Inspiral Carpets

Submitted by Robin Blackburn Inspiral Carpets were one of the surprise successes of the late-80s ‘Madchester’ scene. Formed in 1986 in Oldham, the band went through numerous early line-up changes before achieving success with their distinctive keyboard-driven psychedelic pop/punk sound. In 1989, founder Graham Lambert (guitar), Clint Boon (keyboards) and Craig Gill (drums) were joined by Tom Hingley (vocals) and Martyn Walsh (bass) to complete the band’s classic line-up. Along with the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, the band became regulars on Top of the Pops, had a number 2 hit with their debut album, ‘Life’ (1990), and sold a ton of t-shirts (including the infamous ‘Cool as Fuck’ design, the wearing of which led to one fan being prosecuted for obscenity). Further albums followed: ‘The Beast Inside’ (1991), ‘Revenge of the Goldfish’ (1992) and ‘Devil Hopping’ (1994); the later including the single ‘I Want You’, with guest vocals from The Fall’s Mark E. Smith. The band split amicably shortly afterwards, but reformed for live dates and a new single in 2001. They still continue to gig occasionally.