summer of 1991 at Leicester Polytechnic's Friday night disco, "with the aim of being the most depressing band ever". Of the six members—vocalists Mick Derrick and Linda Steelyard, guitarists David Jeffreys and Patrick Marsden, bassist Mick Harrison, and drummer Tim Pattison—only Harrison and Pattison had performed together. In a 1999 interview, Steelyard stated that the name was chosen "to indicate something undesirable in a miserable sort of way, rather than unsavoury. Unfortunately, we have come to realise that it makes some people think of arses."

Cult following

In 1993 the band released two EPs on Cherry Red Records, ''Crate'' and ''Pull Thru Barker'', followed in 1994 by the single "Doorstop Rhythmic Bloc" and album ''

Pointless Walks to Dismal Places __NOTOC__ ''Pointless Walks to Dismal Places'' is the debut album by the band Prolapse. It was released in October 1994 on Cherry Red Records. The album was recorded at Bang Bang Studios, London London is the capital and List of urban a ...

'', which won critical acclaim. The band gained attention for their live performances, particularly for songs like "Tina This Is Matthew Stone", which depicted a dialogue between two furious partners. The songs were not as much sung as they were acted over a musical accompaniment. After leaving Cherry Red records, they then went on to release a variety of singles and EPs on a number of different labels. Prolapse, Rough Trade Shop

In 1995, they released their second album, ''backsaturday'', which saw them experimenting with both repetitive grooves and ambient soundscapes. The album was preceded by the single "TCR", which was included on the subsequent U.S. release of ''backsaturday''. A remixed version of the 15-minute lead track "Flex" was also later issued as a limited edition 12-inch titled "Flexed". Prolapse, 1997

Their third album, ''

The Italian Flag __NOTOC__ ''The Italian Flag'', is the third album by the band Prolapse (band), Prolapse, released in October 1997 on Radar Records in the UK. The album was produced by Donald Ross Skinner, who then joined the band, playing on the subsequent tour ...

'' (1997), was an eclectic 13-track tour de force which saw Prolapse gain significant radio play for the first time, particularly for the lead single "Killing the Bland" and its follow-up "Autocade", though neither single became a hit. The album returned to the more melodic approach of the first LP, though now with a harder guitar sound, but this time there was also a whole diverse array of styles, earning the band many favourable reviews. The album was produced by

Donald Ross Skinner Donald Skinner is a guitarist, songwriter and producer primarily known for his work with Julian Cope. Skinner is commonly known by the name Donald Ross Skinner with the addition of the middle name of ''Ross'' attributed to him by Cope after Gle ...

, who was invited to join the band for their subsequent tour on keyboards and guitar. The final Prolapse LP was ''

Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes __NOTOC__ ''Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes'' is the fourth album by the band Prolapse, released in May 1999 on Cooking Vinyl Records in the UK. The album was again produced by Donald Ross Skinner, who was now a fully fledged member of the band. The a ...

'', released in 1999, after which the group drifted apart. As of 2005, Mick Derrick was working as an archaeologist in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, Pat Marsden lived in nearby

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

, drummer Tim played in

MJ Hibbett & The Validators Mark John ("MJ") Hibbett (born 19 June 1970) is an English guitarist singer-songwriter, often compared to Billy BraggLeicester Mercury The ''Leicester Mercury'' is a British regional newspaper for the city of Leicester and the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The paper began in the 19th century as the ''Leicester Daily Mercury'' and later changed to its ...

'' and David Jeffreys was a professor of art at

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Uni ...

. In January 2015, Prolapse reformed to play a series of live dates. The band also performed with Scottish post-rock group

Mogwai Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mog ...

. These were followed by digital re-releases of much of their back catalogue, including a planned "deluxe edition" of their first album "Pointless Walks to Dismal Places" on Optic Nerve. In 2019, the band released ''The Flex E.P.'', which contained previously unreleased material that had been recorded by the band during their active years. In 2022, Prolapse reformed to complete a short UK tour and posted on their Bandcamp ''PRE 010: Prolapse – John Peel session 20.08.94'' and ''PRE 011: Prolapse – John Peel session 08.04.97'', which contained recordings from the band's work with John Peel.

Discography

Albums

*''

'' ( Cherry Red) – 1994 *''backsaturday'' (Lissy's) – 1995 *''

'' (

Radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

) – 1997 *''

'' – ( Cooking Vinyl) – 1999

Singles and EPs

*''Crate: Songs for Ella'' ( Cherry Red) – 1993 *''Pull Thru Barker'' ( Cherry Red) – 1994 *''Doorstop Rhythmic Bloc'' ( Cherry Red) – 1994 *''TCR'' (Love Train) – 1995 *''When Space Invaders Were Big/Love Like Anthrax'' ( Cherry Red) – 1995 *''Psychotic Now (split-artist Flexi given away free with Warped Reality magazine issue 4)'' *''Flexed / Unroadkill'' (Lissy's) – 1996 *''Autocade'' (

) – 1997 *''Killing The Bland'' (

) – 1997 *''Snappy Horse'' (

) – 1997 *''Deanshanger'' (

) – 1998 *''Fob.com'' ( Cooking Vinyl) – 1999 *''The Flex E.P.'' (Self released) – 2019 *''PRE 010: Prolapse – John Peel session 20.08.94'' (Self released) – 2022 *''PRE 011: Prolapse – John Peel session 08.04.97'' (Self released) – 2022

References

External links

The Palace of ProlapseProlapse myspace pagePineapster – Prolapse
*
Interview on the Leicester Bands websiteProlapse interview from Delusions of Adequacy (2007)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prolapse English rock music groups Musical groups from Leicester Alumni of the University of Leicester Radar Records artists