Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Bio

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (commonly referred to simply as "The Lorries") is a post-punk band formed by guitarist/songwriter Chris Reed and vocalist Mark Sweeney, along with bassist Steve Smith and drummer Mick Brown (who would later join The Mission). Sweeney left the band in late 1981 and Reed permanently took over as vocalist, with Martin Fagan joining as a second guitarist. The group's sound, featuring a numbing guitar drone, powerfully throbbing drums, and Reed's cavernous vocal tones, caused the Lorries (as their fans came to call them) to be quickly lumped into the then-developing gothic rock scene by pop journalists, although the band themselves preferred to cite Killing Joke and Wire as influences. The use of a drum machine seems to have been a determining feature of bands coming out of Leeds, England (the Sisters of Mercy and The Three Johns are other examples). In 1982, independent record label Red Rhino signed the band based on the strength of some of the group's demos. Their first single "Beating My Head" made a strong appearance on the influential New Musical Express (NME) independent record chart. Fagan and Smith soon departed the band, to be replaced by Dave Wolfenden and Paul Southern respectively. In 1983 and 1984, several more singles would be released by the band (including "He's Read" and "Monkeys On Juice"). In 1985, the band's debut album, Talk About The Weather, was released and reached #1 on the NME indie rock chart. The album received generally positive reviews and sold extremely well for a small label offering. The single "Hollow Eyes" obtained good sales as well, as did follow-up non-LP singles "Chance" and "Spinning Round", the latter of which is generally felt to be the Lorries's strongest song. The band released one more album on Red Rhino (Paint Your Wagon) in 1986, a single ("Cut Down") and a four track EP ("Crawling Mantra", released as by The Lorries), before signing to Situation Two, an off-shoot of major label Beggars Banquet Records. Two albums followed, 1988's Nothing Wrong and 1989's Blow. These albums proved to be a slight change in direction for the band. The songs here were a little slower, with stronger, more conventional melodies sweetened by occasional female backing vocals. Reed's lyrics were less downbeat, almost optimistic. Overall, Blow is a warmer album than the band's previous, somewhat dour offerings; the Lorries pretty much left their specious gothic rock trappings behind for good. Neither one of the Beggars Banquet albums appeared on any mainstream pop charts. Singles, including "Only Dreaming (Wide Awake)" and "Open Up" (which upon its release was chosen by NME as the magazine’s Single of the Week), also failed to chart, and the band was subsequently dropped by the label. In 1991, the band released Blasting Off on the tiny Sparkhead label. Despite the relative strength of the song "Talking Back" (released as a single prior to the LP), the album was considered a major disappointment by fans and sold poorly. Reed broke up what was left of the band at that point. In 2004, Reed revived the band and released four new songs on their website and then toured Europe and a DVD, "Thunder in the Black Cave" soon followed. The band recently announced they will tour again in 2009. . User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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The Danse Society, The March Violets, Alien Sex Fiend, Flesh For Lulu, Specimen

Genres

post-punk,uk,indie rock,indie,alternative,gothic rock,england,leeds,rock and indie,dark wave,uk post-punk,deathrock,darkwave,cold wave,new wave,

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Infos

On Tour: No

country: GB

City: 1981

Begin Date: 1981

Last Update:

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Videography

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Walking On Your Hands (Official Video)

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Walking On Your Hands (Official Video)

Mar/2026

RED LORRY YELLOW LORRY ~ Nothing Wrong (music video)

RED LORRY YELLOW LORRY ~ Nothing Wrong (music video)

Mar/2026

Artist discography

by

Last FM

Black Tracks

Jan/2004

The Very Best of

The Very Best of

Jan/2000

Smashed Hits: The Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Smashed Hits: The Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Jan/1995

The Best Of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry • Smashed Hits

The Best Of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry • Smashed Hits

Jan/1995

The Singles 1982-87

The Singles 1982-87

Jan/1994

Generation: The Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Generation: The Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Jan/1994

Generation - The Best Of

Generation - The Best Of

Jan/1994

Dark Truck Live Gear

Dark Truck Live Gear

Jan/1992

Albums and Singles 1982-1989

Albums and Singles 1982-1989

Feb/2017

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Aug/2015

See The Fire (Albums, Singles And BBC Recordings 1982-1987)

See The Fire (Albums, Singles And BBC Recordings 1982-1987)

Nov/2014

Talk About the Weather (Bonus Tracks)

Talk About the Weather (Bonus Tracks)

Sep/2005

Nothing Wrong / Blow

Nothing Wrong / Blow

Nov/2001

The Very Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

The Very Best of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

Dec/1999

Talk About The Weather/Paint Your Wagon

Talk About The Weather/Paint Your Wagon

Dec/1993

The Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Singles Collection 1982-87

The Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Singles Collection 1982-87

Dec/1993

Blasting Off

Oct/1991

Talking Back

Oct/1991

Blow

Blow

Sep/1989

Temptation

Aug/1989

Talk About the Weather / Paint Your Wagon

Talk About the Weather / Paint Your Wagon

Mar/2022

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry: The Singles (1982-87)

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry: The Singles (1982-87)

Oct/2021

Generate - Live: Batschkapp, Frankfurt, 23.01.1992

Generate - Live: Batschkapp, Frankfurt, 23.01.1992

Nov/2021

Driving Black

Dec/2024

Driving Black - EP

Driving Black - EP

Dec/2024

Strange Kind Of Paradise

Strange Kind Of Paradise

Jul/2025

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