SONG FOR TODAY: New Fast Automatic Daffodils - You Were Lying When You Said You Loved Me

Today's 'SONG FOR TODAY' is from a band whose name I first heard mentioned in a book about Oasis that I bought back in the 90's. New Fast Automatic Daffodils were one of many fantastic bands to come out of Manchester, and I have been immersed in their brilliant debut album 'Pigeonhole' for a while now, and over the last week or so it has certainly grown on me. Imagine the Happy Mondays crossed with Public Image Ltd mixed with a more funk-heavy Joy Division, add some interesting and highly groovy percussion, and you'll have a general idea of what to expect. The band was formed in 1988 by former members of the punk rock group Pariah. Dolan Hewison, Justin Crawford, Perry Saunders and Icarus Wilson-Wright were former students at Manchester Polytechnic, while Andy Spearpoint attended drama school. The name comes from a poem by Adrian Henri that mixed an advertisement for a yellow Dutch car with a Wordsworth poem. Often associated with the 'Madchester' scene of the late 1980s, but never really part of that scene, the band's debut single, "Lions" was released in 1989 on Playtime records (then home to Inspiral Carpets), followed the same year by the Music Is Shit EP. In 1990, they signed to Play It Again Sam Records, September of that year seeing the release of "Fishes Eyes", and debut album 'Pigeonhole' appearing in November, which reached the UK top 50.

In March 1991, the British music magazine, NME, reported that the band were appearing at the 'Great Indie Festival - A Midsummer's Day Dream' at Milton Keynes Bowl in June that year. Also on the bill were 808 State, Gary Clail, Shades of Rhythm, The Shamen, Paris Angels plus Flowered Up. Further singles followed in 1991 and 1992, with second album Body Exit Mind issued in October 1992 (reaching No. 57 in the UK). 1994 saw the band shorten their name to New FADS, with 2 EPs released that year, before a final album, Love It All in 1995. The band split up in 1995.

The band recorded three sessions for John Peel's radio show, the first two of which were compiled onto an album, The Peel Sessions in 1991. Their song "Big" also reached No. 14 in the Festive Fifty in 1990 and featured on "Groovy Train" featured on the influential 1990 compilation album Happy Daze. Their lone charting success in the United States was the single "Stockholm", which reached No. 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts in 1993. Singer Andy Spearpoint also flirted with acting, having a small part in Coronation Street and in 2004 was reported to be working as a freelance music teacher. Dolan Hewison is Director of the Greater Manchester Music Action Zone. Icarus Wilson-Wright worked with Basement Jaxx. Justin Crawford is one part of DJ duo Unabombers and has also recorded solo, under the name Only Child, and Perry Saunders is believed to be involved with a band called Harvey's Rabbit.