World Party

World Party is a London-based alternative rock group formed in 1986 around Karl Wallinger, the former keyboard player with the Waterboys. The line-up includes Wallinger, David Catlin-Birch, Amanda Kramer and Jeff Trott. The group’s music sits across alternative rock, dance-rock, indie rock and pop rock, and is closely associated with Wallinger’s songwriting and studio work.

Origins and background

Wallinger is born in Prestatyn, Wales, and grows up in North Wales listening to 1960s pop, including the Supremes, the Spencer Davis Group and Merseybeat. His first musical experience comes in 1976 with Quasimodo, a band that later becomes the Alarm. He later moves to London and works as a clerk for ATV/Northern Songs, whose catalogue includes the Beatles’ songs. He returns to performance in his spare time and becomes musical director of The Rocky Horror Show in the West End. A short period with the funk group the Out overlaps with his time connected to the Waterboys, before he leaves amicably and begins a solo career that includes signing to Prince’s management and helping Sinéad O’Connor on Lion and the Cobra.

Albums and key recordings

Wallinger records the first two World Party albums, Private Revolution and Goodbye Jumbo, largely on his own. Private Revolution reaches the US Top 40, and its single “Ship of Fools” enters the US Top 30. Goodbye Jumbo draws on environmental themes and Beatles-influenced writing, and “Message in the Box” becomes his first UK Top 40 hit. The album Bang! follows in 1993, reaching number 2 on the UK album chart and featuring Wallinger’s only UK Top 20 single, “Is It Like Today”.

Later work and collaborators

On Bang!, Wallinger is joined by Chris Sharrock on drums and Dave Catlin-Birch on guitars and keyboards. The 1997 album Egyptology continues his Beatles-influenced approach and includes “She’s the One” and “Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb”. “She’s the One” later becomes a UK number one single when Robbie Williams records it; Williams’ songwriting partner Guy Chambers is also at one time a member of World Party. The 2000 album Dumbing Up is more varied in style and reflects influences including ELO, Bob Dylan and Rare Bird, alongside further Beatles references.