The youthful Stockholm Monsters came together in Burnage, south Manchester, in the summer of 1980, initially around the core of vocalist Tony France, bassist Jed Duffy and drummer Shan Hira. Their name representing a combination of Bowie's 'Scary Monsters' album and a pleasant-sounding Eurocity.

Then still in their teens, and with no settled guitarist, the band found it hard to find gigs and be noticed. After linking up with the Manchester Musicians Collective, the Monsters scored a few gigs at local venues such as the Cyprus Tavern, and struck lucky when supporting the Rezillos at Rafters. Both Rob Gretton and New Order bassist Peter Hook were in the audience, and decided that the outstanding song 'Fairy Tales' would make a good single for Factory Records. Hook in particular took the fledgling band under his wing, and would go on to produce almost all of their recordings, albeit disguising his identity behind the moniker 'Be Music'

By the time 'Fairy Tales' was recorded in the spring of 1981 the band had recruited Shan Hira's sister Lita on keyboards, and in January and February supported New Order at several early dates in the North of England. As well as the single the band also recorded three studio demos during their first year, although most of this material would not be heard by a wider public. The majority of these early tracks ('Catch Me In Confusion', 'We Are Nation', 'Copulation') were fairly raw, but several showed real promise, including 'Future' and 'James' (aka 'Systems Failing'). A show taped at Manchester venue Devilles in June 1981 clearly shows that by then the band was finding its musical feet.

'Fairy Tales' (Fac 41) eventually appeared some eleven months late in February 1982, and revealed a melancholic band with a liking for strident drums and simple but effecting melodies. Whether Martin Hannett's production brought out the best in the song is debatable, for the demo version from January 1981 released on the 'Last One Back' CD is arguably better. Certainly Hannett's tardiness in mixing the track was a major factor in the long delay, but the single drew deserved praise from the NME's Paul Morley and Mick Mercer of ZigZag, who compared Tony France's vocals to Peter Gabriel, and rose to the giddy heights of number 43 on the indie chart. Spotters should note that the handsome Mark Farrow sleeve came in two colours, green and purple.

Now joined by trumpet player Lindsay Anderson, in April 1982 the band supported New Order on a European tour which took in France, Belgium and Holland, and in August released a second single (Fac 58), coupling the busy 'Happy Ever After' with 'Soft Babies'. Produced by Peter Hook, a wintry video short was later made for the flipside, and included on the compilation 'A Factory Video' (Fact 56). During this period Jed Duffy left, to be replaced by Tony France's younger brother, Karl. In September the band performed at the Futurama IV festival at Deeside, where Melody Maker praised their 'big sound and big tunes' and Sounds condemned the group as 'Factory failures.' That same month the first press interview with the group appeared in indie scenesheet Masterbag, wherein writer Mick Paterson (later to manage A Certain Ratio) attempted to coax the nothern beasts from their lair.

"The various members of the Stockholm Monsters are scattered around the room amidst piles of books; their rehearsal room doubles as a stockroom for the bookshop below. The books provide an interesting distraction to certain members of the band, who take little or no part in the conversation. It is their first interview, not for the reason normally associated with the less communicative Factory bands, but surprisingly, because they have never been asked. The band are all acutely shy, and it's primarily Tony who does the talking. The others, feeling no need to explain their music, are more concerned with the search for elusive tobacco and matches.

Lindsay Anderson, the seventeen year old trumpet player who played bass on their recent recordings, remains rooted in her David Bowie biography, only lifting her head when teased by the others. She has only been part of the band since January and seems still to remain on the outside of the family groupings which make up the rest of the group... They have been playing together for two years, although they were friends beforehand. Friendship proved important in their search for a new bass player.

'"We only want someone who we know and like. That's how we and most bands - especially in Manchester - start. You don't start bands with strangers, but with your friends. It'll take a while to find the right person, people are hard to find. You think you know a person but it doesn't always work out that way."

Until they find the right person they are borrowing Paul Kershaw, a friend from the Delhi Polo Club, to fulfil their immediate commitments. The band also put their relationship with Factory on a friendly rather than business level .

'We don't get any pressure, we have no real deadlines, although they do like us to rehearse. Mind you, at times I don't think they have enough confidence in us. Maybe they're just a bit too cautious. But we get on with them, and that's what's important. Then again, we don't like the idea of people buying our records just because they're on Factory, like the stupid collectors who buy the same record in four different colour sleeves!".

