About China Crisis
China Crisis are an English new wave and synth-pop band formed in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside in 1979 with a core of lead vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon. Initially a politically charged post-punk band influenced by Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes, China Crisis soon crossed over to a more commercial sound and had success in the United Kingdom in the 1980s with ten top 50 singles, including the top 10 hit "Wishful Thinking", and three albums charting in or just outside the top 20, including Working with Fire and Steel and the top 10 entry Flaunt the Imperfection, that both received a gold certification.
Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon grew up in Kirkby and met at the Roman Catholic St Kevins School for Boys. Sharing an affection for Steely Dan, David Bowie, Brian Eno and Talking Heads, they played with various Knowsley post-punk groups including different lineups of the band the Glass Torpedoes before Daly and Lundon continued on their own. Around 1980 they obtained a synthesizer and a drum machine and began writing songs; Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes were influential on the group's musical trajectory, as were synth-pop acts like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and Depeche Mode.
Daly also cites David Bowie, Talking Heads and post-punk band Magazine as early influences. Eventually joined by drummer and percussionist Dave Reilly, they released their debut single "African and White" as China Crisis on the independent record label Inevitable in 1981. Initially the band's main interest was in studio recording, but did a few live gigs. On 31 December 1981 they performed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London along with Haircut One Hundred. In March 1982, they recorded a four-song Peel session for the BBC. In April–May 1982, they played their first UK tour. In June 1982, they backed Tom Verlaine of Television at The Venue in London. In September they performed at the Futurama 4 Festival, followed by a late 1982 UK tour.
The band signed a recording contract with Virgin Records and released their debut studio album, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain in November 1982. A re-release of "African and White" reached No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1982. The follow-up single, "No More Blue Horizons ", released in October 1982 had little success, but the single "Christian", made UK No. 12 in early 1983 and brought them to national prominence. By the time of this success, Reilly had left the band, but had remained with the band long enough to co-write and perform on "Christian", along with session musician Steve Levy playing oboe and saxophone. The album peaked at No. 21 in the UK Albums Chart. During this period the band toured supporting Simple Minds on their New Gold Dream tour.
Adding Gary "Gazza" Johnson and Waterboys drummer Kevin Wilkinson to the line-up, the band, augmented by Steve Levy , premiered new songs, including "Wishful Thinking", in a BBC Peel session in January 1983. In May, the single "Tragedy and Mystery" was released and peaked at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart. The arrangement of the song with prominent use of Levy's oboe and flugel horn marked a noticeable change from the band's previous synth-pop sound.
The band, again augmented by Steve Levy on oboe and saxophone on several tracks, recorded a second studio album in Liverpool and at The Manor Studio, Oxfordshire with producer Mike Howlett. Entitled Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two, it was released in October 1983. Prior to the release of the album the title track, "Working with Fire and Steel", was released as a single. While only a minor hit in the UK at number 48, it was a hit on the US Dance Club Songs chart, reaching number 27.
Map & Directions To Venue
