New Fast Automatic Daffodils

History

The band was formed in 1988 by former members of the punk rock group Pariah. Dolan Hewison, Justin Crawford, Perry Saunders and Icarus Wilson-Wright were former students at Manchester Polytechnic, while Andy Spearpoint attended drama school. The name comes from a poem by Adrian Henri that mixed an advertisement for a yellow Dutch car with a Wordsworth poem. Often associated with the 'Madchester' scene of the late 1980s, but never really part of that scene, the band's debut single, "Lions" was released in 1989 on Playtime records (then home to Inspiral Carpets), followed the same year by the Music Is Shit EP. In 1990, 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.

In March 1991, the British music magazine, NME, reported that the band were appearing at the 'Great Indie Festival - A Midsummer's Day Dream' at Milton Keynes Bowl in June that year. Also on the bill were 808 State, Gary Clail, Shades of Rhythm, The Shamen, Paris Angels plus Flowered Up. Further singles followed in 1991 and 1992, with second album Body Exit Mind issued in October 1992 (reaching No. 57 in the UK). 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 was reported in 2004 to be working as a freelance music teacher. Dolan Hewison is Director of the Greater Manchester Music Action Zone. Icarus Wilson-Wright worked with Basement Jaxx. Justin Crawford is one part of DJ duo Unabombers and has also recorded solo, under the name Only Child.

Singles

1. Lions
2. Fate Don't Fail Me Now
3. Your Dreams My Nightmares

1. Beam Me Up
2. A Man Without Qualities
3. Music Is Shit parts 1-3

1. Big 6:13
2. Big (Baka) 6:30
3. Big (Instrumental) 6:32

1. Fishes Eyes 6:46
2. Fishes Eyes (Underwater) 5:19
3. White 3:51

1. Get Better 4:30
2. Pigeonhole (Edit) 4:52
3. I Found Myself in Another Room 3:52
4. Get Better (Version 1) 4:29

1. All Over My Face 3:53
2. All Over My Face (Split Decision) 5:20
3. All Over My Face (Off the Road) 4:56
4. Why The Hard Man Fail 4:42

1. Big (Edit) 4:12
2. Big (Baka) 6:30
3. Get Better 4:30
4. Get Better (Extended) 6:30
5. White 3:50

1. It's Not What You Know 4:07
2. Head On 3:28
3. Beatlemania 4:50
4. Beautiful 4:40

cd tracks:

1. Stockholm 5:10
2. Stockholm (Edit) 4:12
3. Cannes 4:25

10" tracks:

1. Stockholm (Demo Version)
2. It's Not What You Know (Demo Version)
3. Hexagon Spring

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

1. Life Is An Accident 3:02
2. Every Once In A While (Fuzzy Logic) 6:04
3. Aches And Pains 3:50

1. Life Is An Accident 3:02
2. PSV (VPL) 7:55
3. Mad Pop 3:03

1. These Foolish Things 4:31
2. Every Once In A While 4:15

Albums

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'

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

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

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