Pop Will Eat Itself

Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band formed in 1986 in Stourbridge in the West Midlands of England with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a grebo act, they changed style to incorporate sample-driven indie and industrial rock. Graham Crabb describes their sound as "electronic, punk, alternative hip-hop, hybrid music for fucking, fighting & smoking cigars". Their highest-charting single was the 1993 top-ten hit "Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!". Members included Clint Mansell, Adam Mole, Chris Fradgley, Malcolm Treece and Miles Hunt (Treece and Hunt went on to form The Wonder Stuff). From Eden recruited Graham Crabb from 'Kit-Form Colossus' to replace Hunt on drums before splitting up.

Crabb, Mole and Mansell recruited Richard March and changed their band name to Wild and Wandering (known locally as Blind and Blundering because they always performed in an intoxicated state).

Chart success

The band achieved Top 40 hits with "Can U Dig It?" and "Wise Up! Sucker" from their album, This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This! The band was dropped from the label before the "Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!" single was released. It went on to peak at number 9 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's biggest hit and making the band at that time the highest charting act to appear on Top of the Pops without a record deal. In an attempt to recoup their investment, the label released a live album Live at Weird's Bar and Grill recorded in London in October 1992.

The band found some new popularity after signing with Trent Reznor's Nothing Records in the US, and touring with Nine Inch Nails, as well as having their songs used on the PlayStation game Loaded. In March 1995 the band released the Dos Dedos Mis Amigos remix album Two Fingers My Friends! which featured remixes by The Orb, Apollo 440 and Renegade Soundwave. Crabb left the band in 1995 - originally proposing to contribute in a non-touring capacity due to fatherhood - but the band replaced him with Kerry Hammond on guitar and backing vocals, with Mansell taking over full vocal duties. The band decided to split in May 1996 (with 12 songs recorded and mixed in a state of near completion), and toured the UK briefly in June 1996 with a final live show at Roskilde. At this point, their set contained several unreleased songs from the unfinished album. Two tracks from this period were released at the time, a cover version of Gary Numan's "Friends", released on the 1997 tribute album Random, and an instrumental track called "Zero Return" on a magazine sampler. In 2013, the songs from the unfinished album were assembled into a bonus disc with the reissue of "Dos Dedos Mis Amigos", comprising the 'unreleased 1996 album', now titled A Lick of the Old Cassette Box.

Disbanded: 1996

Crabb concentrated on his ambient side project Golden Claw Musics. After the rest of the band split in 1996, March and Townshend went on to form the big beat band Bentley Rhythm Ace. March still appeared at the show, and after the Vileevils set they played the planned PWEI songs, without Mansell.

Vileevils performed their final live date in December 2008 supporting Ned's Atomic Dustbin, before recording an unreleased album, which was cancelled prior to release in 2010. Some songs from this record were re-recorded for the 2011 Pop Will Eat Itself album New Noise Designed By A Sadist.

New PWEI: 2011–present

thumb|upright=1.2|The 2012 incarnation of Pop Will Eat Itself performing live in Birmingham. Left to right: Davey Bennett (bass), Jason Bowld (drums), Graham Crabb (vocals), Mary Byker (vocals)

In July 2011, a new line-up was announced, featuring Graham Crabb (as the only original member), fellow vocalist Mary Byker (Gaye Bykers on Acid, Apollo 440, Pigface), guitarist Tim Muddiman (Gary Numan), drummer Jason Bowld (Pitchshifter, Killing Joke) and bassist Davey Bennett (This Burning Age).

That October the album New Noise Designed by a Sadist was released on Cooking Vinyl, produced by Monti & Rob Holliday (Sulpher, The Prodigy) and was followed by a UK tour. The band further toured in March and December 2012.

The single "Disguise" was featured as Radio 6 Breakfast Show 'Single of the Week' and an instrumental "Back to Business" was used on Top Gear. Crabb & Byker also guested on Soccer AM. The band began working on a remix album to complement New Noise Designed by a Sadist, but this project was discontinued in favour of the Watch the Bitch Blow EP. They toured the UK in December 2013 as one third of a triple bill featuring The Wonder Stuff and Jesus Jones.

