Furniture (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 in London, England |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Furniture was a British new wave group active between 1979 and 1991. Their 1986 track, "Brilliant Mind", achieved a position within the UK top 30 charts.
The band's most stable lineup from 1983 to 1990 featured founding members Jim Irvin (vocals), singer and multi-instrumentalist Tim Whelan, drummer Hamilton Lee, bassist and vocalist Sally Still, alongside keyboardist Maya Gilder. Saxophonist Larry N’Azone occasionally performed live with the group. Although their primary success was in the UK, Furniture also toured Eastern Europe during 1987 and 1988, where they cultivated a dedicated fanbase.
Despite receiving positive critical recognition, the band encountered ongoing challenges that prevented a significant commercial breakthrough, often regarded as "one of the most ill-fated bands" and serving as a warning for musicians navigating minor label difficulties.
After disbanding, Whelan and Lee went on to establish Transglobal Underground, while Irvin and Still embarked on careers in music journalism and songwriting.
Musical style
Furniture’s sound was diverse, merging elements of new wave, jazz, blues, post-punk, and alternative rock enriched by lyrical storytelling. Their songs were acclaimed as exemplary "narrative songwriting."
Formation and early releases (1979–1984)
Founded in 1979 in London’s Ealing district by Jim Irvin, Tim Whelan, and Hamilton Lee, Furniture soon expanded with guitarist Simon Beaton and bassist Ian Macdonald joining. The band’s inaugural performance took place that same year. In 1981, they launched their own independent label, The Guy from Paraguay, under which they released their first single "Shaking Story"/"Take a Walk Downtown". During this period, Tim Whelan also served as lead vocalist for the Transmitters, managing commitments with both bands until 1989; similarly, Hamilton Lee split his time between these groups from 1988 to 1989.
Following their debut single, Macdonald and Beaton departed. Furniture continued as a trio with bass parts contributed by Tim Beaton until Sally Still (bass) and Maya Gilder (keyboards) joined in 1983. Larry N'Azone, Tim Whelan’s brother, also added occasional saxophone performances. That year saw the release of the mini-album When the Boom Was On through Survival’s Premonition imprint.
In early 1984, Furniture fully signed to Survival Records, releasing the single "Dancing the Hard Bargain," produced by Tim Parry of Blue Zoo fame. This was succeeded in December by "Love Your Shoes", produced by Troy Tate (formerly of Teardrop Explodes). A self-produced EP titled I Can't Crack followed in summer 1985. Much of this output was later compiled on the Japan-exclusive LP The Lovemongers released by Survival in 1986.
Stiff Records period – "Brilliant Mind" and The Wrong People (1986–1987)
In 1986, Furniture secured a contract with the well-known independent label Stiff Records and issued the single "Brilliant Mind", which climbed to number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying video featured jazz influences and was filmed at Soho's Wag Club. Jim Irvin composed the song during a bus journey from a London unemployment office.
"Brilliant Mind" remains Furniture’s hallmark track, frequently broadcast on British radio and included on numerous compilations highlighting 1980s music. It was selected by Boy George as his preferred record from that decade and featured in television programs such as World Shut Your Mouth. Additionally, the song was re-recorded for John Hughes’ film Some Kind of Wonderful.
Following this success, Furniture reissued "Love Your Shoes," which received radio play but faced limitations due to Stiff Records’ financial difficulties restricting production capabilities. Despite these obstacles, Furniture completed their album of new material titled The Wrong People. Although initial orders of 30,000 units sold out quickly, Stiff Records soon entered liquidation amid ongoing monetary troubles.
Exile (1987–1989)
Following Stiff Records' insolvency, the label's assets and catalogue were acquired by ZTT, who chose not to produce additional copies of The Wrong People.
The band spent three years disentangling themselves from their contract with Stiff. During this interval, they embarked on international tours supported by the British Council, honing their live performance abilities. Whelan recalls performing at a prominent theatre in Amman before an audience that included the Crown Prince, symbolizing a departure from their previous indie sound. Their tour also extended to Egypt—which later influenced collaborations with Transglobal Underground—as well as Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Romania. Their arrival in Romania coincided with the collapse of Ceaușescu’s regime, providing a profoundly different cultural context.
The Arista period – Food, Sex & Paranoia (1989–1990)
By 1989, Furniture had resolved their contractual entanglements and secured a deal with major label Arista Records. They recorded the album Food, Sex & Paranoia, produced by Mike Thorne, which was released in February 1990. This record highlighted Whelan and Lee's growing incorporation of unusual instruments such as tongue drums and the yangqin zither, foreshadowing their future work with Transglobal Underground. The album was promoted with singles like "Slow Motion Kisses" (October 1989) and "One Step Behind You". However, prior legal disputes had diminished the band's momentum and visibility in the media, leading to modest commercial impact.
Final year and break-up (1990–1991)
Despite challenges—including the early 1990 departure of Maya Gilder—Furniture persevered by reallocating keyboard responsibilities among remaining members. They secured more prominent performances, notably headlining the second stage at the 1990 Reading Festival. After their contract with Arista concluded, they returned to Survival Records.
