Prolapse (band)
Encyclopedia
Prolapse were a musical group formed in Leicester
, England
, UK
active from c.1992 to c.2000. The group's sound was a mixture of punk rock
, krautrock
and shoegazing
styles.
The group's line-up comprised: "Scottish" Mick Derrick (vocals), Linda Steelyard (vocals), David Jeffreys (guitar
), Patrick Marsden (guitar), "Geordie" Mick Harrison (bass
), Tim Pattison (drums
), Donald Ross Skinner
(keyboards
).
Prolapse 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", earned a cult following for their live set, particularly for the tension within songs such as "Tina This Is Matthew Stone", which were not so much sung as acted to a musical accompaniment. In 1993 they released two EP
s on Cherry Red Records, "Crate" and "Pull Thru Barker", followed in 1994 by the single "Doorstop Rhythmic Bloc" and album Pointless Walks to Dismal Places, which won critical acclaim. After leaving Cherry Red records, they then went on to release a variety of singles and EPs on a bewildering number of different labels.
In 1995, they released their second album backsaturday, which saw them experimenting with both repetitive grooves and ambient soundscapes. The album was preceded by the single "TCR", a fast-paced number which also featured on the subsequent US release of backsaturday. A remixed version of the 15-minute lead track "Flex" was also later issued as a limited edition 12" titled "Flexed".
Their third album The Italian Flag (1997) was an eclectic 13-track tour de force which saw Prolapse pick up significant radio play for the first time, particularly for the lead single "Killing The Bland" and its even more commercial-sounding follow-up "Autocade", though neither singles became hits. The album returned to the more melodic approach of the first LP, though now with a harder guitar sound, but this time there was also a whole diverse array of styles, earning the band many favourable reviews.
The final Prolapse LP was Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes, released in 1999, after which the group drifted apart. As of 2005, Mick Derrick is working as an archaeologist in Norway
, Pat Marsden lives in nearby Denmark
, drummer Tim plays in MJ Hibbett & The Validators, while Linda Steelyard is a reporter for the Leicester Mercury
. David Jeffreys is a professor of art at Savannah College of Art and Design
.
Singles/EPS
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
active from c.1992 to c.2000. The group's sound was a mixture of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
and shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
styles.
The group's line-up comprised: "Scottish" Mick Derrick (vocals), Linda Steelyard (vocals), David Jeffreys (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Patrick Marsden (guitar), "Geordie" Mick Harrison (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Tim Pattison (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), Donald Ross Skinner
Donald Ross Skinner
Donald Skinner is a guitarist, songwriter and producer born in Edinburgh, UK primarily known for his work with Julian Cope. Skinner is commonly known by the name Donald Ross Skinner with the addition of the middle name of Ross attributed to him by Cope after Glenn Ross Campbell, the pedal steel...
(keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
).
Prolapse formed in the summer of 1991 under a table at Leicester Polytechnic
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
's Friday night disco, "With the aim of being the most depressing band ever", earned a cult following for their live set, particularly for the tension within songs such as "Tina This Is Matthew Stone", which were not so much sung as acted to a musical accompaniment. In 1993 they released two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s on Cherry Red Records, "Crate" and "Pull Thru Barker", followed in 1994 by the single "Doorstop Rhythmic Bloc" and album Pointless Walks to Dismal Places, which won critical acclaim. After leaving Cherry Red records, they then went on to release a variety of singles and EPs on a bewildering number of different labels.
In 1995, they released their second album backsaturday, which saw them experimenting with both repetitive grooves and ambient soundscapes. The album was preceded by the single "TCR", a fast-paced number which also featured on the subsequent US release of backsaturday. A remixed version of the 15-minute lead track "Flex" was also later issued as a limited edition 12" titled "Flexed".
Their third album The Italian Flag (1997) was an eclectic 13-track tour de force which saw Prolapse pick up significant radio play for the first time, particularly for the lead single "Killing The Bland" and its even more commercial-sounding follow-up "Autocade", though neither singles became hits. The album returned to the more melodic approach of the first LP, though now with a harder guitar sound, but this time there was also a whole diverse array of styles, earning the band many favourable reviews.
The final Prolapse LP was Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes, released in 1999, after which the group drifted apart. As of 2005, Mick Derrick is working as an archaeologist in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Pat Marsden lives in nearby Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, drummer Tim plays in MJ Hibbett & The Validators, while Linda Steelyard is a reporter for the Leicester Mercury
Leicester Mercury
The Leicester Mercury is a British regional newspaper, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, for the city of Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland...
. David Jeffreys is a professor of art at Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a private, accredited and degree-granting university with locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France.-History:...
.
Discography
Albums- Pointless Walks to Dismal Places (Cherry Red) - 1994
- backsaturday (Lissy's) - 1995
- The Italian Flag (RadarRadar RecordsRadar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
) - 1997 - Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes - (Cooking VinylCooking VinylCooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
) - 1999
Singles/EPS
- Crate (Cherry Red)
- Pull Thru Barker (Cherry Red)
- Doorstop Rhythmic Bloc (Cherry Red)
- When Space Invaders Were Big/Love Like Anthrax (Cherry Red)
- Psychotic Now (split-artist Flexi given away free with Warped Reality magazine issue 4)
- TCR (Love Train)
- Flexed - remix EP (Lissy's)
- Killing The Bland (RadarRadar RecordsRadar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
) - Autocade (RadarRadar RecordsRadar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
) - Deanshanger(RadarRadar RecordsRadar Records was a UK-based record label formed by Martin Davis who had previously worked at United Artists Records, and Andrew Lauder, who had previously been head of A&R at the UK divisions of Liberty Records and United Artists...
) - Fob.com (Cooking VinylCooking VinylCooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
)
External links
- The Palace of Prolapse
- Prolapse myspace page
- Pineapster the main on line music community for Leicester. A site with a proud love and admiration for all things Prolapse.
- Interview on the Leicester Bands website
- Prolapse interview from Delusions of Adequacy (2007)
- Prolapse interview from Warped Reality (originally published in Puncture 1996)