Wikipedia Deep Dive

China Crisis

8 min read

Two boys from the same small town near Liverpool—one born in May, one in June—met in 1979 over their shared love for Steely Dan, David Bowie, and Brian Eno. That meeting at St Kevin's School for Boys, a Roman Catholic institution in Kirkby, would spark a partnership that defined a slice of British pop music throughout the 1980s.

Gary Daly and Eddie Lundon came from working-class families in this industrial town within Knowsley, Merseyside. Both born in 1962, they found common ground in their musical passions during their teenage years—Lundon on guitar, Daly on bass—as they played together in various post-punk groups, including different configurations of the band Glass Torpedoes. But it was only around 1980 that they obtained a synthesizer and a drum machine and began writing songs as China Crisis.

The Sound That Changed Everything

The band's trajectory tells a story of transformation. Initially, Daly and Lundon were immersed in the politically charged post-punk scene, influenced by Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes—a defining sound of the era. They shared synthesizer duties on early recordings, but as their popularity grew, Daly increasingly took on the lion's share of synthesizer and keyboard parts. Contemporary synth-pop acts like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and the Human League began influencing the group's musical trajectory.

Daly also cited Talking Heads and post-punk band Magazine as early influences—a constellation of artists that would shape their sonic identity.

Breaking Through

The band finally settled on a core lineup augmented by drummer and percussionist Dave Reilly, releasing their debut single "African and White" as China Crisis in 1981 on the independent record label Inevrible. Initially, the band's main interest was in studio recording rather than performing live, though they did play a few gigs.

On 31 December 1981, they performed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London alongside Haircut One Hundred—marking their emergence onto the broader music scene. In March 1982, they recorded a four-song Peel session for the BBC, establishing their presence in the British broadcasting landscape.

By April-May 1982, they played their first UK tour, and in June 1982, they backed Tom Verlaine of Television at The Venue in London—signaling their growing credibility within the post-punk and new wave scenes. In September, they performed at the Futurama 4 Festival, followed by a late 1982 UK tour.

The Virgin Years

The band signed a recording contract with Virgin Records—the label that had already helped break acts like OMD and The Human League—in April 1982, releasing a single "Scream Down at Me" in May. A re-release of "African and White" became their first success, reaching No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1982, followed by the less successful "No More Blue Horizons (Fool, Fool, Fool)" in October.

Recorded over a long period with different producers, their debut studio album Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain was released in November 1982. From it, the single "Christian" made UK No. 12 in early 1983 and brought them to national prominence.

By this success, Reilly had left the band—but remained long enough to co-write and perform on "Christian," along with session musician Steve Levy playing oboe and saxophone. The album peaked at No. 21 in the UK Albums Chart.

During this period, the band toured supporting Simple Minds on their New Gold Dream tour—augmented by Levy and bass guitarist Gary "Gazza" Johnson.

The Golden Era

Backed by Johnson and Levy, along with Waterboys drummer Kevin Wilkinson, the band premiered three new songs in January 1983, including "Wishful Thinking," in a BBC Peel session. Adding Johnson and eventually Levy as full members, China Crisis recorded a second studio album in Liverpool and at The Manor Studio in Oxfordshire with producer Mike Howlett and Wilkinson again on drums.

Wilkinson would become a full-time member of the band the following year, replacing drummer Gary O'Toole, who had initially joined around the same time that Levy became an official member—touring with the band in support of the second album for approximately six months before departing.

In May 1983, the single "Tragedy and Mystery" was released and peaked at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart. The arrangement of the song with prominent use of Levy's oboe and flugelhorn marked a noticeable change from the band's previous synth-pop sound.

Preceded by the title track "Working with Fire and Steel," which reached number 48 in the UK—and was a hit on the US Dance Club Songs chart at number 27—the album entitled Working with Fire and Steel—Possible Pop Songs Volume Two was released in October 1983. The arrival of Steve Levy and Kevin Wilkinson into the band's line-up, along with the introduction of more session musicians, gave the album a markedly less synthetic sound than its predecessor.

