About Cranes
Cranes are a British rock band formed in 1985.
Formed in 1985 in Portsmouth, England by siblings Alison and Jim Shaw and named after the many mechanical cranes around the city's docks, Cranes are best known for the singular childlike vocals of lead singer Alison.
The band's first release was the self-financed Fuse cassette. Signing with Portsmouth based independent label Bite Back!, Cranes recorded the Self Non Self mini-LP in 1989, which led to them recording their first of two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. They moved to the BMG offshoot Dedicated Records in 1990. With the addition of Mark Francombe and Matt Cope , Cranes attained a front cover with Melody Maker magazine and released a series of critically acclaimed EPs in 1990 and 1991 that preceded their debut full-length album, Wings of Joy, which reached number 52 on the UK Albums Chart. Following a general softening of their sound, the introduction of pop elements to their music, and a world tour with the Cure in 1992, the band's popularity increased, and peaked with the release of the album Forever , which contained their biggest hit single, "Jewel" . Loved followed in 1994.
The band fell silent for a period of approximately four years after the release of Population 4 in 1997, and the subsequent closure of Dedicated, with the original line-up disbanding. In 2000, the Shaws formed a new line-up and began writing music again, and released Future Songs and Particles and Waves on their own label, Dadaphonic. These albums signified a change in the overall style of their music, emphasising its ambient, ethereal qualities. Despite heading in a more electronic direction, however, the band's music continued to revolve around Alison Shaw's distinctive singing. In 2002 the band again supported The Cure, at Hyde Park and several European festivals.
Cranes reformed in 2023 for their first live shows in eleven years and have also announced shows for 2024. The band also released a new album on CD and Vinyl which collected their John Peel Sessions from 1989 - 1990. The band area also rumoured to be in the studio finishing off their next album.
The band's music has been described as "gothic minimalism", although the band have disputed the "gothic" label. They have also been described as dream pop. In the early 1990s they were briefly included as part of the shoegazing movement of the era.
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