Crispy Ambulance are an English

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...

band, formed in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in late-1977 by Keith Darbyshire (bass), Robert Davenport (guitar), Alan Hempsall (vocals), and Gary Madeley (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 284-5 They had been inspired by the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

' second gig in the

Lesser Free Trade Hall The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street, Manchester, England, was constructed in 1853–56 on St Peter's Fields, the site of the Peterloo Massacre. It is now a Radisson hotel. The hall was built to commemorate the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846. Th ...

, in addition to the bands

Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

and

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

Career

The band played their first gig on 1 January 1978 at the Spurley Hey Youth Centre. Following a self-released debut single, "From the Cradle to the Grave" (1980), the band joined

Factory Records Factory Records was a Manchester-based British independent record label founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus. The label featured several important acts on its roster, including Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, the Durutt ...

. Singles " Unsightly and Serene" and "Live on a Hot August Night" (produced by

Martin Hannett James Martin Hannett (31 May 1948 – 18 April 1991), initially credited as Martin Zero, was an English record producer, musician and an original partner/director at Tony Wilson's Factory Records. Hannett produced music by artists including Joy ...

) preceded their album '' The Plateau Phase'' (1982) and final single "Sexus". ''The Plateau Phase'' was given a five star review by ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

''.Gimarc, George (2005) ''Punk Diary: The Ultimate Trainspotter's Guide to Underground Rock 1970–1982'', Backbeat Books, , p. 424, 580 In April 1980 singer Alan Hempsall also appeared on stage with

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

at Derby Hall, standing in for

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown P ...

who was recovering from an attempted suicide attempt the previous day, a performance which ultimately descended into a riot. This scene is depicted in the Joy Division biopic ''

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controllin ...

''. During 1981–1982, Crispy Ambulance played several dozen live dates in the UK, as well as a short European tour with Section 25. They also recorded a session for

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

show in January 1981. Crispy Ambulance disbanded in late 1982, leaving behind ''Fin'' (1985), a live album of late period songs. A further posthumous album, ''Frozen Blood'', included their 1981 BBC radio session for the

programme. The four members carried on for a short time as Ram Ram Kino, releasing one single "Advantage" on Temple Records. The original line-up of Crispy Ambulance reformed in 1999, and went on to release two studio albums, ''Scissorgun'' in 2002 and ''The Powder Blind Dream'' in 2004, as well as a live album, ''Accessory After the Fact''. All these later recordings were produced by

Graham Massey Graham Vernon Massey (born 4 August 1960 in Manchester) is a British record producer, musician, and remixer. Early career He was a member of experimental jazz rock group Biting Tongues, once signed to Factory Records. After recording with the ...

808 State 808 State are an English electronic music group formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson. They released their debut album, '' New ...

. The group also undertook a short tour of North America in November 2002. They reformed again in 2014 and are back touring. In the commentary for the 2002 film, ''

24 Hour Party People ''24 Hour Party People'' is a 2002 British biographical comedy-drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Win ...

'', Tony Wilson of

stated that while he liked the band, he felt that their name was the worst band name of all time. Crispy Ambulance released an almost entirely instrumental album in 2016, entitled Random Textures. The double CD edition, released by

Factory Benelux A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. The ...

, came with an expanded version of the

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

album Compulsion.

Influence

The

Half Man Half Biscuit Half Man Half Biscuit are an English rock band, formed in 1984 in Birkenhead, Merseyside. Known for their satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs, the band comprises lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Cr ...

song "Running Order Squabble Fest" (on the album ''

This Leaden Pall ''This Leaden Pall'' is the fourth album by the English rock band Half Man Half Biscuit, released in 1993. The album cover features a bleak overdeveloped picture of the now demolished Hale Wood pub in Halewood, Merseyside. In 2001 it was vot ...

'') references the band with the line: "You're going on after Crispy Ambulance!". It is a play on the football chant "You're going home in a

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

!".

Discography

Studio albums

*'' The Plateau Phase'' (1982), Factory Benelux FBN-12 – UK Indie No. 23Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980–1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 54 ** Expanded CD reissue as ''Comprising : The Plateau Phase, Live on a Hot August Night, Sexus'' *''Scissorgun'' (2002), LTM *''The Powder Blind Dream'' (2004), LTM *''Compulsion'' (2015)

release *''Random Textures'' (2016)

(double CD with ''Compulsion'' expanded

Compilations

*''The Blue & Yellow (of the Yacht Club)'' (1983), C.A. Tapes *''Frozen Blood'' (2000), LTM

Live albums

*''Open, Gates of Fire'' (1983), C.A. Tapes *''Fin'' (1985), LTM *''Accessory After the Fact'' (1999), LTM

Singles

*"From the Cradle to the Grave" (1980), Aural Assault *" Unsightly and Serene" (1981), Factory, FAC.32 – UK Indie No. 27 *"Live on a Hot August Night" (1981), Factory Benelux, FACBN 4 *"Sexus" (1984), Factory Benelux

Ram Ram Kino

*''Advantage – Tantric Routines'' EP (1985), Temple

References

External links

The Official Crispy Ambulance Website

* * {{Authority control Musical groups from Manchester English post-punk music groups English new wave musical groups Musical groups established in 1978 Factory Records artists Factory Benelux artists 1978 establishments in England