The Watch the Bitch Blow EP was released in March 2014, through PledgeMusic, and the "Reclaim the Game (Funk FIFA)" single featuring Brazilian rapper BNegão (Planet Hemp) followed in June 2014 for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, as a protest song against FIFA. The album Anti-Nasty League was planned for release in September–October, but was delayed to fit in with the band's live schedule in 2015. It was released exclusively and independently through the band's shop: shop.popwilleatitself.net in April 2015. A 9-date UK tour was undertaken in May. In May, the band signed a publishing administration deal with Bucks Music Group for the ANL album only.

thumb|upright=1.2|The band performing at the Thekla in Bristol in 2015

On 26 August 2016, PWEI headlined the opening day of Infest, with Fuzz Townshend rejoining on drums. Over the following years, they continued playing occasional concerts in the UK, with line-ups varying between shows to agree with the availability of the band members. In addition to Townshend, former band members Richard March and Adam Mole rejoined the band, resulting in a near original line-up by 2018.

Seven years after its original release, Anti-Nasty League was made available digitally on the band's official store and major music streaming and download services. Two months later, in June 2022, a new single, "The Poppies Strike Back", was released. A second, "Chihuahua", followed in September. It was the first new music to be released by the band since 2015's Anti-Nasty League aside from a 2018 box set compilation which included several unreleased remixes and a rough demo.

In 2025, following the release of the single "Bruiser" in May, a new album, Delete Everything, was announced, with a release date in October. The announcement also revealed some slight changes to the line-up, with March departing and Townshend being replaced by the band's touring drummer Cliff Hewitt. This new line-up embarked on an 18-date UK tour in support of the album.

Vestan Pance

All PWEI songs were credited to Vestan Pance, a play on "Vest and Pants". It was a pseudonym for the band as a whole. Although the songs were mainly Crabb or Mansell compositions, using a pseudonym was considered more interesting than just "All songs by Pop Will Eat Itself". When Townshend joined the band, an attempt to change the name to 'Vestan Pance and Socks' was denied by RCA.

Band members

Current

Graham Crabb – vocals, drums, keyboards, programming, guitar (1986–1995, 2005, 2010–present)
Adam Mole – guitars, keyboards, programming, piano (1986–1996, 2005, 2018–present)
Mary Byker – vocals, keyboards, programming (2010–present)
Davey Bennett – bass, guitars (2010–present)
Cliff Hewitt – drums (2022–present)

Former

Richard March – bass, guitars, keyboards, programming (1986–1996, 2005, 2017–2024)
Clint Mansell – vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards, programming, samples, turntables, drums (1986–1996, 2005)
John "Fuzz" Townshend – drums, keyboards, programming (1992–1996, 2005, 2016–2024)
Kerry "The Buzzard" Hammond – guitars, backing vocals (1995–1996)
Tim Muddiman – guitars, bass, keyboards (2010–2018)
Jason Bowld – drums (2010–2016)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;"

!rowspan="2" style="width:15px;"| Year

!rowspan="2" style="width:225px;"| Album details

!colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

!style="width:4em;font-size:85%"|UK

!style="width:4em;font-size:85%"|AUS

|1987

|Box Frenzy

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|-

|1989

|This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!

| style="text-align:center;"| 24

| style="text-align:center;"| 128

| style="text-align:center;"| 169

|1990

|Cure for Sanity

| style="text-align:center;"| 33

| style="text-align:center;"| 51

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|1992

|The Looks or the Lifestyle?

| style="text-align:center;"| 15

| style="text-align:center;"| 165

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|1994

|Dos Dedos Mis Amigos

| style="text-align:center;"| 11

| style="text-align:center;"| 132

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|2011

|New Noise Designed by a Sadist

| style="text-align:center;"| 187

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|2013

|A Lick of the Old Cassette Box (recorded 1996, previously unreleased)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|2015

|Anti-Nasty League

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|2025

|Delete Everything

| style="text-align:center;"| —

Live albums

Weird's Bar and Grill (Live) (1993) UK No. 44
The Radio 1 Sessions 1986-87 (1997)
Reformation: Nottingham Rock City 20.01.05 (2005)
Reformation: Birmingham Carling Academy 22.01.05 (2005)
Reformation: Birmingham Carling Academy 23.01.05 (2005)
Reformation: London Shepherds Bush Empire 24.01.05 (2005)
Reformation: London Shepherds Bush Empire 25.01.05 (2005)
On Patrol in the UK 2012 (2012)

Compilations

Now for a Feast! (1988)
16 Different Flavours of Hell (Best of) (1993) UK No. 73
Wise Up Suckers (BMG best of) (1996)
PWEI Product 1986-1994 (Anthology) (2002)
The Best Of (2008)
Def Comms 86-18 (2018)

