Tag: china crisis

The welcome return of the legendary China Crisis. 

An evening with China Crisis, who are touring in support of their latest album release, China Greatness.
The early 1980s heralded a second Liverpool-based musical renaissance and amongst these lauded Merseyside acts was China Crisis, originally emerging in 1981 from their native Kirkby broadly in the “new wave” genre as the songwriting duo of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon.

Citing influences as varied as Davie Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Eric Satie and Brian Eno, it’s not surprising that their sound was quickly distinguishable amongst their peers, often combining elements of synthpop with reggae, country and other styles with their own unique melodies and harmonies to create distinctively sophisticated but catchy pop in a style all its own. With their philosophy that “the song is the most important thing”, China Crisis weren’t just resourceful with the emerging technology of the time and the ongoing electronic music revolution but would creatively employ a distinctive sonic blend of more orthodox origins – horns, strings, woodwinds, pedal steel – a sound further enhanced by working with some of the greatest producers of the 20th century, including Mike Howlett, Langer/Winstanley, and perhaps most notably with Steely Dan’s Walter Becker.

The result of their effort was a clearly identifiable China Crisis sound that stood out from the crowd and garnered the band chart success around the globe, including three UK Top 40 albums and eleven UK Top 50 singles, their hits including the beloved Wishful Thinking, Christian, Black Man Ray, King in a Catholic Style, Arizona Sky and African and White. More importantly the early years established a decades-loyal fanbase that continues to grow today.

That the China Crisis sound is enduring is demonstrable well into the 21st Century, not just through the continued fidelity of their longtime fans but the fact that a whole new generation of musicians and listeners are becoming China Crisis devotees.

Now renown and beloved for their live performances which combine truly engaging music, a good bit of Scouse humor, and the clear kinship the band have with their fans, audiences leave China Crisis shows the all the happier for having been part of the moment.

Support: Poppy Blond

Doors: 7:30pm.

Homemade Food Served All Evening.

The first China Crisis single, “African and White,” didn’t appear until 1982, but it was quickly picked up by Virgin Records and made the U.K. charts. With drummer Dave Reilly on board, their full-length debut, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, arrived later that year and also charted. Another single from the album, “Christian,” hit number 12. They recorded their follow-up LP, Working with Fire and Steel: Possible Pop Songs, Vol. 2, with bassist Gazza Johnson and drummer Kevin Wilkinson. It reached number 20 in the U.K. as well as charting in Canada and across Western Europe. It also produced the Top Ten hit “Wishful Thinking.”

Flaunt the Imperfection

China Crisis’ third album, 1985’s Flaunt the Imperfection, was produced by the sympathetic Walter Becker (from Steely Dan), and resulted in the Top 20 singles “Black Man Ray” and “King in a Catholic Style.” The album was their first to crack the Billboard 200 in the U.S., and it hit the Top Ten in the U.K. and New Zealand. A year later, 1986’s What Price Paradise?, which featured Brian McNeill instead of Beckeron synths, reached a career-high 114 in the U.S. but landed outside of the Top 50 at home. China Crisis worked with Becker once more on 1989’s Diary of a Hollow Horse, which earned critical raves though not much commercial movement. It proved to be their final record with Virgin. Their sixth studio LP, Warped by Success, appeared on Stardumb Records in 1994 and was followed by numerous compilations, including Virgin’s China Crisis Collection: The Very Best of China Crisis (1997), and a long recording hiatus, though Daly and Lundon continued to tour on and off as China Crisis.

In December 2013, China Crisis reappeared with the song “Everyone You Know” in conjunction with a crowdfunding campaign for their seventh album. Autumn in the Neighbourhood was eventually released in June 2015 and followed by tour dates in the U.K., the Netherlands, and North America. In 2017, Caroline released a deluxe edition of Working with Fire and Steel, which included demos and several BBC radio performances from the time of the album.

Doors 7:30pm

TICKET INCLUDES AFTERSHOW RETRO DISCO

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