They also seem slightly disillusioned with the business machinations involved in releasing their records, with their first single 'Fairy Tales' taking eleven months to hit the racks - and even then not in sufficient quantities to satisfy public demand. However, the Factory liaison did prove fruitful when they were looking for a producer. Although they do not publicise the fact, Peter Hook of New Order has been in charge of production on the majority of their recordings.

"We knew that by cashing in on his name we would probably sell a couple of thousand more records, but it's a Stockholm Monsters record, not Peter Hook's. Look at a recent review of '52nd Street' - all it mentioned was Donald Johnstone. Peter Hook is really good in the studio because he's learning like us, and experiments a lot, which we like. And if we don't like anything about it, we tell him and he stops it. We like working with him as he gives us more scope and more confidence. We have no plans to sack him".

This comment produces giggles from behind shaking books. The band are aware though of an inevitable comparison with New Order, but they shrug it off realistically.

"Anyone who lived through the Manchester scene a few years ago can't help but be aware of them. We don't think we are influenced by them, but you can't help it. We can't see the comparison - maybe others do, but we can't help what they think. As long as you try to be different and to put everything into it. It's as it happens - what comes naturally - and if you change that then it's false. If what comes naturally is shit, then you're stuck with shit. Tough."

The music of the Stockholm Monsters is as uncompromising as their naive cynicism, but they are aware of their inexperience and willing to persevere".

.Paterson also reviewed their show at Manchester Polytechnic in February 1983:

"The fairytale keyboards are offset by the severe vocal delivery, the excellent surging drums and the spasmodic trumpet blasts. In many ways I wondered what they were doing on stage as they all seem acutely embarrassed by such elevation, the two guitarists keep their backs to the audience whilst the girls take every opportunity to leave the stage. Yet there is an honesty reflected in the lyrics that is endearing and illuminating, and when they have overcome this stage-shyness they will reap the benefit of their Factory status and the crowd pull that ensures."

Following on from their earlier European tour with New Order, the band recorded a three-track 12" single for Factory Benelux (FBN 19), released in March 1983. 'Miss Moonlight', an evocative, organ-lead lament, may not have been an obvious single choice, but showed that the band were capable of stretching out, and came housed in a striking Mark Farrow sleeve. The track was reworked for possible inclusion on the Monsters' debut album a year later, but failed to make the final cut. A clip for The Longing, another track from the Benelux ep, appeared on the Factory Shorts video collection (Fact 137).

A debut album was due to be recorded shortly after the 'Miss Moonlight' session, but was postponed after Factory decided that the band were not yet ready. Lita Hira departed, and the remaining four members were joined by a new guitarist, John Rhodes. Karl France switched to bass, although in due course both Rhodes and France would play occasional keyboards onstage, and Tony France took up the guitar. In September 1983 the band played a show at the Midnight Express Club in sunny Bournemouth, which was written up by Andy and Cindy (no surnames given) for a local magazine called Coaster. The law of defamation demands some judicious editing of this splendid little article, but nonetheless it provides a candid snapshot of a somewhat insular band:

"Continuing the steady flow of Factory bands to the Midnight Express Club were the Stockholm Monsters, five scruffily- dressed individuals who looked more like a band of roadies than an actual band themselves. Despite their appearance, the Stockholm Monsters' music was intensely powerful, forced upon the audience with a manic sense of urgency and at a painfully stupendous volume. Their well-constructed songs were hurriedly performed, with Tony France's desperate lead vocals accompanied by the obligatory drums, guitars, keyboards (precariously mounted on a stack of milk crates) and a miniaturised horn section comprising a solitary trumpet.

The audience received the Monsters with a variety of diverse reactions. For some the music was just too loud, others stood and watched with abating interest, while a few 'punks' expressed their extreme appreciation by pogoing and smashing into each other and the surrounding members of the audience. All watched by Tony France with what appeared to be incredulous contempt.

