Intastella | |
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Also known as | Laugh |
Origin | Manchester, England |
Genres | Alternative rock |
Years active | 1985 – late 1980s (as Laugh) 1990 – 1997 (as Intastella) |
Labels | Remorse, Sub Aqua, MCA, Planet-3 |
Past members | |
Martin Wright Ian Bendelow (Laugh) Martin Mittler Spencer Birtwistle Stella Grundy (Intastella) Lil' Anthony (Intastella) |
Intastella were an alternative rock band from Manchester who evolved from the earlier band Laugh. They had four top-75 hits in the UK during the 1990s.
Contents |
Laugh formed in 1985 with a line-up of Martin Wright (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ian Bendelow (guitar), Martin Mittler (bass guitar), and Spencer Birtwistle (drums, later a member of The Fall).[1] Their debut release was "Take Your Time Yeah!", a flexi-disc included with Debris magazine in December 1985, with three further singles following prior to their only album, Sensation No. 1 (1988).[1] The band had two placings on the UK Independent Chart with "Paul McCartney" (which featured Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon)[2] (#44) and "Time to Lose It" (#19), and recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show.[3][4]
In 1990 the band parted ways with guitarist Bendelow and discovered singer Stella Grundy and dancer Lil' Anthony, changing their sound to a more dance-oriented style and changing their name to Intastella.[1] They signed to MCA Records and hit the lower reaches of the UK Singles Chart with their first release, "Dream Some Paradise".[1] Two follow-up singles fared similarly, and in late 1991 the band's debut album, Intastella and the Family of People was issued.[1] The band's momentum was lost after Grundy broke her arm in a motorcycle accident, and they were dropped by MCA, returning in 1993 on the Planet-3 label with the Drifter EP, on which they worked with Shaun Ryder.[1] The band's biggest hit came in 1995, with "The Night" reaching #60 in the UK, preceding their second album, What You Gonna Do.[1] Further singles followed during 1996 and 1997 but none repeated their earlier success. One of these, "Grandmaster", was used on the soundtrack of the 1997 film Love in Paris. A final album, Nuphonia, was released in 1997.
Grundy later emerged with a new band, Stella & the Doggs.