Prolapse

Prolapse were formed in the summer of 1991 under a table at Leicester Polytechnic's friday night disco with the aim of being the most depressing band ever. The first recording as a four-piece of Mick Derrick (vocals), Mick Harrison (bass), Tim Pattison (drums) and Pat Marsden (guitar) -still on a cassette somewhere - was an improvised session with a strong Joy Division feel-Ian Curtis sitting next to Scottish Mick doing backing vocals. Vocalist Linda Steelyard and David Jeffreys on guitar soon joined the line-up and early live shows featured flying televisions and puppets being mutilated.



The band released singles, including the Crate E.P., and their first album Pointless Walks to Dismal Places on Cherry Red Records

in 1994. U.K., European and U.S. touring soon followed aswell as Peel and various other radio sessions. backsaturday was the next album in 1995 - this consists of mostly improvised songs written in Northwich, Cheshire over a weekend. It features a long version of the Krautrock inspired 'Flex'-a song to crop up near the end of many a live set.



(Video from Abbey Park Festival - thanks to Dave Dixey).

The Italian Flag (1997) was produced by former Julian Cope guitarist Donald Ross Skinner, who was now also involved as a keyboard player. This contained more 'finished songs' than backsaturday, including those that had been part of the live set for a while. Singles Killing the Bland, Deanshanger and Autocade were released around the time. Prolapse were receiving favourable reviews in the music press for their live shows and releases and were attracting a cult following. People came to gigs with potatoes for them to sign saying they wanted to be reincarnated as a patch of lichen. In Norwich, Oxford and London gigs would be packed, although in Hanover, Stevenage and Wolverhampton only a couple of ferrets and Elvis impersonators would turn up. Still there were appearances for Slash/Oblique and Autocade in John Peel's Festive 31 (not 50 that year!).



The last album Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes (1999) was based around lots of improvised stuff at Foel Studio in Wales. This has more of a sparse feel than much of the band's earlier music. Metal Box era Public Image Limited was one influence at the time.



Reviews

of The Italian Flag -

HEAD HERITAGE and

STYLUS MAGAZINE

Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes -

NME.



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