Stump were an Irish-English indie/experimental/rock group consisting of Mick Lynch (vocals), Rob McKahey (drums),

Kev Hopper Kev Hopper (born 1961) is an English bass guitarist. Life and career Hopper is probably best known as the bass guitarist with Stump, an Anglo/Irish indie/experimental/rock group formed in London in 1983. Stump released two albums, the self rel ...

(bass) and Chris Salmon (guitar). Their music has been described as a mixture of

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

and The Fall, and they are best known for their influential, critically acclaimed, but poor selling 1988 album, ''

A Fierce Pancake ''A Fierce Pancake'' is the second and final album and only full-length studio album by Anglo-Irish experimental rock band Stump, released 7 March 1988 on Ensign Records. After the band had enjoyed some underground success in the 1980s, includin ...

''.

Early years

Their first release was a four track EP ''Mud on a Colon'' issued in 1986 through the

Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American accountant, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Republican, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. Se ...

record label. This was followed by a self released mini album, '' Quirk Out'', produced by Hugh Jones, which included their cult hit "Buffalo". "Buffalo" appeared on ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' 's influential ''

C86 ''C86'' is a cassette compilation released by the British music magazine ''NME'' in 1986, featuring new bands licensed from British independent record labels of the time. As a term, C86 quickly evolved into shorthand for a guitar-based music gen ...

'' compilation, and a video was made by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

which was shown on '' The Tube''. Continuous UK touring, regular coverage in the UK music press - including cover features in both the ''NME'' and ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'', and a return to ''The Tube'' for a live performance of "Tupperware Stripper", ensured that ''Quirk Out'' stayed in the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

s for 26 weeks, peaking at number 2.Lazell, Barry (1997
''Indie Hits 1980-89''
, Cherry Red Books A session for the

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 ...

radio show recorded in February 1986 was released as a

Peel Session 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 ...

EP on

Strange Fruit Records Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom. The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions.Larkin, Colin (ed.) (1998) ''Th ...

the following year. Following these successes the band were signed to

Ensign Records Ensign Records was a record label started in 1976 by London-born Nigel Grainge, elder brother of UMG Chairman Sir Lucian Grainge. History Nigel Grainge began his career in the record business as a sales office assistant at Phonogram UK in 197 ...

''A Fierce Pancake''

Their only album, ''

'', (named after a term meaning 'deep conundrum' in ''

The Third Policeman ''The Third Policeman'' is a novel by Irish writer Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It was written in 1939 and 1940, but after it initially failed to find a publisher, the author withdrew the manuscript from circulation ...

'' by

Flann O'Brien Brian O'Nolan ( ga, Brian Ó Nualláin; 5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966), better known by his pen name Flann O'Brien, was an Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth cen ...

) released in 1988 was recorded in Berlin and London produced by

Holger Hiller Holger Hiller (born 26 December 1956) is a German musician. Hiller studied art at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg, where he met Walter Thielsch and Thomas Fehlmann and recorded first works with them. With Fehlmann he later fou ...

with assistance from

Stephen Street Stephen Brian Street (born 29 March 1960 in Hackney, London) is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths, The Cranberries and Blur. Street collaborated with Morrissey on his debut album ''Viva Hate'' following the spl ...

and was mixed by Hugh Jones after an unsuccessful session with US producer

John Robie John Robie is a musician, producer and songwriter who has produced and/or written for a wildly diverse array of artists such as Chaka Khan, New Order, UB40, Cabaret Voltaire, Soulsonic Force, Boy George, C Bank, Planet Patrol, Quadrant 6, Lau ...

. The recording process was, however, often fraught with arguments amongst the band as to the sound and direction of the album. However, the group were pleased with the finished results and three singles were released from the album: "Chaos", "Charlton Heston" (which reached number 72 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in August 1988 and therefore became their only national chart success) and a re-released "Buffalo" (the latter only featuring on the US edition of the album). The album did not bring the crossover success the label had hoped for and, after recording a few b-sides and some demos, they split up at the end of the year.

Legacy

Stump's persistent and growing cult following prompted the release of ''A Fierce Pancake'' on iTunes; Hopper had previously reported on his website that their entire catalogue had been out of print since 1990. The "Pancake" download prompted the release of a 3-CD set containing ''Mud on a Colon'', ''Quirk Out'' and ''A Fierce Pancake'', as well as the group's post-"Pancake" b-sides and demos and their compilation appearance, "Big End". This was released by

Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...

in 2008 under the title ''The Complete Anthology''. Mick Lynch died in December 2015.

Discography

Albums

* '' Quirk Out'' (1986), Stuff (UK Indie No. 2) -

mini-LP A mini-LP or mini-album is a short vinyl record album or LP, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered full-length. It is distinct from an EP due to containing more tracks and a slightly longer running length. A ...

* ''

'' (1988),

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

Singles and EPs

* ''Mud on a Colon'' EP (1986),

( UK Indie #39) * ''The Peel Sessions'' EP (1987),

Strange Fruit "Strange Fruit" is a song written and composed by Abel Meeropol (under his pseudonym Lewis Allan) and recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939. The lyrics were drawn from a poem by Meeropol published in 1937. The song protests the lynching of Black ...

(UK Indie #13) * "Chaos" (1988),

* "Charlton Heston", (1988), Ensign ( UK #72)Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, * "Buffalo" (1988), Ensign

Compilation albums

* ''The Complete Anthology'' box set (2008),

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

* ''Does the Fish Have Chips?'' (2014),

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

Members

* Mick Lynch - Vocals *

- Bass * Chris Salmon - Guitar * Rob McKahey - Drums

References

External links

* Kev Hopper'
"Stump Story"
gives a comprehensive history of the band included pictures and press cuttings - this effectively formed the sleeve note to "The Complete Anthology" and, in addition, details the group's personal reunion of 2006.
"Stump frontman Mick Lynch passes away"
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stump Musical groups from Cork (city) English alternative rock groups English new wave musical groups English post-punk music groups English experimental rock groups Irish alternative rock groups Irish new wave musical groups Irish post-punk music groups Irish experimental rock groups Musical groups established in 1983