About Senseless Things
The Senseless Things were a successful indie punk band who were popular in the UK in the early 1990's. The Senseless Things formed in 1987 in Twickenham London. The band consisted of Mark Keds on guitar and vocals, Ben Harding on guitar and vocals, Cass Browne on drums and Morgan Nicholls on bass. The early band's sound was characterised by a Ramones-like barrage of fast melodic pop - punk singles and energetic stage shows. The early singles were collected on the 1988 compilation Postcard CV on Way Cool records which could be compared to The Undertones and The Buzzcocks. In 1989 a remixed version of early single Too Much Kissing became a UK chart hit. The band had a very loyal following of characteristically very young stagediving and moshing teenage fans who were referred to in the music press as 'Pop Kids'. In 1991 the band signed to Epic Records and released their debut album First of Too Many, featuring artwork by Tank Girl creator Jamie Hewlett who was a friend of the band. The album was well received and saw the band experimenting with other musical styles including some acoustic songs. The band enjoyed a run of reasonably successful chart singles and sold out club tours. In 1992 the band undertook an long and intensive tour of America with Blur. The next album, 1993's Empire of the Senseless, showed some darker grunge influences. The lead single 'Homophobic Asshole' was an angry and passionate song, although it was not a large hit. The following singles 'Hold it Down' and 'Primary Instinct' were reasonable successes. The band's final album was 1995's Taking Care of Business backed with controversial single 'Christian Killer' (renamed 'Christine Keeler' for the album). The album flopped and the band split in 1995 after one final tour. In 1995 Mark Keds briefly joined The Wildhearts (he appeared on the 'Just in Lust' single cover, as well as its 3 flipside tracks, but never actually gigged with them) before forming his own band Jolt in 1996. Ben Harding formed the new band 3 Colours Red who were the most successful of all ex members of the Senseless Things new bands. Morgan Nicholls briefly joined The Wonder Stuff vocalist Miles Hunt in Vent 414 before rejoining Cass Browne in Delakota in 1998. Weirdly, the Senseless Things ex-rhythm section now feature in some of the biggest bands in the business - Morgan has played bass and other instruments for The Streets, and is now a permanent fixture in Muse - performing keyboards and backing vocals at live gigs. Cass Browne plays live drums for Gorillaz - a band who were, of course, created by Senseless Things cover artist Jamie Hewlett and their old tour-mates, Blur.
Seven albums, two decades, and one Grammy later, legendary progressive rock band Mastodon is releasing a compilation LP, Medium Rarities. Comprising of four original songs, five live songs, four instrumental songs, and three covers, Medium Rarities will be released on September 11, 2020, by Repr. Senseless Things O2 Shepherds Bush, London 25 March 2017. Naomi Dryden-Smith went to check out much-missed London band Senseless Things deliver the most eagerly anticipated comeback gig of the year so far. Senseless Things, alongside Longpigs, were one. Senseless Things The First Of Too Many UK vinyl LP album (LP record) Tracklisting / Additional Info: 1. Everybody's Gone 2. It's Cool To Hang Out With Your Ex 5. Should I Feel It 7. In Love Again 9. Got I At The Delmar 10. American Dad 11. Radio Spiteful 12. Wrong Number 14. Listen to The Singles by Senseless Things on Deezer. With music streaming on Deezer you can discover more than 56 million tracks, create your own playlists, and share your favourite tracks with your friends.
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Hull, 2017's European City of Culture and somewhat unlikely setting for the return of one of the biggest cult bands of the 1990s. West London outfit the Senseless Things first emerged in 1987 at a time when word of mouth was the only way new bands would make any kind of headway outside of their own backyards, and in order to attain such traction had to play as many shows as possible. While there are some parallels with today - certainly in terms of instilling a live presence - it was an altogether different ball game back then, and bands like the Senseless Things alongside other tireless stalwarts such as Mega City Four, Kingmaker, and Thousand Yard Stare would literally spend the best part of every year travelling up and down the land in transit vans hoping to play to as many people as possible and maybe even put out a record or two in the process.
Which for Senseless Things paid dividends as not only did they release four critically acclaimed albums alongside a batch of well-received 45s, but also managed to gatecrash the top 20 national singles chart culminating in a Top Of The Pops appearance with 'Easy To Smile', their highest ever chart placing in January 1992.
The four-piece - Mark Keds (vocals/guitar), Ben Harding (guitar/backing vocals), Morgan Nicholls (bass) and Cass Browne (drums) - built up quite a loyal following during their existence before calling it a day in 1995 after the release of fourth and final long player Taking Care Of Business. Disillusioned with the music industry having been jettisoned to the sidelines (along with many other infinitely better bands from back in the day) by Britpop, their back catalogue littered with a host of gems.
