Retrospect - Memories of Mansun

 Mansun were a Chester-based indie band primarily made up of Paul Draper (vocals/guitar), Dominic Chad (lead guitar), Stove King (bass) and Andre Rathbone (drums).  The group were formed in 1995 following a two-year period of Draper and King having the idea to start a band after listening to different music and rehearsing together.  

This led to the self-financing of recording studio session where they would cut their first single "Take It Easy Chicken", as well supporting a who's who of British alternative acts live such as Cast, Audioweb, The Charlatans and Shed Seven.

Their journey would lead them to signing with renowned label Parlophone, famously home to The Beatles and later adopting, among others, The Pet Shop Boys, Roxette, Duran Duran and Blur on their roster.  

In 1997, their first album 'Attack Of The Grey Lantern' went to No.1 in the UK album charts, with their follow-up LPs 'Six' (1998) and 'Little Kix' (2000) providing a platform for their progressive-rock style somewhat reminiscent of Pink Floyd.  Their singles would take the form of chronologically numbered EPs, each covering all formats and showcasing a variety of B-sides with each release.

I became a fan of Mansun's during the 'Six' era, falling for the marketing and packaging of their output first before digesting the brilliance of their music.  The CD formats of their singles came in two-parters, sometimes with the radio edit on disc one and the album version on disc two. 

The colourful sleeve artwork tended to reflect the mood represented by the A-side.  With at least one of the discs distributed in a 'digipak' case usually came a free poster. Given each CD was going for a maximum £1.99 up at the old Spin-A-Disc store on East Belfast's Woodstock Road, I was sold.

'Six' was styled as a prog-rock concept album, with the standout track and lead single being "Legacy" - a soulful indie ballad that lyrically assessed fame as a pop star, poetically incorporating the motif "Nobody cares when you're gone" as a consequence of the industry. 

The song peaked at No.7 in the UK singles charts and was boosted by a limited edition 7" single where the vinyl was coloured red.  The accompanying music video to the tune saw the entire 'cast' in a likely symbolic puppet form, portraying the band's apparent highs and lows in the music business.

"Legacy" would be their highest success in the singles charts, with 2000's "I Can Only Disappoint U" coming in just behind at No.8.  Subsequent hits "Being A Girl (Part 1)" and "Negative" showed drives of indie new wave, yet only stalled at No.16 and No.27 respectively as '98 continued. 

"...Girl" clocked in at the two-minute mark - a possible Parlophone call to mirror Blur's "Song 2" from the year before - and finding regular video airplay on MTV.  "Negative" meanwhile got the band a spot on Channel 4's TFI Friday and was named BBC Radio 1's record of the week prior to charting but would subsequently become all but forgotten.

The LP's title track was re-recorded for single release and hit shops in February 1999, at the same time as Blondie's comeback hit "Maria".  Despite also earning praise from Radio 1, the track peaked at No.16 with a textbook performance on Top Of The Pops broadcast the following week.  Thus the 'Six' era was over.

After releasing 'Little Kix' in 2000, Mansun would finally split three years later.  Their final album 'Kleptomania' (2004) came out after the band parted ways, with various posthomous compilations following.  Frontman Paul Draper laid low for a long time from the music scene, returning to high-profile in the mid 2010s.  His UK tour in early 2018, including a show in Glasgow, shows he still has it and that the Mansun back catalogue still strikes a chord.