World of Twist were an English

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

, formed in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

in 1985.

History

The original line-up of the band consisted of James Fry (vocals), Andrew Hobson (bass guitar), Gordon King (guitar), Tony Ogden (drums), Rory Conolly (saxophone), Nick Phillips (organ) and Andy Robbins (synthesiser). This version soon disintegrated, and some years later a new line-up emerged, this time based 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 ...

. A short lived 1986 version of World of Twist featured Gordon King (vocalist and co-songwriter), Tony Ogden (co-songwriter), Andy Hobson (Bass, Keyboards), Neil Drabble (visuals). The 1989 version of World Of Twist featured Ogden (now vocalist and co-songwriter), King (guitar and co-songwriter), and Hobson (synthesisers) joined by Alan Frost (visual effects, synthesisers), Julia aka M.C. Shells (swirls and sea noises) and Angela Reilly (visual effects). Nick Sanderson (drums) joined some time later. A

demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

(featuring "The Storm", "Blackpool Tower Suite", "The Spring", and "She's a Rainbow") released in early 1990 drew attention to the band, and a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with Circa Records followed. The

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

issued the

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

"The Storm" ( produced by Clif Brigden) that same year with "Sons of the Stage" also ( produced by Clif Brigden) and "Sweets" following in 1991. A cover of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' "

She's a Rainbow "She's a Rainbow" is a song by the Rolling Stones and was featured on their 1967 album ''Their Satanic Majesties Request''. via the Digital Library of the University of North Texas. It has been called "the prettiest and most uncharacteristic ...

", originally issued as the B-side of "The Storm", was reissued with new dance mixes by

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in 1992. The original B-side version had been one of the last tracks 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 ...

, who died in 1991. The band's live show and

Radio 1 Radio 1 or Radio One most commonly refers to: *BBC Radio 1, a music radio station from the BBC ** BBC Radio 1Xtra, a digital radio station broadcasting black music *CBC Radio One, a talk radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporatio ...

sessions 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 ...

and

Mark Goodier Mark Goodier (born 9 June 1961) is a British radio disc jockey best known for his time on BBC Radio 1 between 1987 and 2002. He had two spells presenting the station's Top 40 singles chart, from 1990 to 1992 and from 1995 until 2002. He also h ...

, and the first two Clif Brigden produced singles raised expectations, but their debut album, ''Quality Street'' (1991), met with little critical or commercial acclaim. While World of Twist never toured in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, "Sons of the Stage" was an

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a '' Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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 ...

considered naming themselves after the song, and it was later

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by Oasis's successor group

Beady Eye Beady Eye were an English rock band formed in London in 2009 by former Oasis members Liam Gallagher (vocals), Gem Archer (guitar), Andy Bell (guitar), and Chris Sharrock (drums). In 2013, former Kasabian guitarist Jay Mehler joined the band ...

, as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to their debut single, " Bring the Light". Work began on a follow up album and there were plans for further touring, but problems emerged when Ogden decided that he no longer wanted to sing. This, coupled with creative differences within the band, contributed to the demise of the group in 1992. Gordon King, James Fry and Nick Sanderson went on to form

Earl Brutus Earl Brutus were a British indie rock band that emerged in the 1990s. They were formed in 1993 by Nick Sanderson, Rob Marche (formerly of JoBoxers and If?), Jamie Fry (formerly of World of Twist) and Stuart Boreman. Boreman left after the re ...

in 1993 with Rob Marche (formerly of Joboxers and

Subway Sect Subway Sect were one of the first British punk bands. Although their commercial success was limited by the small amount of recorded material they released, they have been credited as highly influential on the Postcard Records scene and the indi ...

) and Stuart Boreman. King, Fry and Boreman would later form The Pre New in 2010. Some of those involved are now working as Quatermass 3 as of 2020. Tony Ogden died on 26 July 2006, in

Bramhall Bramhall is a suburban area in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Cheshire, it had a population of 17,436 at the 2011 Census.Bramhall South and Bramhall North Wards History The Anglo-Saxon m ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

, on the verge of a return to the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

with Bubblegum Secret Pop Explosion. He was 44. Few details on his death have been released. ''Quality Street'' was reissued with bonus tracks on CD and heavyweight vinyl by British independent record label 3 Loop Music in 2013.

Discography

Album

*''Quality Street'' (Circa, 1991) - UK No. 50

Singles

*"The Storm" (Circa, 1990) - UK No. 42 *"Sons of the Stage" (Circa, 1991) - UK No. 47 *"Sweets" (Circa, 1991) - UK No. 58 *"She's a Rainbow (remixes)" (Circa, 1992) - UK No. 62 *"The Sausage" (

Caff Records Caff Records was a short lived British independent record label run by Bob Stanley of the band Saint Etienne. The label grew out of a fanzine Stanley put out with fellow band member Pete Wiggs, with the label going by the name Caff, Caff Record ...

, 1992, demo recordings from 1985)

References

External links

World of Twist (library)
- archive blog

at The Guardian, 8 August 2006
World Of Twist at Discogs.com
{{Authority control English rock music groups Musical groups from Sheffield British indie pop groups Alternative dance musical groups Madchester groups Neo-psychedelia groups Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 1985 establishments in England