After the performance had ended and the repeated request for an encore had been emphatically denied, we made the mistake of going backstage to chat with the band. To say that they were stand-offish would be a gross understatement. They seemed to be staunch representatives of that enigmatic clique of the music industry, the reluctant pop stars. They seemed almost as embarrassed as we were, constantly looking at each other and giggling childishly. Just as singer Tony France needed a bomb under him to get him moving onstage, he required the same prompting to be enthusiastic and obliging in conversation. From what we could gather from his patchy monologue, the band weren't really interested in making money, and didn't seem to be particularly bothered by their lack of fame, success or record company promotion.

We had even less of a response from the celebrity at the mixing desk that evening, Peter Hook, bassist with big shot chart biggie band New Order. He informed us that it was his day off (from being famous), and sat back and giggled with the rest of the Monsters.

These Factory funsters seemed to take a great delight in ridiculing everything in sight from us and Bournemouth ('a one horse town') to the audience, and even the Midnight Express...

It's a shame that a band with such a strong musical personality can come across as such time-wasting individuals when it comes to talking about their music. For instance, when questioned about the derivation of their name, Tony France's reply was 'We thought Stockholm was a nice country' (country?), and 'We wanted something that was opposite to Stockholm so we chose Monsters.' Oh yeah? Unfortunately, he was being serious. Our verdict: music - marvellous, personalities - monstrous!"

In January 1984 the band set about recording their debut album at Strawberry studio, with Peter Hook again in the producer's chair. Engineered by Mike Johnson and CJ, the sessions were mixed at Revolution in March and achieved a hard-hitting clarity absent from previous records, and which perfectly suited the robust but highly melodic material written by the group. Songs such as 'Five O'Clock' and 'Something's Got to Give' had been in the Monster's repertoire for some time, but it was the newer, more punchy songs that really impressed. Indeed the set contained at least three potential singles in 'Terror', 'Life's Two Faces' and 'Where I Belong', yet yielded only one - 'All At Once' - which was perversely left off the album. Backed with 'National Pastime', the effervescent 'All At Once' (Fac 107) drew deserved praise on release in June 1984. According to the NME:

"Dark, doomy, depressing... just a few of the qualities the Stockholm Monsters do not possess, further emphasising just how inaccurate most people's idea of Factory Records has become. The Stockholm Monsters always put me in mind of The Move before they discovered heavy metal, all regency horns and rushing drums. The indulgences that the sales of Blue Monday allowed Factory to make in tolerating their less successful acts are looking to have been worthwhile"

'Alma Mater' (translation = bounteous mother) was released as FACT 80 in August 1984, housed in a stylish sleeve by Trevor Johnson, eight copies of which form can be arranged to form a jigsaw. It is estimated to have sold perhaps 4000 copies worldwide. Although the NME's reviewer damned the album as 'close to the worst thing I've ever heard' (and the pressing quality left much to be desired), Dave Roberts of Sounds offered criticism of a more constructive kind:

"The Stockholm Monsters are fast becoming a very important cog in the Factory machinery. Developing an increasingly individual and varied sound, the Manchester monsters have recently put their horrifying hands to some nicely- terrifying tunes. Generally purveying simple, danceable rhythms with the bass drum holding down a driving disco beat, the music is made up by equally simple melodies, expressed by a keyboard-dominated sound, and delivered with some excellent vocals... It's a long way from Sweden, but once their horns are in riotous rein and the grinding guitars reach overdrive, the Stockholm Monsters will support the healthy fears of the Factory faithful"

.Melody Maker also praised the record. According to Julian Henry:

"Their first LP is a powerful record brought down only by the occasional lapse into the solemn (some might say dour) and bleak (some might say dreary) mumblings that are typical of their spiritual forefathers and label companions, New Order. Produced by Peter Hook, 'Alma Mater' is atmospheric, bass-heavy and geared to the group's highly melodic and dark poetic wanderings. Vocalist Anthony France is not the greatest singer in the world, but his voice does blend in well with the twinkling guitars and keyboards, though the tense edge that the group are capable of live is sometimes buried... As a debut album it stands up well, and promises good things for the future"

The title E.W. pays homage to Edgar Wallace, incidently. On August 15th the group played a London showcase with Section 25, as part of a string of well-attended Factory 'premieres' at Riverside Studios, which advertised the Monsters as 'raw power and fairgound melodies.' I was at the gig and left much impressed with the intensity of the band, although the material was still unfamiliar and their set all too brief. Biba Kopf hit the nail on the head in the NME:

