Massive 1990s alternative rock band looks almost unrecognizable 33 years after their hit
A huge star of a 1990s alternative rock band seems almost unrecognizable, decades after their hit single Unbelievable catapulted them to fame.
EMF, which stands for Epsom Mad Funkers, consisted of vocalist James Atkin, drummer Mark Decloedt, bassist Zac Foley and keyboardist Derry Brownson.
The band, which first came together when they met at school, got their name from a fan club of the band New Order in 1989.
They later met keyboardist and guitarist Ian Dench after enjoying musical success in group Apple Mosaic.
told Ian earlier The protector: ‘I hitchhiked home and the lorry dropped me off on the M50.
Wow: The giant 1990s alternative rock band EMF look almost unrecognizable decades after their hit single Unbelievable catapulted them to fame (pictured in 1991)
Recent: EMF, which stands for Epsom Mad Funkers, consisted of vocalist James Atkin, drummer Mark Decloedt, bassist Zac Foley and keyboardist Derry Brownson
Split: During their two-decade hiatus, the band members went on to forge different career paths. However, all members of the band continued to play music (James pictured in 2016)
“I remembered a cool kid named James I’d met at Glos Music Co who kept saying, ‘You should come to the Forest of Dean. We have this great bond. We wear Afghan coats and play death metal.’
“I called him from a phone booth. 10 minutes later he arrived with Zac, we went out and got drunk and I didn’t go home for three days.”
During their initial eight-year run, from 1989 to 1997, the band, from Cinderford in Gloucestershire, released three studio albums before calling it quits.
Their first single, Unbelievable, reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and was a No. 1 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
It is believed that Ian’s breakup was the inspiration for their first single.
He told the New York Times, “More than the music, EMF is about an attitude, and that attitude comes from punk more than anything else.”
Meanwhile, their debut album, Schubert Dip, went to No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart.
The band broke up after their third album in 1997.
Other: EMF, which stands for Epsom Mad Funkers, consisted of vocalist James Atkin (pictured in 2022), drummer Mark Decloedt, bassist Zac Foley, and keyboardist Derry Brownson
History: The band, which first came together when they met at school, got their name from a fan club of the band New Order in 1989
During their two-decade break, the band members went on to forge different career paths. However, all members of the band continued to play music.
James became a teacher specializing in GCSE and A-level music.
In 2014, he announced his debut solo album A Country Mile and tour.
While Ian is a senior executive at Epic Records in New York and co-writer of music for megastars Beyonce and Shakira.
said James XSound“It did make it difficult because you have to sell records to have a record deal and you have to have a record deal to pay your wages.”
“When you’re that old you’re really confused, you don’t know why things aren’t going the way you’d like them to.
“We just didn’t make a great record. Stigma also didn’t sell as well compared to the first album.
“We all grew up as people and did our own thing, the gang mentality had kind of gone out of us.
‘We grew up and had girlfriends and started doing other projects, we didn’t all live in the same city.
‘Looking back, I see that we lost our way, after all that success you lose yourself a bit.’
In 2001, EMF played a reunion gig in London. They also released a greatest hits album: Epsom Mad Funkers: The Best of EMF.
Popular: During their first eight-year run, from 1989 to 1997, the band, from Cinderford in Gloucestershire, released three studio albums before calling it quits
Sadly, bassist Zac passed away on January 3, 2002 at the age of 31 due to an overdose of non-prescription drugs.
After his death, EMF played only four more gigs at the end of 2002 before breaking up again.
In 2007, the band reformed to perform a one-off gig at the Scala in King’s Cross, London.
Foley’s place was taken by Richard March, formerly of Pop Will Eat Itself and Bentley Rhythm Ace.
In 2008, EMF played the Portsmouth Festival on 9 October and supported Carter USM at Birmingham Academy and London’s Brixton Academy in November that year.
In May 2009, EMF announced that the band would not be doing any more shows for the foreseeable future due to personal issues, ending their second reunion.
Last year, the band made a surprise return to the music scene to release their first album of new material in 27 years, Go Go Sapiens.