The band released their first album on vinyl, Self Non Self in July 1989. The intensity of that album garnered very good reviews and caught the attention of John Peel, who picked up on the album right away, with the group recording a session for him in the album's first week of release. Shortly afterwards they signed to the label Dedicated (which also became home to Spiritualized and Beth Orton) and went on to record their EP "Espero" in 1990, with the album "Wings of Joy" following a year later. The release of "Wings of Joy" caught the attention of Robert Smith of The Cure who picked the Cranes to open for them on their world tour in 1992. They then went on to record the albums "Forever" (1993), "Loved" (1994), "La Tragedie d'Oreste et Electre" (1995), and "Population Four" (1997).
After a 4 year break, Cranes re-emerged on their own independent label Dadaphonic to release "Future Songs" (2001) and "Particles & Waves" (2004), which saw the band heading in a more electronic direction while retaining the trademark sound of previous releases. In January 2007 the band released a download only album, "Live at Amsterdam Paradiso," originally recorded in 1991. The show captures the darker, heavier days of the early Cranes and is available only via www.dadaphonic.co.uk.
In 2008 Cranes albums "Wings of Joy', 'Forever' and 'Loved' were re-issued by Cherry Red Records, www.cherryred.co.uk as part of their series of 'influential artists' re-releases.
In October 2008 Cranes released their self titled album 'Cranes', to which they did a supporting tour. After that there was the odd performance here and there up until 2012 after which Cranes fell silent again.
In 2022 they re-emerged with several newly opened social media accounts to which the purpose soon became clear: Cranes have reformed in their original nineties line-up to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the "Forever" album with some gigs in the UK (see events) and they are currently rehearsing.
In June 2023 they also released a 'new' album: their previously unreleased "Peel Sessions 1989-1990" which you can get on their Bandcamp site (see Linktree below) both digitally and on CD/Vinyl.
Current members
Alison Shaw – vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar (1985–1997, 2000–present)
Jim Shaw – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums (1985–1997, 2000–present)
Mark Francombe – guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, spanner (1989–1997, 2022-present)
Matt Cope – guitar (1989–1997, 2022-present)
Former members:
Kevin Dunford – lead guitar (1988–1989)
Paul Smith – guitar, keyboards (1995–1997, 2000–2012)
Manu Ross – drums (1996–1997)
Ben Baxter – bass guitar (2000–2012)
Jon Callender – drums (2000–2007)
Jon Mattock – drums (2008–2012)
Cranes official Linktree: https://linktr.ee/cranesofficial
Starblood
Cranes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll kiss you with my starblood
I'll kiss you with my starblood
My wound is deep and may never be mended
You never received the love that i sent
I'll kiss you with my starblood
Our love is mortal
And it seems so short
And it feels no dream
I could believe it's no dream
But it seems it's getting shorter
Still i could believe it's no dream
Cos it gleams on the water
Yeah it gleams, yeah it gleams
Oh ...
I'll kiss you with my starblood
I'll kiss you with my starblood
I'll kiss you with my starblood
My wound is deep and may never be mended
But my love is deep
And i'll kiss you with my starblood.
The lyrics to Cranes's song Starblood suggest a love that is intense and deep, but also fragile and mortal. The repeated refrain of "I'll kiss you with my starblood" implies a willingness to go to extreme lengths to express passion and devotion. The lines "My wound is deep and may never be mended / You never received the love that I sent" suggest a one-sided love affair, where the singer has been hurt by unrequited love. Despite this pain, the singer is still willing to offer their love, even if it means metaphorically kissing the object of their affection with their own life force.
The second verse emphasizes the fleeting nature of love and the fact that it can often feel like a dream. The lines "Our love is mortal / And it seems so short / And it feels no dream / I could believe it's no dream" suggest a desire to hold onto something that is ephemeral and knowing it will eventually end. The images of gleaming on the water suggest that even though love may be fleeting and short, it can still shine brightly and be incredibly beautiful.
Overall, the lyrics to Starblood explore the complexities of love and how it can both heal and wound. The repeated refrain of "I'll kiss you with my starblood" encapsulates this ambiguity, as it suggests both a willingness to give everything and a recognition of the pain that love can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll kiss you with my starblood
I will express my deep love for you with all that I have
My wound is deep and may never be mended
I am hurt and it may take an eternity to heal
You never received the love that i sent
You never fully understood how much I loved you
Our love is mortal
Our love is limited by the human condition
And it seems so short
Our time together feels fleeting
And it feels no dream
Our love is real and tangible
I could believe it's no dream
I know that our love is real and not just an illusion
But it seems it's getting shorter
Our time together is running out
Still i could believe it's no dream
Despite the fleeting nature of our love, I still believe in its reality
Cos it gleams on the water
Our love still shines brightly, even in the midst of uncertainty
My love is deep
My love for you is intense and profound
And i'll kiss you with my starblood.
And I will express the depth of my love for you with everything that I have
Contributed by Layla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
welcome to HELL
The drummer! Her wild child-voice! DAMN GOOD
Zedfinite
The drumming is epic! Very primal & metal, with Alison's voice juxtaposed against it.
Daniel Ramirez
I watched them open up for The Cure in Seattle and they played this song live it was during their Wings of Sorrow tour and it was The Cure's Wish tour. Fucking jaw dropping performance all the way through
Michael Angelo Midnight
I saw the CRANES open for the Cure on the wish tour, they fuckin scared the shit out of us all. It was amazing, they fuckin Were loud ,dark and heavy. Instant CRANES fan from then on
Noël
This is so awesome! My band keeps getting compared to the Cranes and I had never heard of them till this year. I'm rather flattered by it and now looking up all their content <:-P
spiros karavalakis
“Just mustard” from Ireland share comparisons with Crane s . The voice of their singer is also uncanny with that of Alison shaw’s . Incredible band !
MarceloGuerraEvilDevastation666BodyCorpse
Nunca mais existira uma voz e uma guitara dessa
21 Feelings
Her voice is like Mars Argo's voice
ichsterbe
божественно
Jay Fortran
F'ing legends - timing is everything I think. This band would've exploded a few years later..