Fine Young Cannibals

Formed in Birmingham, England after The Beat split in 1983, Fine Young Cannibals brought together David Steele, Andy Cox and singer Roland Gift, who had also been involved in the local post-punk scene through Akrylykz. As a trio, Fine Young Cannibals developed a pop songwriting approach informed by soul, new wave, rock and funk rhythms, with a dry, danceable sound centred on Gift's immediately recognisable timbre. The debut album, Fine Young Cannibals, was released in 1985 and established this aesthetic with tracks such as "Johnny Come Home" and a cover of "Suspicious Minds." After several years of activity in studio and on stage, the band recorded part of The Raw & the Cooked, released in 1989, at Paisley Park Studios with David Z. There Fine Young Cannibals tightened their formula toward a more taut, minimalist pop-soul, from which "She Drives Me Crazy", "Good Thing" and "Don't Look Back" emerged. The story of Fine Young Cannibals remains centred on these two studio albums, followed by attempts at a third record in the early 1990s and the group's eventual split.