Stockholm Monsters were 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

Burnage Burnage is a suburb of the city of Manchester in North West England, about south of Manchester city centre and bisected by the dual carriageway of Kingsway. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the population of the Bur ...

a suburb of the city of

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 1980. They recorded for

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 ...

between 1981 and 1987.

History

The band formed in Manchester in 1980 with a line-up of Tony France (vocals, guitar), Karl France (bass guitar, keyboards), Ged Duffy, and Shan Hira (drums).Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 524-5 They were later joined by Lita Hira (keyboards), John Rhodes and trumpeter (and later keyboardist) Lindsay Anderson.Mason, Stewart " The Stockholm Monsters Biography,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, retrieved 2010-10-10 The band's debut release was the "Fairy Tales" 7-inch single on Factory Records in September 1981, 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 ...

, known for his work 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 ...

. The single reached number 43 on the

UK Independent 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 ...

.Lazell, Barry (1998) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 218 Two further singles followed before the release of their only studio album, '' Alma Mater'', in 1984. Produced by

Peter Hook Peter Hook (born Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...

of New Order, it was described by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

as "a terribly satisfying record that was all but ignored at the time of its release but sounds absolutely prescient in hindsight".Mason, Stewart " ''Alma Mater'' Review,

, retrieved 2010-10-10 Several EPs and singles followed, including "How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?", an attack on Factory's then distributor,Mason, Stewart " "How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?" Review,

, retrieved 2010-10-10 which reached number 47 on the UK indie chart, and the

-produced "Partyline", before the band broke up in 1987. In 2002

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

revealed that "I started to get into music early on because all the older guys that lived round our way were in a band from Burnage called the Stockholm Monsters. They were the first band ever to come from Burnage and I think they had a hit with a song called Fairy Tales. From that you get into Joy Division, New Order and then it was

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

and then the toneRoses and then the appyMondays - and then you start your own band." Three CD collections by Stockholm Monsters were released in 2001 by

LTM Records LTM Recordings (originally les temps modernes) is a British independent record label founded in 1983, and best known for reissues of artists and music from 1978 to the present day, as well as modern classical and avant-garde composition. The l ...

. In 2014 a double vinyl edition featuring their singles and the ''Alma Mater'' studio album was issued by US label

Captured Tracks Captured Tracks is an American independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. The label was founded in 2008 by Mike Sniper. About Current flagship artists include: Craft Spells, DIIV and Wild Nothing. Captured Tracks has reissued record ...

. Shan Hira later worked as an audio engineer and record producer and ran Suite 16 studio in

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

, formerly

Cargo Studios Cargo Studios was a recording studio located on Kenion Street, off Drake Street, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It was opened in 1977 by John Brierley (who had gained notoriety in the early 1970s as producer of Tractor's first two albums) ...

Discography

Studio albums * '' Alma Mater'' (1984), Factory Compilation albums * ''The Last One Back (Archive 1980–1987)'' (2001), LTM * ''All at Once (Singles 1981–1987)'' (2001), LTM Singles and EPs * "Fairy Tales" (1981), Factory – UK Indie No. 43 * "Happy Ever After" (1982), Factory * "Miss Moonlight" (1983), Factory Benelux * "All at Once" (1984), Factory * "How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?" (1984), Factory Benelux – UK Indie No. 47 * ''Greetings Two'' EP (1987), Materiali Sonori * "Partyline" (1987), Factory

References

External links

Stockholm Monsters biography at LTM
* * * {{Authority control English post-punk music groups English synth-pop groups English new wave musical groups British synth-pop new wave groups Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Factory Records artists Musical groups from Manchester Factory Benelux artists