Inspiral Carpets

Inspiral Carpets were one of the most commercially viable products of the late-'80s/early-'90s "Madchester" scene, along with cohorts Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses. However, like the Charlatans, they relied less on the contemporary dance club beats that became Madchester pop's identifying signature. Instead they shared a fascination with trippy psychedelia, particularly the organ-drenched sound of Nuggets-style garage rock. The band's debut album, 1990's Life, narrowly missed the U.K. number one spot, and they continued to score hits -- such as "This Is How It Feels," "Dragging Me Down," and "Saturn 5" -- up until their original mid-'90s breakup. Inspiral Carpets re-formed for reunion tours in 2001, 2007, 2012, and 2023, releasing several compilations along the way, as well as a fifth studio album, Inspiral Carpets, in 2014.