London Vinyl & CDs

Review: Northside courted controversy in more ways than one. Emerging from North Manchester in 1989, cynics were quick to point out their glaring sonic similarities to other Manchester groups, not least The Stone Roses, while the BBC, among others, moved even faster to ban lead single 'Shall We Take A Trip' due to its copious drug references, especially LSD. Nevertheless, the music itself was of a high standard, if led by others, and that quality meant the lead track broke into the Top 50 singles chart despite its lack of radio play. Produced by Ian Broudie, the album would produce one more track that made a chart impact - 'My Rising Star', which reached 32 and stayed in the league table for seven weeks - while as an LP the package peaked at number 19. Victims of circumstances, a follow up record was planned but the collapse of Factory Records in 1992 put an end to that, with the group disbanding shortly after.