Sad Café (band)

Sad Café are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1976, who achieved their peak of popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known for the UK Top 40 singles " Every Day Hurts", "Strange Little Girl", " My Oh My" and "I'm in Love Again", the first of which was their biggest hit, reaching number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979. The band also had two US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits with "Run Home Girl" and "La-Di-Da".

History

The group formed as a result of the unification of rock bands Mandalaband and Gyro. Its founder members were Paul Young (vocals), Ian Wilson (guitar), Vic Emerson (keyboards), Ashley Mulford (lead guitar), John Stimpson (bass) and Tony Cresswell (drums). The band took their name from the Carson McCullers novella ''Ballad of the Sad Cafe''. Harvey Lisberg, who also managed 10cc, arranged for Eric Stewart to produce their third album, '' Facades'' (an anagram of Sad Cafe), which included the top 3 single, " Every Day Hurts".

Reviewing the band's 1978 ''Misplaced Ideals'' LP, Robert Christgau wrote in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981): "In which the decade's most paradoxical, characteristic, and disgusting pop-music synthesis—combining hard rock's compulsive riff energy with MOR's smooth determination to displease no one—is achieved without recourse to jazz rhythms or semiclassical decoration. Misplaced ideals my ass—they threw them down the deepest hole they could find."

Sad Café split up in 1990. In 1998, the group reformed with most of the 1990 lineup. However, after lead singer Paul Young's sudden death in 2000, the group disbanded once again. From the late 2010's onward, original member Ian Wilson and bassist Des Tong were joined by long time associate, singer/songwriter Sue Quin, vocalist Barry James Thomas and lead guitarist Dave Day along with multi-instrumentalist Neil Shaw-Hulme, keyboard player Matt Steele and drummer Bryan Hargreaves in a new version of the band.

Personnel

Members

;Current
* Ian Wilson – guitars, vocals (1976–1990, 1998, 2000, 2012–present)
* Des Tong – bass, vocals (1980–1990, 1998, 2000, 2012–present)
* Sue Quin – vocals (2000, 2012–present)
* Dave Day - lead guitars, vocals (2018–present)
* Barry James Thomas - vocals, percussion (2018–present)
* Neil Shaw-Hulme - saxophones, wx7, vocals (2018–present)
* Matt Steele - keyboards (2019–present)
* Bryan Hargreaves – drums, vocals (2019-present)

;Former
* Paul Young – lead vocals (1976–1990, 1998; died 2000)
* Vic Emerson – keyboards (1976–1984, 2000; died 2018)
* John Stimpson – bass (1976–1980; died 2021)
* Tony Cresswell – drums (1976–1978)
* Lenni – saxophone (1979–1984, 1998, 2000)
* Michael Byron-Hehir – lead guitars (1981–1984, 1989–1990, 1998; guest musician: 1986)
* Jeff Seopardi – drums (1984–1986)
* Miffy Smith – keyboards (1984)
* Phil Lanzon – keyboards (1986)
* Alistair Gordon – keyboards, vocals (1989–1990, 1998)
* Simon Waggott – keyboards (2012–2014)
* Steve Whalley – guitars, vocals (2012–2014)
* Ashley Mulford – lead guitars, vocals (1976–1981, 1986–1989, 2000, 2012–2014)
* Pete Hughes - keyboards, vocals (2018)
* Dave Irving - drums (1978–1984, 2000, 2012–2019)

;Guest musicians
* Roy Martin – drums (1998)
* Paul Burgess – drums (1986–1990)
* Steve Pigott – keyboards (1984–1986)

Lineups

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Singles

See also

*List of bands from Manchester
*List of bands from England
* List of performers on ''Top of the Pops''
*Swan Song Records

References

External links

Sad Café official website

Sad Café
at Harvey Lisberg

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sad Cafe (band)
English rock music groups
British soft rock music groups
Musical groups from Manchester
Musical groups established in 1976
Swan Song Records artists
A&M Records artists
RCA Records artists