The Fire Engines
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980 in Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Founder | David (Davy) Henderson, Murray Slade, Graham Main, Russell Burn |
| Defunct | 31 December 1981 (initial split) |
| Fate | Reunited in 2004 |
| Headquarters | Edinburgh , Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
The Fire Engines originated as a post-punk group hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Their sound and style left a mark on bands like Franz Ferdinand and The Rapture, while groups such as Meat Whiplash and The Candyskins took their names from Fire Engines tracks. In August 2017, the band reunited for a benefit concert at Leith Theatre, sharing the stage with Irvine Welsh and Ewen Bremner.
History
The lineup of The Fire Engines featured David (Davy) Henderson on vocals and guitar, Murray Slade handling guitar duties, Graham Main playing bass, and Russell Burn on drums. Their band name was derived from a track by the 13th Floor Elevators. Prior to forming The Fire Engines, Henderson, Main, and Burn had been members of The Dirty Reds alongside Russell Burn's brother, Tam Dean Burn, while Slade had been part of Station Six. Their first single, "Get Up And Use Me"/"Everything's Roses," was launched in 1980 through manager Angus Groovy’s Codex Communications label, produced on a minimal budget by Wilf Smarties.
"Get Up and Use Me" received 'Single of the Week' accolades from both NME and Sounds. The band became known for their brief yet intense live performances, often lasting less than twenty minutes, focusing on raw energy and simplicity. Although they were approached by Postcard Records with a contract offer, they ultimately signed with Bob Last’s Fast Product label. Their follow-up singles and the predominantly instrumental album Lubricate Your Living Room (1981) were released on Fast Product’s Pop:Aural imprint. In 1981, they recorded two sessions for John Peel’s show on BBC Radio 1, which included a rendition of Heaven 17’s "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang." Their highest-charting single was "Candy Skin" (1981), but after "Big Gold Dream" did not replicate its success, the band dissolved on 31 December 1981.
After the split, Henderson collaborated with Bob Last’s partner Hillary Morrison to form Heartbeat, contributing a track to an NME compilation cassette. Russell Burn returned to The Dirty Reds. Subsequently, Henderson and Burn established the band Win in the mid-1980s with Ian Stoddart; this group remained active until 1989. They also worked together on Burn’s Pie Finger project, which produced an album released by Creation Records in 1992. Henderson then went on to create The Nectarine No. 9, which operated from the early 1990s through to 2004.
Reformation
The Fire Engines reunited in 2004 to open for The Magic Band at The Liquid Room in Edinburgh and issued a limited-edition split single with Franz Ferdinand. This seven-inch featured Franz Ferdinand covering the Fire Engines’ "Get Up and Use Me," while The Fire Engines performed a version of Franz Ferdinand’s "Jacqueline." Following this, the band performed sporadically until 2006. On 2 October 2007, Acute Records released Hungry Beat, a compilation of the band's original studio work, marking their debut CD release in the United States.
Currently, Henderson fronts The Sexual Objects alongside Ian Holford (drums), Simon Smeeton (guitar), Douglas McIntyre (bass), with Graham Wann joining later on guitar. They issued singles through Creeping Bent in 2007, followed by two singles on a German label in 2008, and another single in 2009. Their first album, Cucumber, partly produced by Boards of Canada, was released in 2010 with a vinyl edition following in 2011.
Albums
Lubricate Your Living Room (1981) - Reached #4 on the UK Indie Chart
Compilations
- Aufgeladen und Bereit fur Action und Spass (1981)
- Fond (1992)
- Codex Teenage Premonition (2005)
- Hungry Beat (2007)
- Chrome Dawns (2024)
Singles
- "Get Up and Use Me" / "Everythings Roses" (1980), Codex Communications - Peaked at #9 on UK Indie Chart
- "Candyskin" / "Meat Whiplash" (1981), Pop:Aural - Achieved #7 on UK Indie Chart
- "Big Gold Dream" / "New Thing in Cartons" / "Sympathetic Anaesthetic" (1981), Pop:Aural - Reached #15 on UK Indie Chart
- "Discord" (2006), Domino¹
¹ Features tracks from John Peel sessions "Discord" and "Candyskin"
Legacy and influence
The period from 1979 to 1981 in The Fire Engines' career is captured in the 2015 documentary Big Gold Dream, titled after their last release on Pop:Aural.