An early version of the band formed in 1981 under the name From Eden; members included Clint Mansell, Adam Mole, Chris Fradgley, Malcolm Treece and Miles Hunt . Graham Crabb was recruited (Graham being the only respondant to replace the 'piss poor' Miles Hunt on drums). After From Eden splintered into two bands (Treece and Hunt went on to form The Wonder Stuff) Mansell, Crabb & Mole formed Wild and Wandering, recruiting Richard March on bass. They eventually became Pop Will Eat Itself in 1986, taking the name from a quote in an NME article about Pop 'eating itself' suggesting that popular music continues to recycle ideas.
The band honed their songwriting skills with a string of catchy two-minute pop songs released on EPs both as Wild and Wandering and Pop Will Eat Itself. With the help of DJ John Peel, these EPs saw some airplay and enjoyed some popularity among university students. After the band feared they had accomplished all they could with their sound, they found new influences in hip hop acts such as the Beastie Boys, Run DMC and Public Enemy. Graham soon dropped the drum sticks for a mic and was replaced by a drum machine called "Dr. Nightmare." Their style continued to develop with classics such as "There Is No Love Between Us Anymore' and the anthemic "Def Con One". As a result, PWEI were signed to major label RCA and they achieved top 40 hits with "Can U Dig It?" and "Wise Up! Sucker" off the album This Is the Day…This Is the Hour…This Is This!
RCA's larger studio budget allowed the band to develop its potential further, and they released 3 successful albums on that label. The first two (…This is This! and Cure for Sanity) were recorded with the aid of legendary producer Flood, known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, U2 and many other popular 90s groups. Cure for Sanity was perhaps PWEI's most experimental album, with a more electronic sound than previous efforts. RCA, meanwhile, was more interested chart success and so wanted the band to cut the lengthy instrumentals from their songs.
On 1992's The Looks or The Lifestyle, the band recruited a live drummer to complement their standard array of loops and pre-programmed drums and brought back some live guitars. The record was their most commercial and polished work to date, and was arguably the Poppies' high point, featuring top 20 hits like 'Karmadrome' and 'Bulletproof.' The single 'Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies!' registered as the band's biggest hit in January 1993. By this point, RCA had already grown tired of PWEI's stuborness and dropped them before the single was even released (the song went on to peak at 9 in the UK singles chart). Because of this, the band became the first ever to perform on Top of the Pops without being on a record label. The British National Party had recently caused an uproar in Tower Hamlets by winning a council seat, and it looked possible that the UK would see a revival in far right politics. In response to this, The Looks or the Lifestyle introduced a hitherto understated political angle, as the album inlay used the "red arrow" emblem of the Anti Nazi League and offered the organisation's address.
Getting dropped from RCA turned out to be a blessing for the Poppies, as the label agreed to write off the massive debts that the band had accumulated in studio fees in return for PWEI's back catalogue. After a minor bidding war, the Poppies decided to sign to Infectious Records, a label recently started by friend Korda Marshell (who had signed them to RCA in the first place but had since left the label) that offered them the artistic freedom they required.
PWEI maintained their stubbornly "cartoon like" image, despite producing thoughtful and often surprisingly dark tracks (for instance "Wake Up! Time To Die!", "88 Seconds", and "Mother").
PWEI's political stance became more explicit with the release of the single "Ich Bin Ein Auslander." A collaboration with Asian group Fun-Da-Mental, the song was scathing attack on the far right and the apathy that seemed to greet its resurgence. A different version of this song later appeared as the opening track on the 1994 album, Dos Dedos Mis Amigos.
By this time the band had toned down its garish public persona and veered off in a new and more industrial-based direction with the aid of long time fan Trent Reznor. Many fans were upset that the 'Is everybody happy?!' pogoing Poppies were gone and put off by the new direction, but the band found new popularity after signing with Reznor's Nothing Records in the US and touring with Nine Inch Nails, as well as having their songs used on the Playstation game 'Loaded'.
The following year the band released the Dos Dedos remix album Two Fingers My Friends which featured remixes by The Orb, Apollo 440, Renegade Soundwave and many more. It was about this time that Graham Crabb left the band and they recruited 'The Buzzard' of Yeah! God (who had recorded 'wild guitar' on previous albums but was never a full time member) and Clint took over full vocal duties. The band continued down the industrial route and were still recording and touring until 1996, even recording a collaboration with Orbital. Unfortunately, the band took a break before finishing production of their next album with Trent Reznor, and while not officially splitting, failed to complete the work citing boredom and musical differences. One track from this period was released, a cover of Gary Numan's "Friends," and provides some indication of the band's direction at the time.
A reunion of sorts happened in 2005 when the members performed eight gigs in the UK. Demos were also recorded during this time. However, Clint Mansell and Richard March were unable to continue with the reformation, and the remaining members have decided to pursue what the reformed PWEI started under the name Vileevils.