The ensuing years saw all four members continue to make music in one form or another, Nicholls most prominently with Muse, Gorillaz, and The Streets, Harding in Three Colours Red, Browne also in Gorillaz as well as Delakota and Penguin Cafe, and Keds briefly with The Wildhearts along with Jolt, The Lams and current band Deadcuts, who also recently recruited Cass Browne on drums. There was almost a Senseless Things reunion in 2007 at a benefit gig for Mega City Four frontman Wiz Brown, who passed away in December of the previous year, but unfortunately, other commitments meant Nicholls couldn't join his three former bandmates and Hitechjet bass player Micky Wyle stood in instead for the short, four-song set in Islington that evening.
So having finally bitten the bullet and joined the ever growing list of reformations last December in announcing a one-off reunion show at Shepherd's Bush Empire 0n 25th March - their first show for 22 years - the four Senseless Things went one further by arranging a secret warm-up gig at Hull's Adelphi six days beforehand (Sunday 19th March). Chosen because of its prominence in the band's tour schedule while at their most active, the Adelphi is one of the last remaining old-school venues from the widely denounced but sorely missed 'toilet circuit.' Tucked away in between rows of terraced houses in Hull's Kingston area, its played host to anyone and everyone from the Manic Street Preachers and The Stone Roses to Pulp and Oasis plus many more before, in between and after. Indeed its status as one of the warmest and most welcoming settings of its kind makes it a hotbed for gig-goers from all over the British Isles, and tonight's first opportunity to witness the Senseless Things in the flesh for over two decades proves no exception. With many having travelled from various corners of the UK to be among the 200 tightly squeezed into the Adelphi's intimate confines.
Beforehand, its the turn of Midway Still - another band renowned for their past glories on the independent rock circuit, most notably 1992's debut long player Dial Square, which should have launched them as the UK's answer to Nirvana et al. Sadly, the plaudits received by said album never equated to sales and after releasing another record (Life's Too Long) the following year the band broke up in 1994. Having reformed in 2000 with a new bass player they've since put out four albums, last year's Go Team No Hope being the most recent.
Having supported Senseless Things many times back in the day, their choice as openers this evening was perhaps not that surprising. Playing a twelve song set lasting approximately forty minutes in total, Midway Still turned back the clock in style. Mixing newer compositions ('Wicked World', 'Cash Cow', 'No Guarantees') with a selection of more familiar material from back in the day ('I Won't Try', 'Better Than Before', 'Me In You'), their grunge flavoured alt-rock going down a storm with all and sundry, many of whom are resplendent in Senseless Things 'Pop Kid' t-shirts and other assorted garments last worn a quarter of a century ago.
Indeed, tonight's show does have a nostalgic feel about it, like a school reunion of sorts, and strangers exchange stories with each other about gig experiences from days of yore. It's a genuine feeling of community that is sadly lacking from the present and as the Senseless Things take to the stage one by one, frontman Keds the last to emerge, they're greeted with a round of cheers reminiscent of the ones normally reserved for victorious sporting heroes.
Having already played a short set in the back room of a Richmond pub some 48 hours earlier, tonight's show proved to be anything but a rehearsal. Playing 24 songs in total covering their entire back catalogue from their very first release (1988's Up And Coming EP) to last month's first new recording in 22 years and current single 'Lost Honey'. This was more a case of unfinished business than an excuse to wallow in nostalgia.
While rumours had been rife on social media of Keds' ill health to the point of speculation he wouldn't be turning up this evening, all four members delivered a flawless execution of songs that deserve to live on. Each and every one of them a timeless reminder of why a band like the Senseless Things were so vital then and are sorely missed now. Often cited as a UK equivalent of Husker Du or The Replacements, the likes of 'Girlfriend' and 'Is It Too Late?' sounding as if they could have been recorded at any time over the past forty years, yet still sound so fresh and invigorating.
Of course, everyone in the room has their own personal favourite and when Mark Keds asks people to shout out requests each duly delivers. While a good 50% of tonight's set focuses on their earlier singles and Postcard CV output - arguably their most productive and ultimately unblemished period - it's also good to see lesser celebrated numbers from their last two albums given a well-received airing, a melancholic 'Watching The Pictures Go' being the pick of that particular bunch.
Unsurprisingly, rabble-rousing renditions of 'Hold It Down' and 'Homophobic Asshole' elicit the most rabid response of the evening, while a three-song encore culminating in debut single 'Too Much Kissing' brings about a stage invasion of sorts.
For ninety minutes, everyone was 19 years of age again. And boy did it feel good. Here's to next weekend's 'proper' show at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Hopefully it will be the first of (too) many.