New Fast Automatic Daffodils


New Fast Automatic Daffodils were an alternative rock group from Manchester, England, active between 1988 and 1995.

History

Formed in 1988 by Dolan Hewison, Justin Crawford, Perry Saunders in Hulme whilst students at Manchester Polytechnic, the line-up was complete when Andy Spearpoint, who at the time was at drama school in Manchester, joined on vocals. The name comes from a poem by Adrian Henri that mixed an advertisement for the Dutch DAF car with the Wordsworth poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud". Often associated with the Madchester scene of the late 1980s, but never really part of that scene, taking more inspiration from post punk labels such as Postcard Records, the band's debut single, "Lions" was released in 1989 on Playtime Records, followed the same year by the Music Is Shit EP. In 1990, after the success of their breakthrough single "Big" they signed to Play It Again Sam Records, September of that year seeing the release of "Fishes Eyes", and debut album Pigeonhole appearing in November, which reached the UK top 50.
They developed a brilliant live reputation touring the UK, Europe and the US having secured deals with Mute / Elektra in the States. Further singles followed in 1991 working with legendary Factory producer Martin Hannett on a rerecorded version of "Get Better". and in 1992 they de-camped to Belgium to work with the equally famous Craig Leon on their second album Body Exit Mind, a more experimental record that was mostly recorded in live takes trying to capture the elusive live performances the band were famed for. Released in October 1992 and reaching No. 57 in the UK it spawned two NME singles of the week with 'Its Not What You Know" and "Stockholm" which became a top 10 college radio hit in the US. 1994 saw the band shorten their name to New FADS, with 2 EPs released that year, before a final album, Love It All in 1995. The band split up in 1995.
The band recorded three sessions for John Peel's radio show, the first two of which were compiled onto an album, The Peel Sessions in 1991. Their song "Big" also reached No. 14 in the Festive Fifty in 1990 and featured on the influential 1990 compilation album Happy Daze. Their lone charting success in the United States was the single "Stockholm", which reached No. 30 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts in 1993.
Singer Andy Spearpoint also flirted with acting, having a small part in Coronation Street.

Post band activities

Andy Spearpoint now lives in Ireland and is embarking on an MA in music. Dolan Hewison is Managing Director of the ad agency Ear to the Ground and has recently released an album under the name Icarus Wilson-Wright as well as working with Basement Jaxx as a percussionist is also a Video Artist working with Massive Attack and also exhibiting in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern. Justin Crawford is one part of DJ duo Unabombers and the infamous night as well as a prolific career as an artist recording solo under the name Only Child.

Discography

Singles

  • "Lions" 12" tracks:
  1. Lions
  2. Fate Don't Fail Me Now
  3. Your Dreams My Nightmares
  • "Music Is Shit" EP 12" tracks:
  1. Beam Me Up
  2. A Man Without Qualities
  3. Music Is Shit parts 1-3
CD version contained an extra track Lions, taken from the first 12”
  • "Big" UK No. 109
cd tracks:
  1. Big 6:13
  2. Big 6:30
  3. Big 6:32
  • "Fishes Eyes" UK No. 77
cd tracks:
  1. Fishes Eyes 6:46
  2. Fishes Eyes 5:19
  3. White 3:51
  • "Get Better" UK No. 85
cd tracks:
  1. Get Better 4:30
  2. Pigeonhole 4:52
  3. I Found Myself in Another Room 3:52
  4. Get Better 4:29
  • "All Over My Face" UK No. 96
cd tracks:
  1. All Over My Face 3:53
  2. All Over My Face 5:20
  3. All Over My Face 4:56
  4. Why The Hard Man Fail 4:42
  • "Big" cd tracks:
  1. Big 4:12
  2. Big 6:30
  3. Get Better 4:30
  4. Get Better 6:30
  5. White 3:50
  • "It's Not What You Know" UK No. 82
cd tracks:
  1. It's Not What You Know 4:07
  2. Head On 3:28
  3. Beatlemania 4:50
  4. Beautiful 4:40
  • "Stockholm" UK No. 89
cd tracks:
  1. Stockholm 5:10
  2. Stockholm 4:12
  3. Cannes 4:25
10" tracks:
  1. Stockholm
  2. It's Not What You Know
  3. Hexagon Spring
  • "Bong" cd tracks:
  1. Bong 4:06
  2. It's Not What You Know 4:08
  3. Head On 3:28
  4. Beautiful 4:40
  5. Cannes 4:25
  • "Life Is An Accident 1" cd tracks:
  1. Life Is An Accident 3:02
  2. Every Once In A While 6:04
  3. Aches And Pains 3:50
  • "Life Is An Accident 2" cd tracks:
  1. Life Is An Accident 3:02
  2. PSV 7:55
  3. Mad Pop 3:03
  • "These Foolish Things" 10" tracks:
  1. These Foolish Things 4:31
  2. Every Once In A While 4:15

    Albums

  • Pigeonhole UK No. 49 cd tracks:
  1. Get Better 3:52
  2. Fishes Eyes 7:04
  3. Working for Him 4:17
  4. Part 4 4:13
  5. Big 6:08
  6. You Were Lying When You Said You Loved Me 4:17
  7. Amplifier 3:57
  8. Reprise 3:47
  9. Partial 6:26
  10. Penguins 3:51
  11. I Found Myself In Another Room 3:51
  12. Pigeonhole 6:06
Some vinyl copies of Pigeonhole had a free 7" with a cover of the Velvet Underground's 'I'm Set Free'
  • The Peel Sessions cd tracks:
  1. Purple Haze 1:46
  2. Man Without Qualities II 3:19
  3. Jaggerbog 3:42
  4. Big 5:32
  5. Get Better 3:25
  6. Part 4 4:29
  7. Man Without Qualities One 4:44
  • Body Exit Mind UK No. 57 cd tracks:
  1. Bong 4:05
  2. It's Not What You Know 4:07
  3. Stockholm 5:12
  4. I Take You To Sleep 3:52
  5. Bruises 6:58
  6. How Much Longer Must We Tolerate Mass Culture? 1:19
  7. Kyphos 4:44
  8. Teenage Combo 0:25
  9. Beatlemania 4:50
  10. What Kind Of Hell Is This? 0:39
  11. American Money 4:28
  12. Missing Parts Of Famous People 1:05
  13. Patchwork Lives 5:08
  14. Music 8:08
  15. Exit Body, Exit Mind 1:02
  • Love It All cd tracks:
  1. These Foolish Things 4:31
  2. Life Is An Accident 3:02
  3. Left Right 3:59
  4. Every Once In a While 4:15
  5. Why Waste Your Love 3:35
  6. Monday It Is 4:15
  7. Saxophone 3:35
  8. What I Feel 3:52
  9. PSV 4:15
  10. Kill My Instincts 3:34
  11. Souvenir 1:54

    Other appearances

  • Wake Up and Make Love Before 8.30 in the Morning - Limited edition numbered VHS cassette. Eight songs recorded live and filmed using three cameras at the Palace in Bradford in 1989.
  • Big In Manchester - Promotional 12" single limited to 500 copies. Strange Fruit 1990.
  • Volume Two - Various Artists
  • “home” - various artists sheer joy records 1990
  • Fifteen Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground
  • Kitchen Demos - Band released cassette. Limited to 500 copies. Recreation of eight original demos recorded at The Kitchen, Hulme, Manchester in 1988.