Membranes

The Membranes are a post-punk band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1977, the initial line-up being John Robb (bass guitar), Mark Tilton (guitar), Martyn Critchley (vocals) and Martin Kelly (drums). Critchley soon left, with Robb and Tilton taking on vocals, and Kelly moving to keyboards, with "Coofy Sid" (Coulthart) taking over on drums. Their first release was the "Flexible Membrane" flexi-disc in 1980, and over the next 11 years they would go on to release six studio albums. The band split in 1989 and reformed in 2009.

Links To Peel
John Robb, singer of The Membranes was a big Peel fan and on interviews would mention how he was an influence on the band. He also mentioned in an interview with Sabotage Times that  'listening to John Peel in the 70s was a total joy and finding out about all this diverse music was one of the key parts of our youth by the seaside'. His band The Membranes captured the attention of Peel who championed the noisy, high-energy outfit after hearing "Flexible Membrane" in 1980.

In an interview with the internet site Writewyattuk, Robb, mentioned his experience in recording the band's only Peel session recorded in 1984:

"'The same as for everyone really – it was a bit odd, because Dale Griffin was a bit grumpy! But I was a massive Mott the Hoople fan, so put up with it. It’s just a shame it wasn’t (Mott bass legend) Overend Watts, who I met at an after-show party on their previous tour.'"

At the end of 1984, listeners voted the Membrane's 'Spike Milligan's Tape Recorder' at number 6 in the 1984 Festive Fifty. There were allegations by Peel that there was evidence of rigging to get the Membranes in the Festive Fifty. In the Writewyattuk site, Robb admitted some kind of truth in the matter:

"'What happened was that my brother enthusiastically sent four postcards from Liverpool while he was at university there. I don’t think he understood the concept of how you rig a poll, so probably wrote the same thing on each, and Peel thought we’d fixed it. And because he mentioned it, it sort of stuck. But I think it was more likely that because you had a choice of songs you’d write down two you liked then put a curve-ball in for the third, and because of the title of our song, that was one you’d automatically think of. It had such an impact that year, so those who maybe voted for The Cure and New Order might have felt that was a bit mainstream so also voted for us – something off the wall.'"

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1984 Festive Fifty: Spike Milligan's Tape Recorder #06

Sessions
1. Recorded: 1984-05-19. Broadcast: 30 May 1984. Repeated: 25 June 1984, 18 July 1984
 * Shine On Pumpkin Moon / Big Nose And Howling Wind / Great Mistake / Spike Milligan's Tape Recorder

Other Shows Played
1980 1981 1982 1983
 * 11 December 1980: Fashionable Junkies (7" flexi - Fléxible Membrane) Vinyl Drip
 * 15 December 1981: Muscles (7") Vinyl Drip
 * 17 November 1982: unknown
 * 30 November 1983: Kafka's Dad (LP - Crack House) Criminal Damage

1985
 * 08 December 1983: The Throat (LP - Crack House) Criminal Damage
 * 15 December 1983: The Throat (LP - Crack House) Criminal Damage
 * 01 January 1985: 'Spike Milligan's Tape Recorder (7 inch)' (Criminal Damage Records) FF #06

1987
 * 07 January 1985: Shine On Pumpkin Moon (12” EP – Death To Trad Rock) Criminal Damage
 * 06 August 1985: Shot By My Own Gun (LP - The Gift Of Life) Creation
 * 27 April 1987: (& Pigbros): 'Stopped Myself In Time (12"-Now Is The Time To Remove Your Mask)' (Cake)

1989
 * 01 May 1987 (BFBS) / Peel 059 (BFBS) (& Pigbros): 'Stopped Myself In Time (12"-Now Is The Time To Remove Your Mask)' (Cake)
 * Mostly Peel Spring 1989: Tatty Seaside Town (album - Kiss Ass Godhead) Homestead HMS108-1 (Snub TV)