"Sometimes clumsy in their rush to a song's end, Stockholm Monsters at the very minimum have developed the speed to avoid the world's weight crushing them... With Section 25, Stockholm Monsters have grown into the most alluring livebait dangled from Factory's unshaken faith in unhyped quality eventually finding takers since Joy Division. If this trend-soaked wet and spoilt consumerland continues to turn a blind eye to this lost generation, it will have truly proved itself a place unfit for heroes"

Following the release of 'Alma Mater', Lindsay Anderson left to go to college and was not replaced, leaving the band to soldier on as a quartet and hone a more rock-orientated sound. In an interview with a local Manchester paper that autumn, the band revealed something of their philosophy (and predicament) to Robert Graham:

"They gig more than any other Factory band (because they have to in order to survive) and when you meet them, they put you more in mind of The Fall's prole-art than New Order's student bop. They don't exactly seem like rock n' rollers, but claim to do a Buddy Holly song now and then...

Tony France: "Because we took three years preparing it, and we'd already put it off once, because we'd always thought it'd be the breakthrough - I'm not saying it's a letdown, but we all thought the album would have done better."

Andy Fisher (manager): "Everything we'd done before was like geared towards it. You'd been led to believe that doors are opened to you - certain gigs, travelling abroad. Everyone had led us to believe that once the album was out, those doors would open. They've not. It's like banging your head against a brick wall".

Shan Hira: "It's got reviewed alright, but it still doesn't seem to have helped it that much. We don't put out posters or whatever, so the only way we can advertise is by gigs"

Tony France: "Yeah, that's what you do when you put an LP out. Because there's so much money involved, and because your future's involved, you try to do as many interviews as possible. You try to get your picture in as many things as you can, you try and get your posters up in as many places as you can and things like that"

Robert Graham: "So to sum up, even though it's easier for a band with record company clout behind them, you still believe that the Factory strategy is right and good?"

Shan Hira: "We want to do it on the merit of the music, without doing interviews. We want the merit of the music, not the image, to do it. You've got to have faith in your music".

Tony France: "The way we work just fits in with Factory totally because we progress pretty slowly. If you do something at the wrong time, you know, if you go too fast, it just ruins it".

Shan Hira: "If you go to major label, you've got so long to do an LP or to do whatever. That doesn't happen with Factory. You can do it in your own time".

So, I came away from the Stockholm Monsters' rehearsal room feeling quite a lot of admiration for their faith in the Factory way. But I don't think for a moment that that way can work except once in a blue moon - which has already happened. Any band wanting to make a living in pop has to hawk their wares like buggery, like Arthur Daley. That's showbiz, and that's all, folks"

For their next single the group returned to Factory Benelux and released the provocative 'How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?' (FBN 46) in June 1985. Backed with 'Kan Kill', the excellent a-side managed to sound both haunting and violent, and deserved better than a lowly indie chart placing at 47. In fact the single appears to have been in part an inspired publicity stunt. Interviewed for the 'facfacts' news sheet in May 1986, manager Andy Fisher revealed something of the thinking behind the record:

"'How Corrupt Is Rough Trade?' was put out for a reason. Rough Trade are bastards. It's the little things that niggle you, and they niggle everybody at Factory. For instance, the other week I was looking at sales figures and it said 'Rough Trade sales figures: Stockholm Monsters - none', it said this for about two or three months, 'none', so I thought... is it in stock, or what? And it's not been in fuckin' stock, plus we had a problem with the inner sleeves for it. All we do is play somewhere and it sells, it sells consistently. It could easily sell forty a month... It put the shits up 'em for a bit when they first heard about it, but it could have been a lot more slanderous"

In truth this criticism was misplaced. The group released their records through Factory, not Rough Trade, and if RT were failing to press and distribute records in sufficient quantities, it should have been down to Factory to rectify the problem. And while Rough Trade Distribution could certainly be a supremely inefficient operation at times, the corruption charge is a little wide of the mark. Not that it mattered: Rough Trade declared themselves amused, and most of the declamatory lyrics were too muffled to comprehend easily.

