The band originally formed as a side project of Leeds band 'And None of Them Knew They Were Robots, but have gained a higher profile than And None of Them Knew They Were Robots, who have since split up.
The band plays in the crossover style, what they describe as "Zombiecore... a fusion of 80's thrash and modern hardcore punk", with lyrics about zombies and cannibalism, and are heavily influenced by zombie movies. On-stage, they dress as zombies and the drummer dons a Mexican wrestling mask (a homage to the character in Brian Clement's Meat Market films with whom he also shares the name El Diablo). As part of this on-stage persona, band members claim to be members of the living dead.
The band performed at the 2005 Download Festival, the 2006 Reading and Leeds Festivals, were one of the first acts confirmed for 2006's Damnation Festival and were the opening act for Avenged Sevenfold at the Camden Underworld. They also toured as support to The Offspring. Their live show was described by Drowned in Sound as "brilliantly ghoulish" and "mouth-agape entertainment of the highest quality".
Disc 2 of the 2006 album, The Awakening, is a concept disc, a zombie movie soundtrack, similar to the soundtrack in George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
They won the 'fresh meat' competition on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show, leading to a "Guerilla Gig Live" performance on BBC Three, the video for which has recently resurfaced on YouTube. The band's third album, The Awakening, featured guest appearances from Jeff Walker and Ken Owen from Carcass.
The band announced their impending split in a Myspace blog in June 2007, which read:
“Dear Mortals,
Send More Paramedics will be playing their last show on 27 October 2007 at Joseph's Well in Leeds. We will be honouring all the commitments we have made up to that date. It's been 6 years but our zombie corpses are finally rotting to the point at which we can continue no more. A million thanks to you all.
Yours faithfully,
SMP
x"
The band briefly reformed in early 2014 to play TDON 10, a one day indoor festival celebrating 10 years of 'Thirty Days of Night Records', also on the bill were; Azriel, Everette, Crossbreaker, Broken Teeth, Martyr Defiled, Grader, Public Domain, Iron Witch, Opium Lord, and Set Astray. They also Performed 2 other shows in a short run. Complete dates as follows:
"Live For Never - 2014"
11th April - Leeds, Wharf Chambers (Secret warm-up gig) - Support from: ATTACK! VIPERS and Iron Witch
12th April - Leeds, Vox (TDON 10)
10th May - Camden Barfly - Support from: Pure Graft and The Dead Anyways
Announced June 13, 2020 was a 'legacy' Instagram page for the band, which is currently accepting photo and video submissions, it read:
"Dear puny humans,
You should check out and follow this unofficial fan-run legacy Instagram page: @sendmoreparamedicsuk
Created and curated by the maniacal mortal Dan P, it seems to be a catacomb for loads of undead images and info.
Oh and do please contribute to the depository - get in touch with Dan on the Instagram page if you’re able to share any live photos or flyers etc!
Medico
x"
The band plans to reunite to perform 3 ‘one-off’ shows to celebrate their 20th anniversary in October 2021.
Dates as follows:
Friday 29th October: Boom - Leeds
Saturday 30th October: Boom - Leeds
Sunday 31st October: The Dome - London
On June 25th 2021 the band announced via their social media pages they had begun work on their as yet untitled 4th album, their first in 15 years.
Funeral
Send More Paramedics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The last obsequious rites
With filial devotion commit this body to the night
Funeral
Mark this passing
Show your anguish
Cast your handful
These eyes like sapless wells are dry
As flowers shrivel up and die
I've waited so long for this day
Spitting on your fucking grave
I've waited all this time in line and now I'm gonna take what's fucking mine
I will nail you down
Funeral
The last obsequious rites
With criminal intention erase this body from your life
Funeral
Mark this passing
Show your anguish
Cast your handful
On this casket
Recognise this
Familiar visage
One last caress
Unfinished business
You were like this when you were alive
You never let it lie
Even from beyond the grave
You drain my life away
I will nail you down
If it kills me
This is killing me
I will nail you down
If it kills me
You are killing me!
The song "Funeral" by Send More Paramedics is a dark and eerie track that explores the feelings of the singer towards the deceased. The lyrics of the song are about attending the funeral of someone they despised, possibly even their enemy. The first paragraph of the song refers to the last rites and the burial of the body. The singer seems to perform the funeral rites with reverence but has a mix of feelings of pain, hatred, and revenge that are reflected in the lyrics. The second paragraph of the song is about the singer's feeling of being drained emotionally and physically by the deceased, even after death. The song ends with an ominous message that the singer will stop at nothing, even if it means killing themselves to exact revenge.
The song conveys a sense of deep anger towards the deceased, and the lyrics have a sense of finality, signaling the end of something that was once alive. The energy of the song is ominous and dark, with low guitar riffs and a heavy bass line that drive the song's mood. The lyrics "I will nail you down, if it kills me" are a declaration of the singer's unwavering determination to exact revenge on the deceased.
Line by Line Meaning
The last obsequious rites
The final formalities are being carried out with ceremonial respect
With filial devotion commit this body to the night
Gather this corpse with respect and pity and bury it during the night
Funeral
Repeated title that emphasises the event
Mark this passing
Take note and recognise the moment of someone's death
Show your anguish
Express your intense feeling of grief and distress
Cast your handful
Throw a handful of dirt or similar during the burial as a sign of respect
On this casket
On the container holding the body
These eyes like sapless wells are dry
I have no more tears and my eyes are as dry as a well that is without water
As flowers shrivel up and die
My tears dried up like flowers that wither and die
I've waited so long for this day
I've been longing for this day to arrive for a long time
Spitting on your fucking grave
Express my utter disgust and contempt by spitting on your grave
I've waited all this time in line and now I'm gonna take what's fucking mine
After waiting all this time obediently, I will now take what is rightfully mine
I will nail you down
I will immobilise you by nailing or fastening you down, possibly metaphorically
With criminal intention erase this body from your life
With evil intent, removing this body will mean that you can forget about it forever
Recognise this
Acknowledge and be aware of this
Familiar visage
A face that is known and recognised
One last caress
One final touch as a way of saying goodbye
Unfinished business
There are outstanding matters to be dealt with
You were like this when you were alive
You were problematic and troublesome when you were alive
You never let it lie
You never allowed the matter to be settled or resolved
Even from beyond the grave
Even though you are dead
You drain my life away
You are slowly but surely killing me
If it kills me
Even if it is the last thing I do before dying
This is killing me
This whole situation is causing me severe pain, physically or mentally
You are killing me!
You are causing me great harm and distress
Contributed by Molly N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.