Carter USM (aka Unstoppable Sex Machine) live at the Kilburn National in London on November 7, 1991 and captured for posterity by BBC Radio 1 In Concert.
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (also known as Carter USM or simply Carter) formed in 1987 by singer Jim “Jim Bob” Morrison and guitarist Les “Fruitbat” Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock ‘n’ roll guitars and off-beat wordplay-loaded lyrics. They reached the height of their fame in 1992. Over the following years the band took on new members, reaching a six-piece, but struggled to regain their earlier popularity. They initially split up in 1998 after releasing seven albums.
Based in Lambeth in South London, England, Carter and Morrison originally played in an indie band called Jamie Wednesday, which released two singles – “Vote For Love” and “We Three Kings of Orient Aren’t”. Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine was formed on Thursday 6 August 1987,[3] when Carter and Morrison were the only band members to turn up for a charity gig at the London Astoria, and went on stage to perform as a duo with backing tapes.[4] The debut single “A Sheltered Life” was released later in 1988 on the Big Cat label, but it was not until the second single “Sheriff Fatman” was released in 1989 that the band began to receive recognition.[2] The song was followed by the album 101 Damnations – a critical account of life south of the River Thames, full of black humour, cynicism, wordplay and puns.[2] The album reached number 29 on the UK Albums Chart.
The band’s gigs became well known for a wall of white stage lights that threw off enormous heat and contributed to the sweaty, stage-diving crowd scenes that became part of the band’s image. Such scenes are depicted in the video In Bed With Carter, filmed at the Brixton Academy.
After signing to Cooking Vinyl they released a mini-album, A World Without Dave, and started their longest ever UK tour. The band then went back to Canada and the U.S. They decided to split shortly after their 10th anniversary, and their final studio album, I Blame The Government, was released in January 1998. Two further albums, Live! and BBC Sessions, were released in the same year, in June and October respectively.
In February 2012, more reunion concerts were announced, in Leeds O2 Academy on 9 November and London O2 Academy Brixton on Saturday 10 November. EMI also announced re-mastered versions of the albums 30 Something and 1992 – The Love Album to coincide with these concerts. Carter announced in February 2014 that they would play another one-off gig at the Brixton Academy on 22 November that year, billed as the final ever Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine live show – The Last Tango in Brixton. Due to popular demand, a further date was added at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 21 November.
If you aren’t familiar with their earlier incarnation, press play and dive into this 1991 gem.
