When their drummer passed away suddenly in 2016, that seemed to be the end for Manchester’s much-loved musical underdogs.
Alongside The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets popularised the late ’80s/early ’90s Madchester feel-good vibe, going on to outlast many of their contemporaries.
Yet the unexpected and tragic death of Craig Gill, aged 44, shocked bandmates and fans alike – he had stuck with the group as they rose from indie dives to regular Top Of The Pops appearances. Now, though, the Inspirals have reformed, sounding better than ever and packing out venues across the country.
Calling in from north-west England ahead of festival slots and a handful of indoor shows, including Dunfermline, founding member and keyboardist Clint Boon says his band have been blown away by the support shown to his rejuvenated outfit.
Feeding off the crowd
“It’s far better than any of us expected, we’re feeding off the crowd,” he admits.
“Obviously you have an expectation, but we hadn’t played for seven and a half years – we had a lot of catching up to do.
“But, to be honest, the reception has been like nothing we’ve had before. It’s like the audiences thought we were finished and everyone’s elated that we’re back. Three months in, I’m buzzing and can’t wait for the next gig.”
Formed in Oldham, Greater Manchester, during the mid-’80s, Inspiral Carpets started out reviving the ’60s garage-rock sound via Clint’s distinctive wheezy organ.
Baggy scene
Swept up in the baggy scene, the group were originally seen as jokers in the genre’s pack, with their comical bowl-cuts and psychedelic cow logo, as seen on their once-controversial T-shirts.
Yet the group continued to put out a series of memorable tunes, from bleak kitchen-sink drama This Is How It Feels to the Kodachrome-tinged, nostalgic reverie of Saturn 5, regularly hitting the Top 40.
After Craig died, his bandmates called it a day, yet an offer to play this summer came at the right time for Clint, vocalist Stephen Holt and guitarist Graham Lambert – though, of course, they first gained approval from their former drummer’s family, the organist explains.
“Craig’s death knocked the wind out of us, none of us wanted to do it without him,” he says.
“But we stayed in touch and when we received the offer last July, I immediately just thought I was ready for it. I was getting goosebumps at the idea of coming out.
“From the first weekend when we agreed to it, we got straight on to Rose, Craig’s wife, and kept her up-to-date, which was emotional for us and his family.”
During this spring’s comeback tour, the group began encores with a video tribute to the pal previously their youngest member, while the current kit’s bass drumskin proudly features Craig’s name.
Paying tribute
“It’s been beautiful paying tribute to him that way,” Clint says. “It still feels like he’s here, we still hear his voice shouting from the back of the stage.”
Replacing Craig is Manchester scene veteran Kev Clark, known for providing beats for indie stalwarts Dub Sex and ChameleonsVox. On bass, as original member Martyn Walsh has stood down from touring, comes Clint’s 19-year-old son Oscar.
This has nothing to do with connections, his proud dad promises.
“He’s an amazing musician – Oscar didn’t just get the gig because he’s my son! He’s exceptional and now we have three-part harmonies for the first time – we’re like the Eagles!
“Having new blood has really rejuvenated the band. They’re both masters of their instruments – the rest of us are just a bunch of old punks.”
Fans old and new may dispute that slice of self-deprecation, judging from the response the Inspirals have received so far, Clint reveals.
“A lot of the original fans still come, but 50-60% have never seen us before. A lot of them are children of the older fans, so you see kids on the front row and mums and dads at the back or at the bar.
“That’s one of the surprises, because you do see a lot of heritage bands where the audience is still fat, balding, middle-aged blokes that should know better.”
Clint is especially looking forward to returning to Scotland, a nation that he believes has an affinity with Mancunian acts.
Good times
“We’ve always had good times up there, across Scotland,” he says. “You can understand Glasgow being very similar to Manchester, but when you get out to other parts, you’ve still got that same sort of love.”
Playing PJ Molloys and Edinburgh next week fills the band’s diary around weekend festival dates, before the group head Down Under, playing Australia for the first time in 30 years and making their debut appearances in New Zealand.
Clint, though, is thinking ahead and even planning to write new material, some commitment for a figure established these days as drivetime presenter on alternative music station XS Manchester.
Keep this going
“We’re thinking we should keep this going,” he says. “But if we release anything, it would have to be up there with Saturn 5.
“We can’t release singles just because we’ve written them. We’re on fire live, so the new tracks have to match that.
“It’s starting to feel like a full-time thing again and my thinking about that is bring it on.”
- Inspiral Carpets play PJ Molloys, Dunfermline, July 20. The Complete Singles is out now on Mute/BMG
