Northside formed in Manchester in 1989 and were signed to Factory Records by the late Tony Wilson after he saw the band play a sold-out show at The Boardwalk later that year.
Their debut single, Shall We Take A Trip?/Moody Places, was released in June 1990, produced by Iain Broudie (The Lightning Seeds) and engineered by Cenzo Townshend. Despite being banned from daytime radio due to its obvious drug references, the single still reached No. 50 in the UK Charts with virtually no airplay.
Instrumental versions of both tracks became regular features on Granada Soccer Night throughout 1990 and 1991.
The second single, My Rising Star, followed in October 1990 and reached No. 32 in the UK Charts. The accompanying video famously featured the band performing on top of Manchester’s Arndale Centre. A live version of the track, along with interviews with the band, appeared on Granada TV’s Madchester – The Sound Of The North. Granada also broadcast a live Northside performance filmed at The PSV Club in Hulme during the same year.
1990 also saw the band complete two sold-out UK tours, appear at a festival in Slough alongside The Soup Dragons and Teenage Fanclub, and play shows in New York with Happy Mondays, A Guy Called Gerald and Deee-Lite at The Sound Factory as part of the From Manchester With Love tour.
In 1991, Northside were invited to perform at the Great British Music Weekend at Wembley Arena alongside artists including James and The Cure. During the performance, 15,000 people reportedly surged towards the stage as the band launched into Shall We Take A Trip — despite the BBC requesting that they not play the song.
Their third single, Take 5, was released in May 1991 and reached No. 41 in the UK Charts. A barcode error affecting record sales is believed to have cost the band a higher chart position. As an apology, Top Of The Pops invited Northside to perform — making them the first band to appear on the show with a song outside the Top 40.
Released simultaneously in the United States through Geffen Records, Take 5 also reached No.1 in Canada and received heavy support on US college radio.
That same year, Northside played Elland Road in Leeds alongside The La’s, The High and Happy Mondays, with many considering Northside the standout act of the day.
The band’s debut — and only — album, Chicken Rhythms, was released on 17 June 1991. Featuring artwork by Central Station Design, who had also created the band’s single sleeves, the album reached No. 19 in the UK Charts. Recorded in Wrexham and Liverpool and mixed at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, the album received widespread critical acclaim.
Later in 1991, changing musical trends and the rise of grunge in America contributed to a growing backlash from sections of the British music press. A second album was demoed in early 1992 at Suite 16 in Rochdale but was never officially released following the collapse of Factory Records. The recordings still exist.
A fourth single, Cool Idea (FAC 338), was planned but never released. Soon afterwards, the band split.
In 2014, all four original members reunited for a comeback UK tour, which was warmly received by both fans and the music industry before the band once again took time out. Tragically, guitarist Tim Walsh passed away in 2019 — a loss felt deeply by both the band and their fans.
In 2025, original members Dermo, Cliff and Wol returned to the stage with a new guitarist for the Let’s Take Another Trip tour.
