New Fast Automatic Daffodils
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Manchester , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, Europe, United States |
| Products | Alternative rock music |
New Fast Automatic Daffodils—commonly abbreviated as New FADS—was an alternative rock group originating from Manchester, England, active between 1988 and 1995.
History
The band was established in 1988 by guitarist Dolan Hewison, bassist Justin Crawford, and drummer Perry Saunders during their time at Manchester Polytechnic. Vocal duties were handled by Andy Spearpoint, who was attending drama school in Manchester at the time. Their name was inspired by an Adrian Henri poem that fuses a Dutch DAF truck commercial with Wordsworth's poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Although frequently associated with the late-1980s Madchester movement, their sound was more heavily influenced by post-punk labels such as Postcard Records. The group’s first single, "Lions," came out in 1989 on Playtime Records, followed by the Music Is Shit EP later that year. After gaining attention with the single "Big," they secured a contract with Play It Again Sam (PIAS) Records in 1990, releasing "Fishes Eyes" and their debut album Pigeonhole, which entered the UK top 50 charts.
The band earned a solid reputation for live performances throughout tours across the UK, Europe, and the United States, leading to record deals with Mute and Elektra Records in America. In 1991, they collaborated with Factory producer Martin Hannett to re-record "Get Better." Their sophomore album, Body Exit Mind, was produced by Craig Leon in Belgium and released in October 1992, reaching number 57 on the UK charts. This album included singles such as "Its Not What You Know" and "Stockholm," with the latter breaking into the top 10 of US college radio charts. In 1994, the band abbreviated their name to New FADS and released two EPs before issuing their final album Love It All in 1995. They disbanded later that same year.
Throughout their career, New Fast Automatic Daffodils recorded three sessions for John Peel’s radio show; the initial two were compiled into the 1991 release The Peel Sessions. Their track "Big" attained number 14 on the 1990 Festive Fifty and was featured on the influential compilation Happy Daze. The band's sole charting single in the United States was "Stockholm," which reached number 30 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart in 1993.
In addition to his music career, vocalist Andy Spearpoint also pursued acting roles, including a minor appearance on the television series Coronation Street.
Post band activities
Currently residing in Ireland, Andy Spearpoint is engaged in postgraduate studies focusing on music. Dolan Hewison serves as Managing Director at the advertising agency Ear to the Ground and has recently released an album under the moniker Au-Turn. Icarus Wilson-Wright has worked as a percussionist with Basement Jaxx and is also recognized as a video artist collaborating with Massive Attack; his work has been exhibited at the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. Justin Crawford is involved in the DJ duo Unabombers and plays a significant role in the Electric Chair nightclub scene while maintaining a solo project under the name Only Child.
Singles
- "Lions" (1989, Playtime) 12" tracks:
- Lions
- Fate Don't Fail Me Now
- Your Dreams My Nightmares
- "Music Is Shit" EP (1989, Playtime) 12" tracks:
- Beam Me Up
- A Man Without Qualities
- Music Is Shit parts 1-3
CD version (AMUSE 6CD) included an additional track: Lions.