Remix albums

Two Fingers My Friends! (1995) UK No. 25, AUS No. 118
Reclaim the Game (Funk FIFA) (2014)

EPs

2000 Light Ales from Home (1986) under the name 'Wild and Wandering'
The Poppies Say GRRrrr! (1986)
Poppiecock (1986)
Very Metal Noise Pollution (1989) UK No. 45, AUS No. 121

|rowspan="3"| 1987

| "Sweet Sweet Pie"

| style="text-align:center;"| 100

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2"| Now for a Feast!

| "Love Missile F1-11"

| style="text-align:center;"| 78

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "Beaver Patrol"

| style="text-align:center;"| 76

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2"| Box Frenzy

|rowspan="2"| 1988

| "There Is No Love Between Us Anymore"

| style="text-align:center;"| 66

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "Def. Con. One"

| style="text-align:center;"| 63

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 30

|rowspan="3"| This Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This!

|rowspan="2"| 1989

| "Can U Dig It?"

| style="text-align:center;"| 38

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "Wise Up! Sucker"

| style="text-align:center;"| 41

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2"| 1990

| "Touched by the Hand of Cicciolina"

| style="text-align:center;"| 28

| style="text-align:center;"| 172

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="5"| Cure for Sanity

| "Dance of the Mad Bastards"

| style="text-align:center;"| 32

| style="text-align:center;"| 159

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="3"| 1991

| "X Y & Zee"

| style="text-align:center;"| 15

| style="text-align:center;"| 88

| style="text-align:center;"| 11

| "92 Degrees"

| style="text-align:center;"| 23

| style="text-align:center;"| 187

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "Another Man's Rhubarb"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2"| 1992

| "Karmadrome" / "Eat Me Drink Me Love Me"

| style="text-align:center;"| 17

| style="text-align:center;"| 121

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="3"| The Looks or the Lifestyle?

| "Bulletproof!"

| style="text-align:center;"| 24

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2"| 1993

| "Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!"

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "R.S.V.P." / "Familus Horribilus"

| style="text-align:center;"| 27

| style="text-align:center;"| 129

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="3"| Dos Dedos Mis Amigos

|rowspan="2"| 1994

| "Ich Bin Ein Auslander"

| style="text-align:center;"| 28

| style="text-align:center;"| 151

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| "Everything's Cool"

| style="text-align:center;"| 23

| style="text-align:center;"| 97

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|2010

| "Axe of Men 2010"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| Non-album single

|2011

| "Chaos & Mayhem"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2"| New Noise Designed by a Sadist

|2012

| "Disguise"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2"| 2014

| "Watch the Bitch Blow"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|Watch the Bitch Blow EP

| "Reclaim the Game (Funk FIFA)" featuring BNegão

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|Non-album single

|2015

| "Digital Meltdown"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|Anti-Nasty League

|rowspan="2"| 2022

| "The Poppies Strike Back"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="2" | Non-album singles

| "Chihuaua"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="4"| 2025

|"Bruiser"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|rowspan="4" | Delete Everything

|"Disco Misfits"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|"Their Law (Ain't Our Law)"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

|"Built For Fun"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

Video releases

Unspoilt by Progress VHS (1991)
Reformation: Birmingham Carling Academy 23.01.05 DVD (2005)

Music videos

"Sweet Sweet Pie" (1987)
"Love Missile F1-11" (1987)
"Beaver Patrol" (1987)
"There Is No Love Between Us Anymore" (1988)
"Def.Con.One" (1989)
"Can U Dig It?" (1989)
"Wise Up! Sucker" (1989)
"Touched by the Hand of Cicciolina" (1990)
"X Y & Zee" (1990)
"92°F" (1991)
"Karmadrome" (1992)
"Bulletproof!" (1992)
"Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!" (1993)
"R.S.V.P." (1993)
"Ich Bin Ein Auslander" (1994)
"Everything's Cool" (1994)
"Chaos & Mayhem" (2011)
"Oldskool Cool" (2011)
"Disguise" (2012)
"Watch the Bitch Blow" (2014)
"Babylon RIP" (2014)
"Reclaim the Game (Funk FIFA)" (2014)
"Hollow" (2014)
"Chaos & Mayhem (Southern Belle Remix)" (2014)
"21st Century English Civil War" (2015)
"Angry Man's Deathbed" (2015)
"Their Law (Ain't Our Law)" (2025)
"Built For Fun" (2025)

References

External links

The Designers Republic