On February 23, 2010, a press release was issued to those on the dPulse Recordings mailing list, stating that Crabb would be discontinuing work on the Vileevils project, to concentrate on reviving Pop Will Eat Itself with a new PWEI album, new band and tour dates to be announced. On 11 May 2010, PWEI released the "Axe of Men 2010" single on a CD/DVD combination, featuring "Axe of Men 2010", a remastered "Sonic Noise Byte", and a DVD with Vileevils material.
In July 2011, a new line-up was announced, featuring Graham Crabb as the only original member, and Mary Byker undertaking co-vocalist duties. On October 3rd 2011 the album, New Noise Designed By A Sadist, was released on Cooking Vinyl, followed by a UK tour.
TBC
Underbelly
Pop Will Eat Itself Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As your vision unfurls
In the words of Monty Burns
"Hello Cruel World"
This is a place
Once said was great
But make no mistake
It's only fear and hate
The Trapdoor Sound
That you hear as you hang
As it all goes bang
Life loves a winner
Join the losers and the sinners
In.... The Underbelly Town
The Underbelly Town.
The Underbelly Town.
I can see the faces
Souls of non-sinners
Made unclean
By the rolling of the machine
I see the pressure
From the pages of the TV
They're out to get you
Out to get me.
Fear shakes the hand of the man
As he does what he can
It's the 90's for the family plan
And the woman is led
By the crap she's fed
Convinced by the mirror
That her figure's getting bigger
The Underbelly Town
The Underbelly Town
Down, yeah
The Underbelly Town
This stuff is never enough...
This stuff is never enough...
This stuff is never enough...
Enough, enough, enough
Is never enough
The Underbelly Town
The Underbelly Town
Down, yeah
The Underbelly Town
This stuff is never enough...
This stuff is never enough...
This stuff is never enough...
Enough, enough, enough
Is never enough
The song "Underbelly" by Pop Will Eat Itself is a social commentary on the state of society in the 1990s. The lyrics paint a bleak picture of the world, where fear and hate are the driving forces behind everything. The song starts with an opening line that invites the listener to take a glimpse of the world as their vision unfurls. The reference to Monty Burns' quote "Hello Cruel World" immediately sets the tone for the rest of the song.
The song is clearly focused on the idea of an "Underbelly Town" - a place where the losers and sinners live. The lyrics suggest that this town is a place where people are made unclean by the machinery of society. The pressure to conform to the expectations of society, as represented by the pages of the TV, are a constant reminder of the inability to escape. Fear is also a theme that is prevalent in the song, with the reference to the hand of the man who does what he can. The line "This stuff is never enough...Enough, enough, enough, is never enough" is the chorus of the song and represents the idea that people are never satisfied with what they have and that they always want more.
Line by Line Meaning
Take a glimpse of the world
Look at the world around you
As your vision unfurls
As you start to see everything clearly
In the words of Monty Burns
Using the words of a cartoon character, Monty Burns
"Hello Cruel World"
Greetings to this cruel world
This is a place
The world we live in
Once said was great
Was once regarded as great
But make no mistake
Don't be fooled
It's only fear and hate
Fear and hate are the only driving forces behind it
That makes the wheels go round
That drives the world forward
The Trapdoor Sound
The sound of doors closing on us
That you hear as you hang
The sound you hear as you are defeated
As it all goes bang
As everything collapses
Life loves a winner
Winners are favored by society
Join the losers and the sinners
Join those who are not always successful or good
In.... The Underbelly Town
In the shadowy, unpleasant part of town
The Underbelly Town.
The place where people who are not successful or good belong
I can see the faces
I can see the people
Souls of non-sinners
People who are not always good
Made unclean
Became corrupted
By the rolling of the machine
By the operation of the system
I see the pressure
I see the stress
From the pages of the TV
From the messages conveyed by television
They're out to get you
There are people who want to harm you
Out to get me.
Out to get us all
Fear shakes the hand of the man
Fear dominates the lives of many people
As he does what he can
As he tries his best
It's the 90's for the family plan
It's the 1990s and people have ideas about what a family should look like
And the woman is led
Women are told what to do
By the crap she's fed
By the nonsense she listens to
Convinced by the mirror
Convinced by what she sees
That her figure's getting bigger
That she is gaining weight
The Underbelly Town
The place where people who are not successful or good belong
The Underbelly Town
The place where people who are not successful or good belong
Down, yeah
In the depths, yes
This stuff is never enough...
People always want more
This stuff is never enough...
People always want more
This stuff is never enough...
People always want more
Enough, enough, enough
But they can never be satisfied
Is never enough
No amount is ever enough
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CLINTON DARRYL MANSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
HIPHOP KRISY
The irony of the lyrics.. "place once said was great" like you knew the future. You guys are still one of my fav bands ever ♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
natho dynommiter
Still an awesome track!
MrEric7799
great track!
Osmond the Wicked
sick tune
Christopher Walken
Soooo fucking ahead of it's time.
Jack Perridew
And it still holds true.
Rebel Lion
Unspoilt by Progress
Chris Gillespie
Listen to Christopher walken!