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.

History

Early years and influences

Gary Daly (born 5 May 1962, Kirkby, Knowsley, Merseyside) and Eddie Lundon (born 9 June 1962, Kirkby, Knowsley, Merseyside) grew up in working-class families in Kirkby and met at the Roman Catholic St Kevin's School for Boys. Sharing an affection for Steely Dan, David Bowie and Brian Eno, Initially, Daly and Lundon shared synthesizer duties on the group's albums, but Daly began taking on the lion's share of synthesizer/keyboard parts as the group's popularity continued to rise.

Daly also cites Talking Heads and post-punk band Magazine as early influences. but they also performed 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 September they performed at the Futurama 4 Festival, followed by a late 1982 UK tour. and released a single, "Scream Down at Me", in May. A Virgin re-release of "African and White" was their first success, reaching No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart in August,

Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two

Again backed by Johnson and Levy, along with Waterboys drummer Kevin Wilkinson, the band premiered three new songs in January 1983, including "Wishful Thinking", in a BBC Peel session. Adding Johnson and (eventually) Levy for approximately six months before departing. Meanwhile, in May 1983, 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 flugelhorn marked a noticeable change from the band's previous synth-pop sound.

Preceded by the title track "Working with Fire and Steel", which reached number 48 in the UK, the album entitled Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two, was released in October 1983. The arrival of Steve Levy and Kevin Wilkinson into the band's line-up, along with the introduction of more session musicians, gave the album a markedly less synthetic sound than its predecessor. While the band made use of the then latest technology such as the emulator,

In early 1984, the single "Wishful Thinking" peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, making it their first and only UK top 10 hit single. The song was also a top 10 hit in Ireland, a top 20 hit in several European countries and hit number one on the Swedish radio chart Poporama. In March 1984, the follow-up single "Hanna Hanna" reached number 44 on the UK singles chart. followed by touring Europe and North America supporting Simple Minds.

Flaunt the Imperfection and mainstream success

Their third studio album, Flaunt the Imperfection, was produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan fame and reached No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart in May 1985.

The album was followed by a spring 1985 UK tour, performance at the Netherlands Pinkpop Festival in May, six dates in the US and Canada in July–August and further UK dates in October 1985. They also released a video compilation, Showbiz Absurd.

What Price Paradise

In 1986, the band collaborated with producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (known for their work with Madness) on What Price Paradise, which included "Arizona Sky", the album's first single release and another Australian hit. In addition, "Arizona Sky" achieved stateside success, giving the group a top 40 hit on the US Adult Contemporary chart.

In December 2002, China Crisis' Daly and Lundon held a one-night unplugged venue in Manila, Philippines, with the support of a local alternative rock band, Rivermaya. They toured the UK during January and February 2007 as part of their 25th anniversary. Daly released his limited edition solo studio album, The Visionary Mindset Experience, in 2007, featuring collaborations with Megan Kovacs of the band Kovacs and Jean Weir.

In 2008, they were the support act for OMD's UK October tour. The following year, the band performed a fund raising gig for The Friends of Meols Park, played at Fort Perch Rock on the Wirral, the Rewind Festival in Henley-on-Thames, and the Mathew Street Festival at Sefton Park in Liverpool.

Subsequently, the band toured extensively playing dates in the UK (including regular gigs at the Cavern Club, Liverpool) as well as visiting the United States and Canada, and returning to the Philippines. On 13 January 2014, the band posted an illustrated account of the track and how it was written and came to be recorded. 87% of the pledge goal had been reached at that time. Ahead of the release of the new album, the track "Being in Love" was premiered on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 Music show on 25 April 2014. The band toured in late 2014, playing some tracks from the new album alongside older favourites. As of 5 February 2015, the band had achieved 235% of its Pledgemusic target and the album was in final mix and production.

Autumn in the Neighbourhood was released on 3 June 2015 via the PledgeMusic website. It was their first studio album for 21 years, and contained 11 songs; however, the pre-release taster track, "Everyone You Know", was not included on the album. The band undertook an extensive promotional tour of the UK from the end of September until December 2015, both as a trio and as a full band. The tour included a special "Flaunt the Imperfection Live" night at the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, on 17 October 2015 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of their 1985 studio album of that name. The band also played five nights in North America in December under the banner of "North America Merry Christmas Tour".

In November 2015, a compilation album, 80s Recovered, featuring many 1980s-related artists was released on the Music Brokers label. China Crisis contributed a cover version of Carole King's "It's Too Late", with both a regular version and an extended remix.

2017–present: Later years

right|thumb|Eddie Lundon performing without Gary Daly at the [[Manchester Academy|Manchester Academy 3, due to the latter losing his voice at this concert, April 2023]]

In March 2017, China Crisis performed as part of an "80s Invasion Tour" that included Toyah, Paul Young and Martika.

In July 2017, the band returned to the Philippines for a show at the Kia Theatre, alongside Peter Coyle of fellow Liverpool band the Lotus Eaters.

Former China Crisis producer and member Walter Becker died on 3 September 2017, at the age of 67.

While China Crisis continue to tour the UK and play live dates, founder member Eddie Lundon teaches songwriting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Lead vocalist Gary Daly released his solo debut studio album Gone from Here in May 2019. Former China Crisis bassist Gary "Gazza" Johnson and keyboardist Brian McNeill both play on the album. In February 2020, Daly released the solo studio album Luna Landings, a collection of instrumental recordings written between 1981 and 1987.

In 2020, China Crisis were the opening act for Kim Wilde on her Greatest Hits Tour, and they embarked on their own 40th anniversary headlining tour in 2022.

Band members

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Current

  • Gary Daly – vocals; synthesisers (1979–present), bass guitar (1979–1982)
  • Eddie Lundon – guitars; vocals (1979–present), synthesizer (1980–1982)
  • Eric Animan – saxophone
  • Jack Hymers – keys

Former

  • Dave Reilly – drums; percussion (1981–1982)
  • Gazza Johnson – bass guitar (1983–1989, 1995)
  • Kevin Wilkinson – drums; percussion (1983–1989, 1995; died 1999)
  • Steve Levy – oboe, saxophone (1983-1984)
  • Walter Becker – synthesiser; percussion (1985; died 2017)
  • Brian McNeill – synthesisers; vocals (1985–1989, 1995)

Discography

  • Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain (1982)
  • Working with Fire and Steel – Possible Pop Songs Volume Two (1983)
  • Flaunt the Imperfection (1985)
  • What Price Paradise (1986)
  • Diary of a Hollow Horse (1989)
  • Warped by Success (1994)
  • Autumn in the Neighbourhood (2015)

References

  • Official website