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Beloved band China Crisis are BACK in Manila celebrating more than 40 years now of making the music you love!
The early 1980’s heralded a second Liverpool-based musical renaissance and amongst these lauded Merseyside acts was China Crisis, originally emerging in 1981 from their native Kirkby broadly in the “new wave” genre as the songwriting duo of vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon. Citing influences as varied as Davie Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Eric Satie and Brian Eno, it’s not surprising that their sound was quickly distinguishable amongst their peers, often combining elements of synthpop with reggae, country and other styles with their own unique melodies and harmonies to create distinctively sophisticated but catchy pop in a style all its own. With their philosophy that “the song is the most important thing”, China Crisis weren’t just resourceful with the emerging technology of the time and the ongoing electronic music revolution but would creatively employ a distinctive sonic blend of more orthodox origins – horns, strings, woodwinds, pedal steel – a sound further enhanced by working with some of the greatest producers of the 20th century, including Mike Howlett, Langer/Winstanley, and perhaps most notably with Steely Dan’s Walter Becker. The result of their effort was a clearly identifiable China Crisis sound that stood out from the crowd and garnered the band chart success around the globe, including three UK Top 40 albums and eleven UK Top 50 singles, their hits including the beloved “Wishful Thinking”, “Christian”, “Black Man Ray”, “King in a Catholic Style”, “Arizona Sky” and “African and White”. More importantly the early years established a decades-loyal fanbase that continues to grow today.
That the China Crisis sound is enduring is demonstrable well into the 21st Century, not just through the continued fidelity of their longtime fans but the fact that a whole new generation of musicians and listeners are becoming China Crisis devotees. The band have spent the past decade touring around the globe, from their home in the UK around Europe, down to Australia/NZ and the Philippines, and throughout US and Canada. 2024 brings the release of the band’s new album, China Greatness, a collection of the band’s favourite tracks chosen from across the riches of a 42-year back catalogue. This, however, is no hastily thrown together “Best Of” affair. Instead, over the last two years, the band have deconstructed the songs while retaining their original structures, re-building them from the ground up with freshly re-modelled drum and rhythm tracks created by producer, engineer and programmer Mark Phythian, as well as adding newly bespoke and exquisite orchestral and horn arrangements courtesy of China Crisis’ keys man Jack Hymers and transcribed for strings by the band’s esteemed saxophonist Eric Animan. The end result of the collective work simply sparkles, and excitement around the album’s May launch is palpable and growing.
Truly renowned and beloved for their live performances which combine engaging music with a healthy dose of Scouse humor, and with the clear kinship the band have with their fans, audiences always leave China Crisis shows the all the happier for having been part of the moment.
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