Paris Angels

A product of Manchester's baggy scene, British band Paris Angels formed in 1990 in Guide Bridge, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. Associated with the "Madchester" scene from 1989 to 1992, their music blended indie rock guitars and electronic sounds. The band was made up of Paul "Wags" Wagstaff (later Black Grape and Happy Mondays), Rikki Turner (vocals), Steven Tajti (keyboards), Scott Carey (bass), Mark Adj (guitar), Jayne Gill (percussion) and Simon Worrall (drums). The band were regulars at Manchester's Boardwalk and Haçienda clubs, and were therefore heavily influenced by acid house and the burgeoning "Madchester" scene of the late 1980s. The band first signed a recording contract with Sheer Joy Records. There, they were introduced to producer Michael Johnson; the result was their best-known song, "Perfume (All on You)", a synthesis of jangle pop and disco. It was voted "single of the week" by the New Musical Express and remained in the Top 10 of the UK Indie Chart throughout the summer of 1990. It was closely followed by "Scope" and "I Understand", the latter being single of the week in the latest edition of Sounds. Building on their initial success, the band signed to Virgin Records and released a new single, "Fade", then reissued "Perfume" to accompany their only original album, Sundew (1991), which received rave reviews from the press. Paris Angels then recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1, after which "Stay" was one of the best songs in the Peel Sessions box set, and they took part in other radio and TV sessions. In June 1991, Paris Angels performs at the "Great Indie Festival - A Midsummer's Daydream" at Milton Keynes Bowl. Paris Angels recruited long-time collaborator Simon Crompton to produce their next album for Virgin. However, following the sale of Virgin to EMI, the album remains unreleased. Without a recording contract, and with singer Jane Gill pregnant, the band's career came to an end. Wagstaff returned with Black Grape and Happy Mondays, Steven Taji continued to record with The Rude Club, Scott Carey recorded with The Shave (originally from Chelsea) and hosted The Evening Session and Transmission on Manchester radio station 96.2 The Revolution. Drummer Simon Worrall passed away on November 2, 2011. In 2013, the band reformed to perform live and signed a contract with Stereokill Recordings to finally release their second album Eclipse, recorded in 1992. After the deal fell through, the band offered the album as a free download on Internat. Following Steven Tajti's death in February 2024, Paul Wagstaff also died on March 22, 2025.

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