Prolapse were an English indie rock band formed in Leicester, England,[1] originally active from c. 1992 to 2000. The group's sound was a mixture of punk rock, krautrock and shoegazing styles. The band's sound was also characterised by the alternating, contrasting vocal styles of Linda Steelyard and Mick Derrick.
History
Formation
Prolapse formed in the summer of 1991 at Leicester Polytechnic's Friday night disco, "with the aim of being the most depressing band ever". Of the six members—vocalists Mick Derrick and Linda Steelyard, guitarists David Jeffreys and Patrick Marsden, bassist Mick Harrison, and drummer Tim Pattison—only Harrison and Pattison had performed together.
In a 1999 interview, Steelyard stated that the name was chosen "to indicate something undesirable in a miserable sort of way, rather than unsavoury. Unfortunately, we have come to realise that it makes some people think of arses."[2]
Cult following
In 1993 the band released two EPs on Cherry Red Records, Crate and Pull Thru Barker, followed in 1994 by the single "Doorstop Rhythmic Bloc" and album Pointless Walks to Dismal Places, which won critical acclaim.[3] The band gained attention for their live performances, particularly for songs like "Tina This Is Matthew Stone", which depicted a dialogue between two furious partners. The songs were not as much sung as they were acted over a musical accompaniment. After leaving Cherry Red records, they then went on to release a variety of singles and EPs on a number of different labels.
Prolapse performing live at Rough Trade Shop, London, 1994
In 1995, they released their second album, backsaturday, which saw them experimenting with both repetitive grooves and ambient soundscapes.[4] The album was preceded by the single "TCR", which was included on the subsequent U.S. release of backsaturday. A remixed version of the 15-minute lead track "Flex" was also later issued as a limited edition 12-inch titled "Flexed".
Their third album, The Italian Flag (1997), was an eclectic 13-track tour de force which saw Prolapse gain significant radio play for the first time, particularly for the lead single "Killing the Bland" and its follow-up "Autocade", though neither single became a hit. The album returned to the more melodic approach of the first LP, though now with a harder guitar sound, but this time there was also a whole diverse array of styles, earning the band many favourable reviews.[5] The album was produced by Donald Ross Skinner, who was invited to join the band for their subsequent tour on keyboards and guitar.
In January 2015, Prolapse reformed to play a series of live dates.[7] The band also performed with Scottish post-rock group Mogwai.[8] These were followed by digital re-releases of much of their back catalogue, including a planned "deluxe edition" of their first album "Pointless Walks to Dismal Places" on Optic Nerve.
In 2019, the band released The Flex E.P., which contained previously unreleased material that had been recorded by the band during their active years. In 2022, Prolapse reformed to complete a short UK tour and posted on their Bandcamp PRE 010: Prolapse – John Peel session 20.08.94 and PRE 011: Prolapse – John Peel session 08.04.97, which contained recordings from the band's work with John Peel.
