Instant Sunshine is a comedy musical cabaret trio (erstwhile quartet) who sing their own original witty and whimsical songs to acoustic guitar accompaniment. It was formed in 1966 by three doctors at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, Peter Christie, David Barlow and Alan Maryon-Davis

Alan Maryon-Davis

Alan Maryon-Davis , is a doctor, writer/broadcaster and member of the humorous cabaret group Instant Sunshine.He was born in Chiswick, West London, and was educated at St Paul's School, London, St John's College, Cambridge and St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, King's College London.-Medical...

. In 1972 they were joined by the journalist and double bass player Miles Kington

Miles Kington

Miles Beresford Kington was a British journalist, musician and broadcaster.-Early life :...

. In 1998 Miles Kington left the group and Tom Barlow joined in his place for several years. Peter Christie is the leading spirit and writes the words and music.

Their style has been compared to Flanders and Swann

Flanders and Swann

The British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann , who collaborated in writing and performing comic songs....

. The lyrics typically have an element of surreal fantasy (one song begins "Our Budgie has Changed to an Orang-Utang"), while the tunes are usually wistful and mock-sentimental. Their act contains an abundance of comic "business" and sound effects, usually provided by Alan Maryon-Davis

Alan Maryon-Davis

Alan Maryon-Davis , is a doctor, writer/broadcaster and member of the humorous cabaret group Instant Sunshine.He was born in Chiswick, West London, and was educated at St Paul's School, London, St John's College, Cambridge and St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, King's College London.-Medical...

. They normally perform at music festivals or in cabaret at private bookings, and every alternate year at the Edinburgh Fringe

Edinburgh Fringe

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...

, where they first performed in 1975. They have also performed many songs for radio and TV programmes, being particularly known for their regular contribution to BBC Radio 4's Stop The Week

Stop The Week

Stop the Week was a long running BBC Radio 4 discussion programme chaired by Robert Robinson which ran from 1974–1992-Origins:The BBC Radio's Current Affairs Department decided that it wanted a programme that would act as a bookend to Monday morning's Start the Week with Richard Baker, which had...

over a period of about ten years. They also had three series of their own on Radio 4 (1985, 1986 and 1988) and a book "The Instant Sunshine Book - with hints for struggling supergroups" (Robson Books 1980).

They produced five vinyl LPs: "Live at Tiddy Dols" (Page One 1968), "Instant Sunshine" (EMI 1976), "Funny Name for a Band" (EMI 1977) "Reasonably Together Again" (EMI/One-Up 1979) and "The Instant Sunshine LP - Songs for struggling supergroups" (EMI/NTS 1980). There are currently six CDs in print, "Instant Sunshine Comes of Age" (Merlin Classics 1987), "Jubilee" (Merlin Classics 1992), "Live at the Old Vic" (Merlin Classics 2002) and remixed versions of the EMI recordings "Instant Sunshine", "Funny Name for a Band" and "Reasonably Together Again" (all Instant Sunshine 2008). The recordings are currently occasionally broadcast on BBC Radio 7 and are available via the BBC IPlayer.

Instant Sunshine (1976)

1. Worms
2. No News Today
3. When I was in Bombay
4. Metamorphosis ("Our budgie has changed to an Orang-Utang")
5. Ten-gallon Hat
6. Corduroy Trousers
7. Spanish Holiday
8. Top Dogs
9. I Wish I Was a Sassenach
10. Some Dancing
11. Don't Tell the Abbot
12. The Monster
13. Habeas Corpse
14. Herts is Trumps ("Tring")
15. Mrs Brown
16. Doctors
17. Fleeting Time

Funny Name for a Band (1977)

1. Sunshine
2. Nouveau Poor
3. The Blues
4. Kiddies' Olympics
5. Bar-stool Sailing
6. Flooding
7. Methylated
8. The Canary Song ("When you're working down a mine")
9. Bird Seed
10. Hurdey Gurdey
11. Now I'm Adolescent
12. Here We Go Again
13. Poor Guy
14. Tittle-tattle Rag
15. Talking Plants
16. Who Mowed the Lawns of Eden
17. The Demon in the Drink ("Salvation Army")
18. Sunshine (reprise)

Reasonably Together Again (1979)

1. Heathrow Holiday
2. A Very Tropical Subject
3. Tadpoles
4. On the Fringe
5. Kids on the Corner
6. My Lawn
7. Danish Bacon Baby
8. Boring Song
9. A Little Bit of Burgling on the Side
10. Ruthless Roues
11. Beefcake
12. Rabbikang
13. Lily Gilding
14. Allotment
15. Don't Eat a Turkey this Christmas
16. Our Show is Live

Instant Sunshine Comes of Age (1987)

1. The Parish Magazine
2. A Memorable Meal
3. Smooth Train Blues
4. Yodelling Neurosis
5. My Garden Shed
6. My Dog Has Fleas
7. Every Body needs a Body
8. Wish You Were Here
9. Spring Collection
10. Has Anyone Seen My Horse
11. At the Launderette
12. Scat Like That
13. Foreign Relations
14. Conservation Conversation
15. Who Mowed the Lawns of Eden?
16. Never be Tempted by Water
17. Go Plastic
18. Platform Three
19. Sorry
20. Los Peckham Ryos

Jubilee (1992)

1. A Bouquet of Roes
2. Whitehall Farce
3. What is a Thingummy-jig
4. Middlesex Man
5. Pick up the Phone
6. Eating Food is Wrong
7. Specs Appeal
8. If I Keep on Whistling
9. Shiny Leather Chair
10. Who Dunnit
11. Ideal Home
12. Cucumber Sandwiches
13. Birds and Bees
14. Holiday Survival
15. Westminster Pier to Greenwich
16. It Happened in the Park
17. Equal Animal Rights
18. Alas Poor Hamlet
19. Mini Mozart
20. Listen to the Summer
21. Fleeting Time

Live at the Old Vic (2002)

1. Sunshine
2. Birdseed
3. Platform Three
4. Knitting for Victory
5. Herts is Trumps
6. Smooth Train Blues
7. The Euro
8. The Demon in the Drink
9. Our Show is Live
10. Lots in the Attic
11. Lugubrious Lobster
12. Who Mowed the Lawns of Eden
13. My Horse and I
14. Corduroy Trousers
15. Kiddies Olympics
16. Conservation Conversation

Others including

• Rambling Man
• Lords Pavilion
• We're Awfully Keen on the Arts
• Flibbertygibbet Flo
• My Lavatory Lady
• Squidger
• Fish and Chips
• Look After Yourself
• Money Box

Literature

• Barlow, David (et al.) - The Instant Sunshine Book with Hints for Struggling Supergroups (Robson Books, 1980) ISBN 0860511197 - includes music and lyrics for songs from "The Instant Sunshine LP"