The 1990s was a halcyon time for adventurous guitar led music. Beyond the obvious American candidates such as Slint, Polvo and Trumans Water, there was a host of UK bands who were pushing the format to its limits. It was easy to overlook Prolapse in this category as the first thing that leaps out when listening to them is the duelling vocals of Mick Derrick and Linda Steelyard. Sounding like a series of arguments between a drunken, rambling Scotsman and an exasperated, petulant counterpart, they made for some surreal and occasionally alarming vaguely intelligible histrionic soap opera set pieces. However, over the course of three albums, culminating in 1999’s ‘Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes’, their triple guitar assault and inspired motorik rhythms were pushed in increasingly complex shapes and deserve equal billing when discussing the band. Having reformed in 2015 to play the occasional gig, ten years on they finally release a new album and show they have lost none of their knack for an abrasive title by calling it ‘I Wonder When They’re Going To Destroy Your Face.’
A look at the track listing shows they have also retained their talent for arresting songtitles with ‘Err On The Side Of Dead’, ‘Cacophony No C’ and ‘Ectoplasm United’ among the offerings. The album was recorded in short spells at Foel Studios in Wales and while most of the songs had evolved over the years, three of them were improvised on the spot. The first of the nine tunes, ‘Fall of Cashline’, is indicative of the back-to-basics approach often taken on the album. Starting with riffs that quickly gain momentum through repetition and overlaid with even more raucous guitar noise, it is a near six-minute pummelling with Derrick taking the lead with interjections from Steelyard lower in the mix, akin to being caught between two songs and stations on an old medium wave radio. Much shorter, ‘Cha Cha Cha 2000’ is the sort of surreal monologue in which Derrick specialises. In a sprawling, near libellous tale delivered in a brogue that makes The Proclaimers sound like Eton alumni, it takes in “the big fat guy from Canned Heat”, Donovan and Cat Stevens and ends “so Cat Stevens grabbed him and to cut a long story short he put the heid on him”. With its more restrained riffs and propulsive percussion, it is (and the word is used advisedly) probably the record’s poppiest moment.
‘Err…’ is a compelling six-and-a-half minute grind and while Derrick expends most words, Steelyard’s interjections are more notable, forming an irritable chorus as she chants, “I want to go to bed / I am tired, I am dead / I have to start at eight / I hate I hate I hate.” The first two minutes of the even lengthier ‘Ghost In The Chair’ consist of quietly atmospheric noise before developing into an unusually polite and civil therapy session between Derrick and Steelyard overlaid with subtle waves of sound.
The first single, ‘On The Quarter Days’ begins with the click of a beer can and synth sounds that would fit nicely in Neu’s catalogue before Derrick proclaims, “ah sold maesel’ for a peppercorn rent but a wiz half ae you”, basically confessing to giving himself away as cheaply as possible. The song’s momentum and the dramatic interplay between the vocals is absolutely prime Prolapse. It ends with Steelyard’s shocked, scatological cry of “oh shit, bollocks.” Aptly, ‘Cacophony No C’ is a hugely enjoyable racket with some massive riffs on display. Disappointingly, ‘Jackdaw’ sounds like a lo-fi demo recording but fortunately is the shortest track on offer.
‘Ectoplasm United’ gets proceedings back on track. Derrick namedrops The Decameron and Canterbury Tales, then penetratingly suggests, “contrary to public opinion people lie with their eyes” as the band motor along at an impressive lick. After such a frenetic record, surprisingly they end with the volume turned down for the reflective ‘A Forever’. Bizarrely, as Derrick recounts tripping over gravestones, he mentions “Patrick Swayze was there / Paul McCartney’s there / Humphrey Bogart’s there / All dead but not forgotten” as if subscribing to the old nonsensical conspiracy theory about Macca having died pre-Abbey Road. Unexpectedly, Steelyard gets to have the final word, telling of arriving at Leicester Forest East Services and deciding to stay forever.
Over a quarter of a century since their last album, the still sound on the verge of falling apart and create an overwhelming babble, multiple voices competing for attention but with the rhythm section just about holding it all together. Musically, it falls short of the creative peak that was ‘Ghosts of Dead Aeroplanes’ but ‘I Wonder When They’re Going To Destroy Your Face’ still marks a welcome return. There really is no one quite like Prolapse.
Prolapse: I Wonder When They’re Going To Destroy Your Face – Out 29 August 2025 (Tapete Records)
– Cha Cha Cha 2000 (Official Video) – YouTube
Prior to the album’s release, Prolapse play the following dates:
14 August – Newcastle Cluny 2
15 August – Preston The Continental
16 August – Glasgow, Kelvingrove Bandstand
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