Efforts to compile an album aimed at securing a new major label contract were complicated by rights issues involving both Stiff and Arista catalogues. Two new tracks ("How I’ve Come to Hate the Moon" and "Farewell") were recorded at Survival Studios; however, these sessions were cut short when the studio closed. Ultimately, the group disbanded. In 1991, Survival released the compilation She Gets Out the Scrapbook: The Best of Furniture on vinyl and CD formats. This collection featured almost all singles except "Shaking Story" and "Take a Walk Downtown," alongside the final two tracks representing their closing work.
Subsequent projects
Beginning in 1992, Tim Whelan and Hamilton Lee achieved success with Transglobal Underground, a world-dance collective characterized by a fluid lineup. Prior to this venture, they performed with The Flavel Bambi Septet, an Ealing-based world music ensemble that included members from The Transmitters and other local acts.
Following Furniture’s dissolution, Jim Irvin pursued journalism at Melody Maker under the alias "Jim Arundel," later becoming founding features editor and senior editor at Mojo. He compiled "The Mojo Collection" and maintained his involvement in music as a songwriter, producer, and performer. In the early 1990s, Irvin formed the duo Because with jazz artist Chris Ingham, releasing Mad Scared Dumb and Gorgeous (1991). He also established the Dusty Company imprint affiliated with Domino Recording Company, producing Clearlake’s album and co-writing songs for Gay Dad’s 1999 release Leisure Noise. In 2002, Irvin signed a songwriting agreement with Warner Chappell focusing on dance music collaborations including Special Unit and Miami Ice. His songwriting portfolio encompasses contributions for artists such as David Guetta, Lissie, Simple Plan, and Lana Del Rey.
Sally Still also joined Melody Maker writing as "Sally Margaret Joy" before moving into promotion and management roles supporting female underground rock bands influenced by the Riot Grrl movement. She provided vocals on dance tracks like Miami Ice’s "Better Than Perfect." Still has collaborated with Irvin on compositions including Michael Gray’s internationally successful house track "The Weekend."
Maya Gilder transitioned into production work at the BBC World Service after her time with Furniture.
In the early 1990s, Sally Still and Hamilton Lee participated in Catwalk, a project led by journalist Chris Roberts; they featured on the 12-inch single 'Damascus' (1991).
Reissue programme
By the year 2010, Furniture’s catalogue predating their Arista Records era had become accessible for MP3 download.
On 19 April 2010, Cherry Red Records released a remastered and expanded CD edition of The Wrong People, marking the album’s debut on CD. This reissue included nine additional tracks such as B-sides, extended remixes, and two previously unreleased demos. The band contributed detailed track commentary and personal photographs featured in a sixteen-page booklet, which also contained an introductory essay authored by British music journalist Chris Roberts.
In 2019, Emotional Rescue reissued Furniture's initial six-track mini-album When the Boom Was On (1983), accompanied by an EP titled On Broken Glass containing 12" mixes.
Full members
- Jim Irvin – lead vocals, percussion, occasional keyboards, synclavier (1979–1991)
- Tim Whelan – vocals, guitar, piano, organ, keyboards, yangqin (1979–1991)
- Hamilton Lee – drums, tuned and untuned percussion (1979–1991)
- Sally Still – bass guitar, vocals (1983–1991)
- Maya Gilder – organ, keyboards (1983–1990)
- Simon Beaton – guitar (1979–1981)
- Ian Macdonald – bass guitar (1979–1981)
Part-time members
- Larry N'Azone – saxophone (1983–1991)
- Tim Beaton – double bass (1983)
Studio albums
- When the Boom Was On (September 1983), Premonition Records
- The Wrong People (November 1986), Stiff Records
- Food, Sex & Paranoia (February 1990), Arista Records
Compilation albums
- The Lovemongers (June 1986), Premonition Records – collection of singles and demos released exclusively in Japan
- She Gets Out the Scrapbook: The Best of Furniture (September 1991), Survival Records
- The Wrong People (April 2010), Cherry Red
- On Broken Glass EP (April 2019), Emotional Rescue
Singles
- 1981: "Shaking Story" b/w "Take a Walk Down Town"
- April 1984: "Dancing the Hard Bargain" b/w "Robert Nightman's Story"
- December 1984: "Love Your Shoes" b/w "Escape into My Arms" and "The Script"
- May 1985: "I Can't Crack" b/w "I Can't Crack" (Broken Mix), "Switch Off" and "Pause"
- May 1986: "Brilliant Mind" b/w "To Gus" (also issued on 12" featuring extended mixes) – UK No. 21
- October 1986: "Love Your Shoes" b/w "Turnupspeed", also available on 12" with extended mixes – UK No. 101
- October 1989: "Slow Motion Kisses" b/w "40 Hours in a Day", also released on 12" and CD including extra tracks
- February 1990: "One Step Behind You" b/w "It Continues", also offered on 12" and CD with remixes and additional content
- August 1991: "Brilliant Mind" (reissue) b/w "On a Bus with Peter Nero", also on 12" featuring extended mixes
External links
- [ AllMusic: Furniture]
- Brilliant Minds – The Furniture Story
- YouTube – Promotional video clips from Furniture
- Article from The Guardian music blog discussing the reissue of The Wrong People, by Stephen Emms, July 2010