EMF Homecoming Show

0	CHELTENHAM: The Steam & Whistle
P	Thursday 12th December, 2024
N	6:30pm

CHELTENHAM: The Steam & Whistle

Thursday 12th December, 2024

6:30pm

Event information

British dance-rock quintet EMF formed in Cinderford, England in October 1989. All five original members were veterans of the local music scene before founding EMF, whose name supposedly stood for “Epsom Mad Funkers" (although it was widely speculated that the initials instead represented "Ecstasy Mother Fuckers").

Within two months of formation, the group played its first gig; after unearthing a Casio sampler and sequencer in a local thrift shop, a light techno element was added to their rock-oriented sound.

Their debut album, SCHUBERT DIP, was released in May 1991. It was certified platinum (over a million copies sold) in the US in September 1991. It had reached a peak chart position of #3 in the UK and #12 in the US, as well as finishing the year at #57 overall.By the end of 1991, their infectious debut single “Unbelievable” had conquered the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 in the UK. The single was certified gold (over 500,000 copies sold) in the US in May 1991. The song was in such heavy rotation for most of the year in America, that it finished as the #6 single overall for the year.
Further hit singles that succeeded “Unbelievable” included “I Believe,” “Children” and “Lies.”
In 1992, EMF returned with the Unexplained EP and the much darker full-length effort STIGMA; STIGMA peaked at #19 on the UK charts, and the band toured extensively to promote it. It produced hit singles and EMF live set favorites, “They’re Here” and “It’s You.”