The genesis of Crispy Ambulance, one of the more obscure Factory
Records-related bands of the Manchester post-punk scene of the
late-1970s and early-1980s, can be traced back to The Sex
Pistols' first Manchester gig in June, 1976, which Crispy Ambulance
vocalist Alan Hempsall later described as having taken place "in front
of an audience of about 40, made up mainly of Bowie clones and hippies."
While The Sex Pistols left a lasting impression on Hempsall and
guitarist Robert Davenport, it was only after seeing Howard Devoto's
first gig fronting his new post-Buzzcocks band, Magazine, that these
lifelong friends felt compelled to start their own band; thus Crispy
Ambulance was born. The name itself has garnered a fair share of
ridicule over the years, even being cited on occasion as the chief
reason they were fated to languish in relative obscurity, rather than
becoming heirs to Joy Division's lofty post-punk mantle following the
suicide of Ian Curtis. As Hempsall explains, "People asked about the
name and how it originated every time we did an interview. The answer
is, I'm afraid, quite a boring one. It is simply that a close friend
[...] thought it up. He has a way with words, and I thought it was such a
nondescript name (silly too) that we decided on it. Also, at the time
every other band was called 'the...' (fill in blank space) whereas our
name gave nothing away with regard to image, musical style etc., but at
the time captured the imagination."
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| Original Cover of First Single |
After adding bassist Keith Darbyshire and drummer Gary Madeley in 1978,
Crispy Ambulance began playing regular gigs throughout the Manchester
area, eventually catching the attention of the band they would later be
unjustly accused of imitating. Hempsall: "Joy Division stumbled upon us in July
1978 at a gig we played in Manchester, and they liked our approach, even
if the material was a little weak- to say the least. They dragged Rob
Gretton, their new manager, down to see us some months later, and as a
result we did a gig with them at The Factory around the time that Unknown Pleasures was released." Despite such connections, the band's first single, "From the Cradle to the Grave / Four Minutes from the Frontline,"
was turned down by several local independent labels, so Crispy
Ambulance decided to release the single on their own makeshift imprint:
Aural Assault. Hempsall: "The idea for Aural Assault came from the
fact that we'd already tried Rough Trade and Factory and they'd turned
us down, but Rough Trade gave us loads of info and addresses for a
do-it-yourself single, which Rob Gretton encouraged us to do. So I came
up with the bank loan and the name." Crispy Ambulance would eventually
be signed by Factory, but only after the tragic death of Ian Curtis in
May, 1980, which lead to the demise of Joy Division and their manager,
Rob Gretton, joining Factory Records as shareholder and an A&R man.
His first priority was signing Crispy Ambulance despite the protests of
the label's co-founder, Tony Wilson, who never liked the band.
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| Martin Hannett |
However, "The Crispies" much anticipated move to the Factory roster was
both a blessing and a curse. On the back of a few initial singles that
had garnered the band a number of critical reviews accusing them of
being little more than Joy Division wannabes, Hempsall, Davenport &
co. went into the studio with producer Martin Hannett, already a Factory
legend due to his significant role in shaping the sound of Joy
Division's studio recordings. The result of this collaboration was the
confusingly titled single, Live on a Hot August Night, which did not win Crispy Ambulance any additional supporters at their label. Hempsall: "Hot August Night was
the first time we actually went into the studio as a Factory band. As a
matter of course Hannett was used as he was The Factory producer [....]
Tony craftily got us off his back by depositing us on Factory Benelux,
which we didn't object to because Tony was only making things difficult
for us whilst on Factory, whereas Michel Duval, boss of Factory's
Belgian counterpart, genuinely liked us, and had an enthusiasm for the
records almost as strong as our own."
Live on a Hot August Night (a decidedly un-Joy Division-like
title) was roundly dismissed at the time as little more than a product of Hannett
once again taking on the role of production- booth auteur, this time
attempting to turn a group of nondescript Manchester post-punkers into
the second coming of Joy Division. For example, Melody Maker had
this to say about the single's a-side, "The Presence": The best and
worst of Martin Hannett and, as usual, you can forget the band. 'The
Presence' illustrates his genius for that eerie, evocative
snare-obsessed sound, cleverly maintaining interest in another Curtis
clone crooning another doomy dodo of a tune." And NME chimed in
with, "After the power and the passion that was Joy Division, imitators
like Crispy Ambulance just sound listless and unoriginal." While it is
obvious Hannett saw the Crispies as mining similar sonic territory to
Joy Division, the single itself suggests a sonically restless band
largely uninterested in remaining in any particular place very long, a
trait that would fully take hold the following year on their brilliantly
innovative full-length, The Plateau Phase.
Listening to "The Presence" thirty years after the fact, it's hard not
to describe the song as a long lost post-punk gem, undoubtedly
reminiscent of Ian Curtis & co., but moving in a number of
additional sonic directions at once, such as the ironically boyish charm
of Hempsall's vocals repeating the mantra-like lyric, "there's no sense
in trying / it changes nothing," and the languid, uniquely proggy
atmosphere that sets it apart from their more famous label-mates. It
stands as one of the Crispies', and Hannett's, finest moments.
