Manufactured Romance
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Products | Music recordings, live performances |
| Website | https://web.archive.org/web/20090302190201/http://www.manufactured-romance.com/ |
Manufactured Romance was a pop punk ensemble originating from London, England, active between 1979 and 1982, with a brief reunion in 2008 for live performances and the release of a retrospective CD independently produced.
History
Initially formed in 1978 under the name 4th Reich, the group made their first live appearance at The Marquee in January 1979. Shortly thereafter, they adopted the name Lost Property and toured as support for the U.K. Subs during the Stranglehold tour, also featuring in the film Punk Can Take It. The lineup consisted of Nick Medlin on bass, Benny Di Massa on drums, Mark Chapman playing guitar, and Nina Spencer as vocalist.
In 1980, Canadian guitarist Bob Moore joined the band, prompting a name change to Manufactured Romance. They secured a contract with Fresh Records and issued the single "Time of My Life"/"Room To Breathe," with "Time of My Life" included on the label’s compilation Fresh Collection. The band headlined the Fresh Festival held at London's Music Machine. Additionally, two tracks—"You" and "Long Distance Love"—were featured on the internationally distributed punk compilation Backstage Pass released by Supermusic.
Following their departure from Fresh Records in 1981, Manufactured Romance collaborated with the management and producer Tom Newman of Doll by Doll, although no further recordings were produced. Due to health complications, Nina Spencer exited the group in 1982; Moore and Di Massa also left around this time. In 1983, drummer Paul Cokayne joined as the band briefly continued under the name Foreign Flags.
In August 2008, Manufactured Romance reunited for a series of live shows and independently released an untitled CD compiling both previously released and unreleased material, excluding "Room To Breathe." The CD’s tracklist comprised: "Chameleon," "Deja Vu," "You," "Time Of My Life," "Easy," "Long Distant Love," "Twist The Day," "When You Said," and "Criminal Mind."
Single
- Time Of My Life (3:17) / Room To Breathe (2:48) (Fresh Records FRESH 016, 1980)
Album
- Untitled CD (self-released, 2008)
Compilation appearances
- Fresh Records - The Punk Singles Collection (Fresh, 1982; Jungle, 1994) - "Time Of My Life"
- Punk Archives - 25 Punk Singles (Jungle, 2000) - "Time Of My Life"
- It's Punk, Innit? (Jungle FREUDCD 777) - "Time Of My Life"
- Back Stage Pass (Supermusic Co. 1980) - "Long distance love", "You"
External links
- www.manufactured-romance.com (archived 2009)
- Manufactured Romance official MySpace page (audio samples)
- Manufactured Romance at the Dirty Water Club video from 2008 tour
- Dirty Water Club photos and video by Dyler Plummer
- Manufactured Romance live review of 2008 London show