In August 1985 the group played dates in Spain, but in September disaster struck when the band lost almost all their equipment in a theft from their Manchester rehearsal room. Although the kit was insured the claim was disputed, a dire state of affairs which left the band with little more than a drum kit. With the benefit of hindsight the ex-members agree that the theft knocked the stuffing out of the band, but at the time the Monsters struggled on as best they could with borrowed instruments. The following month the band travelled to Italy for a string of shows with the Durutti Column, and in November again travelled south to play a Factory showcase at the Hammersmith Clarendon in London, together with Section 25 and the then-unknown Happy Mondays (who failed to perform). According to Fidel Ghandi in the NME s:

"Stockholm Monsters are a riot and a half - such unruly gentlemen, such poise, such drunkenness. Four figures on a stage play sober whilst microwaving 'Alma Mater' - singer swaying from scream to whisper via croaks, grunts, burps and coughs. The others switch instruments at will, improvising variations on a forgotten theme. Yep, FUN - haphazard, out-of-control, undisciplined fun(k).

The arrival of the Mondays on the scene also hastened the demise of the band. Since 1981 the Monsters had very much been Tony Wilson's blue-eyed boys, in part due to a fairly hard, street image which saw them variously labelled as scallies and Perry Boys. By 1984 the band were showing real promise with 'Alma Mater', but the record was indifferently received by the press, and failed to sell. The Monsters never made it to the States, and found themselves overtaken by the Mondays, who quickly became press darlings and edged the Monsters from their slot at Palatine Road. Nor did it help that John Rhodes threw a punch at Wilson following a show at the Haçienda in December 1986.

In February the band played a brace of European dates in Paris and Lausanne, in April were the subject of possibly the briefest feature in the history of the NME, and in May played two poorly- promoted dates in Dublin. In June the Monsters performed their first hometown gig for two years at the Boardwalk, and in July supported The Smiths in Newcastle and Glasgow on the 'Queen is Dead' tour. It had been intended that the Boardwalk show would be filmed by Ikon for a live video, but sadly this never saw the light of day. Another stalled project from the same year was a musical, although neither show nor the mooted mini-album soundtrack materialised. Indeed almost two years would separate the Rough Trade single and the next Monsters record. 'Shake It to the Bank', recorded as a single, simply never appeared, proof positive that Factory had lost interest in the band.

:With motivation beginning to wane, the recording of the final 'Partyline' single took over a year. With the object of scoring a bona fide pop hit, this winning track was endlessly reworked at Cargo/Suite 16 (in which Shan Hira had become Hook's business partner), and in the process was transformed from a powerful Monsters classic into a slightly cluttered electronic concoction. On release in April 1987 as Fac 146 the record failed to break, and the appearance of an ep on the Italian label Materiali Sonori featuring much the same tracks just a month earlier caused no small degree of confusion. In another time and place, though, 'Partyline' should have been a hit, and to these ears matches anything by Pulp circa 1993-1994.

The release of Partyline was promoted with a couple of live shows in February 1987, including a support slot with New Order in Belfast and a superlative live rendition on Granada TV. A five- song studio demo was also recorded, with 'Stupid' and 'House is Not a Home' in particular showing that the band still had some of their best material ahead of them. However within a few months the band had effectively split, two years short of the Madchester explosion which propelled Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses onto Top of the Pops. Some have subsequently cited the Monsters as a pre-Mondays Mondays, but viewed in musical terms the comparison fails to survive close scrutiny. Instead, the organ-lead Inspiral Carpets provide a better parallel, beginning as an organ-lead frailty and ending as an accomplished rock act. The difference being that the Inspirals sold records, whereas the Monsters were the best part of a decade ahead of their time.

And they never did get to play Stockholm.

- James Nice

Where Are They Now?

Tony France (1980-1987) Unemployed and still living in Manchester.

Shan Hira (1980-1987) After leaving the band, Shan became the co-owner of Suite 16 Studios in Rochdale and it's resident engineer. His list of credits include producing and/or engineering The Fall, The Chameleons, The Reegs and Laugh. He is currently working as a live sound engineer on the current Chemical Brothers tour.

Jed Duffy (1980-1983) ?

Lita Hira (1981-1983) Still living in Manchester.

Lindsay Anderson (1982-1984) Left the band to concentrate full time on college studies.

Karl France (1982-1987) Still living in Manchester.

John Rhodes (1983-1987) Still living in Manchester.

Paul Kershaw (1983) Sadly, died following a heroin overdose .