Intastella
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | Laugh |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Manchester , England |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Intastella was a Manchester-based English alternative rock group that emerged as a successor to the band Laugh. Throughout the 1990s, they secured four singles within the UK top-75 charts.
History
The band Laugh originated in 1980, founded by graphic artist Tim Gudgeon alongside Simon Frampton, a medical student who composed their material. They performed widely across Manchester and Liverpool until Frampton departed in 1984 to pursue his medical career. The ensemble at that time featured Martin Wright handling vocals, guitar, and keyboards, Ian Bendelow on guitar, Martin Mittler playing bass, and Spencer Birtwistle on drums—who later joined The Fall. Their initial release was "Take Your Time Yeah!" in 1985, which was succeeded by three additional singles and the album Sensation No. 1 in 1988. They achieved placements on the UK Independent Chart with "Paul McCartney" reaching #44—featuring guitarist Craig Gannon from The Smiths—and "Time to Lose It" peaking at #19. Additionally, they recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 program.
In 1990, following Bendelow's exit, the group incorporated vocalist Stella Grundy and dancer Lil' Anthony, transitioning towards a dance-infused style and adopting the name Intastella. After signing with MCA Records, their debut single "Dream Some Paradise" charted on the UK Singles Chart, with subsequent singles achieving similar success. Their first album under this new identity, Intastella and the Family of People, was released late in 1991. Progress was hindered when Grundy suffered injuries from a motorcycle accident; MCA subsequently dropped them, but they resurfaced in 1993 via Planet-3 with the Drifter EP, collaborating with Shaun Ryder. Their most notable single, "The Night," climbed to #60 in 1995 preceding the release of What You Gonna Do, which included contributions from Manchester harpist Katie Brett. Later singles released through 1997 did not replicate earlier chart achievements; notably, "Grandmaster" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1997 film Love in Paris. Their last album, Nuphonia, came out in 1997.
Following Intastella's activity, Stella Grundy went on to establish Stella & the Doggs.
Dancer Lil' Anthony (Anthony Green) passed away on 30 November 2019; radio presenter Marc Riley honored him by broadcasting Intastella's track "People." Guitarist Martin Wright died in November 2021.
Albums
- Sensation No. 1 (1988), Sub Aqua
Singles and EPs
- "Take Your Time Yeah!" (1985), Debris (flexi-disc)
- "Take Your Time Yeah!" (1986), Remorse (12")
- "Paul McCartney" (1987), Remorse (7") - UK Indie #44
- "Time To Lose It" (1988), Remorse (7") - UK Indie #19
- Sensation No.1 EP (1988), Sub Aqua (7"/12")
Albums
- Intastella and the Family of People (1991), MCA
- What You Gonna Do (1995), Planet-3
- Nuphonia (1997), Planet-3
- Intastella Overdrive (2002), Castle Music – compilation
Singles and EPs
- "Dream Some Paradise" (1991), MCA - UK #69
- "People" (1991), MCA - UK #74
- "Century" (1991), MCA - UK #70
- Drifter EP (1993), Planet-3
- "Point Hope" (1994), Planet-3 - UK #87
- "The Night" (1995), Planet-3 - UK #60
- "Grandmaster" (1996), Planet-3 - UK #100
- "Past" (1996), Planet-3
- "Skyscraper Koolaid" (1997), Planet-3 - UK #81
- "Soon We'll Fly" (1997), Planet-3