Close Lobsters were a Scottish indie pop band. According to legend, the band’s name was derived from their inability to decide between two prospective names: The Close and The Lobsters. First coming to prominence with the track “Firestation Towers” on the NME’s famed C86 compilation, they signed to Fire Records and released their debut single “Going To Heaven To See If It Rains” in October 1986. After landing a support slot with The Jesus and Mary Chain on their tour, they released second single “Never Seen Before” in April 1987 which furthered their reputation as one of the leading emerging indie bands. They went on to release two albums; Foxheads Stalk This Land was released in 1987 and Headache Rhetoric in 1989. Their popularity on US college radio stations led to an invitation to the New York Music Seminar in 1989, which in turn led to an extensive American tour.
The band eventually broke up over a combination of creative differences and financial difficulties. Their failure to secure a record deal in the US certainly didn’t help matters, despite critical acclaim in America. Rolling Stone’s review of “Foxheads Stalk This Land” called it “first-rate guitar pop from a top-shelf band. Close Lobsters could have been just another jangle group, but they have a lot more going for them than just chiming Rickenbackers.”
The band reunited briefly in 1991 for a few live gigs before disbanding more permanently.
The Close Lobsters song “Let’s Make Some Plans” was covered by The Wedding Present on the b-side of the “California” single in 1992.
Andrew Burnett is a lecturer in the Business faculty at the University of Paisley and guitarist Graeme Wilmington is an Audio Technology lecturer at Stow College, Glasgow. |