While the band made use of the then latest technology such as the emulator, they notably incorporated brass, woodwind and string instruments to their sound—a significant evolution from their earlier work.

The Peak

In early 1984, the single "Wishful Thinking" peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart—making it their first and only UK top 10 hit. The song was also a top 10 hit in Ireland, a top 20 hit in several European countries and hit number one on the Swedish radio chart Poporama.

In March 1984, the follow-up single "Hanna Hanna" reached number 44 on the UK singles chart. The album itself was a top 20 success in the UK, also reaching the top 40 in several other countries—including Spain, Australia, Canada—and China Crisis spent 1984 and 1985 making their biggest chart run.

In spring 1984, China Crisis toured Europe on their Working with Fire Steel Tour, followed by touring Europe and North America supporting Simple Minds. Their third studio album, Flaunt the Imperfection, was produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan fame and reached No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart in May 1985.

China Crisis was so honored to directly work with Becker that they officially listed him in the group as a quintet consisting of Daly, Lundon, Johnson, Wilkinson, and Becker on the album's credits. He never formally appeared with the band—but made important playing contributions on the album—or the subsequent tour featuring new keyboardist Brian McNeill.

Johnson was now credited as co-writer with Daly and Lundon.

The Critical Acclaim

The album was promoted by the No. 14 UK hit single "Black Man Ray," which also enjoyed critical acclaim and international success—reaching the top 40 in Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands. The follow-up "King in a Catholic Style" was a top 20 UK single at No. 19—but it would prove to be the band's last substantial hit.

A third release from the album, "You Did Cut Me," stalled at UK No. 54 but reached the top 30 in Ireland and top 10 in Spain.

Following their mainstream success, in June 1985 Daly and Lundon fronted the cover of Smash Hits magazine—marking their peak of visibility in British pop culture. The album was followed by a spring 1985 UK tour, performance at the Netherlands Pinkpop Festival in May, six dates in the US and Canada in July-August and further UK dates in October 1985.

They also released a video compilation, Showbiz Absurd—documenting their journey through this remarkable period.

The Later Years

In 1986, the band collaborated with producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley—known for their work with Madness—on What Price Paradise, which included "Arizona Sky," the album's first single release and another Australian hit. In addition, "Arizona Sky" achieved stateside success, giving the group a top 40 hit on the US Adult Contemporary chart.

All of the band members were now credited as songwriters. A second single from the album, "Best Kept Secret," made UK No. 36 in early 1987. It was to be the band's final top 40 hit—and marked the end of their commercial peak.

The Legacy

China Crisis achieved something rare: they crossed from the politically charged post-punk aesthetic into mainstream pop success without losing what made them distinctive. They had ten top-50 singles in the UK during the 1980s—but more importantly, they had carved out a sound that was both intellectually engaging and commercially accessible.

Their three major albums—Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Working with Fire and Steel, and Flaunt the Imperfection—each represented different facets of their artistic vision. The latter two both received gold certification, an indication that their work resonated with audiences beyond just the critical acclaim they enjoyed.

Working with Fire and Steel reached number 48 on the UK Albums Chart—but more importantly, it demonstrated a band that had evolved from synth-pop enthusiasts into sophisticated pop architects capable of incorporating brass, woodwind, and strings while maintaining their intellectual edge.

Flaunt the Imperfection—produced by Walter Becker—represented perhaps their most ambitious work, an album that reached number 9 on the UK Albums Chart and spawned three singles that each charted respectably.

The story of China Crisis is ultimately about two working-class kids from Kirkby who found a way to channel their intellectual curiosity into mainstream success—a rare achievement in British pop music. Their journey from the post-punk underground to the charts reflects both the accessibility of British pop and the transformative power of artistic evolution.