Inspiral Carpets

Inspiral Carpets are an English band from Oldham, in the United Kingdom. They form in 1989 and are associated with madchester, britpop, indie pop, indie rock, neo-psychedelia and post-punk. The group is linked to the Manchester indie scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s, alongside The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays.

Formation and early line-up

The band begins with vocalist Stephen Holt and guitarist Graham Lambert. An early uncredited bassist, Glenn Chesworth, is part of the group for a short period. Martyn Walsh and drummer Craig Gill join in 1984, and later keyboardist Clint Boon becomes part of the line-up, helping to shape the band’s sound with keyboards alongside Lambert’s guitars. The band name comes from an Inspiral Carpets tour poster that includes the venue Swindon Oasis, and the name also relates to a rug shop in Shaw.

Line-up changes

After a couple of singles on a local independent label, Holt leaves and Tom Hingley replaces him as vocalist. The classic line-up is made up of Craig Gill, Graham Lambert, Clint Boon, Tom Hingley and Martyn Walsh. Other members listed with the group are David Swift and Stephen Holt.

Career highlights

Inspiral Carpets are discovered by Radio 1 DJ John Peel and go on to achieve their biggest UK chart success with This Is How It Feels, a song about loneliness and unemployment. They also rework Find Out Why as the theme tune for the children’s television programme The 8:15 From Manchester, and I Want You is used in an advert for Sony in-car entertainment systems.

Later activity

After their fourth studio album, Devil Hopping, the band records darker-sounding demos in 1995, but Mute Records rejects them. An amicable split follows. They reform in 2003 for a tour and a new compilation, then play intermittently over the following years. When Hingley can no longer commit fully, Stephen Holt rejoins in March 2011.

Other associations

One of the band’s roadies is Noel Gallagher, who later finds success with Oasis. The group also becomes known for its “Cool as Fuck” T-shirts featuring a squiggly-eyed cow, and a student at Oxford Polytechnic is prosecuted on obscenity charges for wearing one.