- "Big" (1990 Amuse 7CD, Playtime) UK No. 109
CD tracks:
- Big 6:13
- Big (Baka) 6:30
- Big (Instrumental) 6:32
- "Fishes Eyes" (1990 BIAS162 CD, Play It Again Sam) UK No. 77
CD tracks:
- Fishes Eyes 6:46
- Fishes Eyes (Underwater) 5:19
- White 3:51
- "Get Better" (1991 BIAS193 CD, Play It Again Sam) UK No. 85
CD tracks:
- Get Better 4:30
- Pigeonhole (Edit) 4:52
- I Found Myself in Another Room 3:52
- Get Better (Version 1) 4:29
- "All Over My Face" (1991 BIAS199 CD, Play It Again Sam) UK No. 96
CD tracks:
- All Over My Face 3:53
- All Over My Face (Split Decision) 5:20
- All Over My Face (Off the Road) 4:56
- Why The Hard Man Fail 4:42
- "Big" (1991, Playtime, Play It Again Sam & Mute) CD tracks:
- Big (Edit) 4:12
- Big (Baka) 6:30
- Get Better 4:30
- Get Better (Extended) 6:30
- White 3:50
- "It's Not What You Know" (1992, Play It Again Sam) UK No. 82
CD tracks:
- It's Not What You Know 4:07
- Head On 3:28
- Beatlemania 4:50
- Beautiful 4:40
- "Stockholm" (1992, Play It Again Sam) UK No. 89
CD tracks:
- Stockholm 5:10
- Stockholm (Edit) 4:12
- Cannes 4:25
10" tracks:
- Stockholm (Demo Version)
- It's Not What You Know (Demo Version)
- Hexagon Spring
- "Bong" (1993, Play It Again Sam) CD tracks:
- Bong 4:06
- It's Not What You Know 4:08
- Head On 3:28
- Beautiful 4:40
- Cannes 4:25
- "Life Is An Accident 1" (1994 BIAS249 CD1, Play It Again Sam) (as New FADS) CD tracks:
- Life Is An Accident 3:02
- Every Once In A While (Fuzzy Logic) 6:04
- Aches And Pains 3:50
- "Life Is An Accident 2" (1994 BIAS249 CD2, Play It Again Sam) (as New FADS) CD tracks:
- Life Is An Accident 3:02
- PSV (VPL) 7:55
- Mad Pop 3:03
- "These Foolish Things" (1994, Play It Again Sam) (as New FADS) 10" tracks:
- These Foolish Things 4:31
- Every Once In A While 4:15
Albums
- Pigeonhole (1990, Play It Again Sam) reached UK chart position No. 49
CD tracklist:
- Get Better 3:52
- Fishes Eyes 7:04
- Working for Him 4:17
- Part 4 4:13
- Big 6:08
- You Were Lying When You Said You Loved Me 4:17
- Amplifier 3:57
- Reprise 3:47
- Partial 6:26
- Penguins 3:51
- I Found Myself In Another Room 3:51
- Pigeonhole 6:06
Certain vinyl editions included a complimentary 7" featuring a cover of The Velvet Underground's "I'm Set Free."
- The Peel Sessions (1991, Strange Fruit Records)
CD tracks:
- Purple Haze 1:46
- Man Without Qualities II 3:19
- Jaggerbog 3:42
- Big 5:32
- Get Better 3:25
- Part 4 4:29
- Man Without Qualities One 4:44
- Body Exit Mind (1992, Play It Again Sam) peaked at UK No. 57
CD track listing:
- Bong 4:05
- It's Not What You Know 4:07
- Stockholm 5:12
- I Take You To Sleep 3:52
- Bruises 6:58
- How Much Longer Must We Tolerate Mass Culture? 1:19
- Kyphos 4:44
- Teenage Combo 0:25
- Beatlemania 4:50
- What Kind Of Hell Is This? 0:39
- American Money 4:28
- Missing Parts Of Famous People 1:05
- Patchwork Lives 5:08
- Music 8:08
- Exit Body, Exit Mind 1:02
- Love It All (1995, Play It Again Sam) released under the name New FADS
CD tracks include:
- These Foolish Things 4:31
- Life Is An Accident 3:02
- Left Right 3:59
- Every Once In a While 4:15
- Why Waste Your Love 3:35
- Monday It Is 4:15
- Saxophone 3:35
- What I Feel 3:52
- PSV 4:15
- Kill My Instincts 3:34
- Souvenir 1:54
Other appearances
- Wake Up and Make Love Before 8.30 in the Morning – Limited edition VHS from Visionary Communications Ltd, featuring eight live performances recorded at the Palace, Bradford in 1989.
- Big In Manchester (Special Meagre Mix) – A promotional limited run of 500 copies issued by Strange Fruit (SF45) in 1990.
- Volume Two – A multi-artist compilation featuring an exclusive "All Over My Face" (Scam Mix).
- “home” – A various artists collection including the track "Jaggerbog," released by Sheer Joy Records in 1990.
- Fifteen Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground (1994, Imaginary Records) features New F.A.D.S.' rendition of "I'm Set Free."
- This Is Fascism (1996, M.C. Projects) – A double-CD set containing remixes of New Fast Automatic Daffodils' version of Consolidated's "This Is Fascism."
- Kitchen Demos (2023) – A limited cassette edition (500 copies) presenting eight original demo recordings made in Hulme, Manchester in 1988.
External links
- discogs.com discography
- [ AllMusic Guide profile]
- Myspace.com site