Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

The Royal Family and the Poor

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Years active
  
1978 (1978)–present

Members
  
Mike Keane

The Royal Family and the Poor wwwltmrecordingscomimagesboucd6608jpg

Past members
  
Arthur McDonald Nathan McGough Ambrose Reynolds Jeff Turner Karen Halewood John Walsh Phil Hurst Kif Simon Crab Andy Frizell Merlin Shepherd

Origin
  
Liverpool, United Kingdom (1978)

Albums
  
The Project Phase 1 - The Temple Of The 13th Tribe

Genres
  
Post-punk, New wave, Electronica

Record labels
  
Factory Records, LTM Recordings

Similar
  
Kalima, Shark Vegas, Stockholm Monsters, Quando Quango, 52nd Street

Restrained in a moment i love you the royal family and the poor


The Royal Family and the Poor are a band from Liverpool, England, centred on multi-instrumentalist Mike Keane. After recording two singles and two albums for Factory Records in the 1980s, they continued to release music into the 21st century.

Contents

Royal family and the poor art on 45


History

The band was formed in 1978 by Keane, who played guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer, piano, and percussion, and also programmed drum machines. The band also included members of Liverpool's Situationist Youth Collective, including Nathan McGough and art graduate Arthur McDonald. In his book Shadowplayers, James Nice describes the band as "less of a group than a pseudo-Situationist provocation". Initially the band's music consisted of McDonald's situationist lyrics over Keane's synthesizer played through a record player. A crudely recorded demo tape recorded in 1979 resulted in Tony Wilson picking them up for his Factory label. It was Wilson who gave the band their name, taken from Fred and Judy Vermorel's book Sex Pistols, the Inside Story. Their first release was the album A Factory Quartet, a double-album shared with The Durutti Column, Kevin Hewick, and Blurt. Released in December 1980, it featured six tracks by the band. Their debut single, "Art on 45", the last record produced for Factory by Martin Hannett, was released in February 1982.

McGough left to join The Pale Fountains, later becoming the manager of Happy Mondays. The band's original lineup disbanded, Keane touring in support of China Crisis under the name The Legend Agency, playing over backing tapes. He recorded tracks intended for released as The Legend Agency with Matt Johnson, but they were not released. Keane struggled with heroin addiction, and took a break from music, walking what he described as a "pilgrimage" on the Pilgrim's Way to Canterbury. He returned to record for Factory in 1983, on what would be released the following year as the occult-themed album The Project Phase 1 – The Temple of the 13th Tribe, produced by Peter Hook and featuring Lita Hara of Stockholm Monsters and Jon Neesam (of Walkingseeds). A second album, The Project – Phase 2 – We Love the Moon, was released in 1986, accompanied by a single, "We Love the Moon". The band then moved to Keane's own Gaia Communications label, continuing their occult-themed and more electronic-oriented music on several further albums, including In the Sea of E (1987), Songs for the Children of Baphomet (2001), and North-West Soul (2004), with Keane the only constant member. In 2010 McDonald re-emerged to self-release an album titled The Pope's Daughter, though Keane was not involved.

Other members at various times included bassist Ambrose Reynolds (who had previously played in Liverpool bands such as Big in Japan, Hollycaust, Nightmares in Wax, and Walkie Talkies, and was also a member of Pink Industry), Jeff Turner (saxophone, clarinet, guitar, violin), Karen Halewood (synthesizer, vocals), John Walsh (bass guitar), Phil Hurst (drums), and Kif (drums).

Albums

  • The Project Phase 1 – The Temple of the 13th Tribe (1984), Factory
  • The Project – Phase 2 – We Love the Moon (1986), Factory
  • Live 1983–1985 (1986), Recloose
  • The Genetic Terrorists (1986), Gaia
  • In the Sea of E (1987), Gaia
  • Songs for the Children of Baphomet (2001), Gaia
  • The Project Phase 5 – Portuguese Radio Show – October 1988 (2003), Boutique/LTM
  • North-West Soul (2004), Boutique/LTM
  • The Pope's Daughter (2010), Gothic Moon
  • Compilations
  • Anthology 1978 – 2001 (2001), Gaia
  • Singles

  • "Art on 45" (1982), Factory
  • "We Love the Moon" (1986), Factory
  • "Restrained in a Momemt" (1988), Gaia
  • Other

  • A Factory Quartet (1980), Factory – double LP featuring a side each from four artists, included three tracks titled "Dirge" plus "Vaneigem Mix", "Death Factory", and "Rackets"
  • Songs

    Song Of BabalonSongs For The Children Of Baphomet · 2008
    Hymn To KaliSongs For The Children Of Baphomet · 2008
    When The Shadow FallsSongs For The Children Of Baphomet · 2008

    References

    The Royal Family and the Poor Wikipedia