Therapy?

Therapy? are an alternative rock group with industrial and punk influences from Larne, Northern Ireland, formed in 1989 by Andy Cairns (vocals, lead guitar) Fyfe Ewing (drums) and Michael McKeegan (bass guitar) joined them soonly afterwards. They developed a strong underground following in both parts of the island, particularly around their legendary early nineties Dublin Christmas gigs in the SFX. They started to received some attention across the water in Britain in 1992 with their "Pleasure Death" mini album and then with the "Nurse" album and "Teethgrinder" single. This interest exploded with the release of the more traditionally punk rock sounding "Shortsharpshock EP" in 1993, which gave them a No. 10 hit in the UK and an appearance on Top Of The Pops. This was followed by further hits from the "Opal Mantra" and "Face the Strange" EPs. This success was consolidated with the release of the "Troublegum" album and its associated singles. Fyfe left the band in 1996, to be replaced by Graham Hopkins. Martin McKerrick (guitar/cello) alos joined the band full-time at this stage, having appeared as a guest musician on previous Therapy? releases and played with them live. Graham left Therapy? in December 2001, he was replaced by Neil Cooper in 2002. Martin left the band in 2004.
==Links To Peel==
In an interview with Steve Lamacq as part of BBC Radio 6 Music's 'Biggest Weekend' in Belfast in May 2018 Andy Cairns told of how, when the band were on tour, they stopped their bus outside the BBC in order to deliver a copy of their single to John Peel by hand. While the concierge was reluctant to accept it, a receptionist asked where they were from and said she would pass the record on. According to Cairns Peel played the single "four days later". Cairns told the same story during the Peel, Punk, Belfast and Beyond programme also first broadcast on BBC Six Music in May 2018. 
Peel played the band's first single Meat Abstract in October 1990. Between 1990 and 1993, he regularly played their material. After the band got signed to a major label in October 1992, he started slowly losing interest in the group, with the band changing musical direction to a more commercialised alternative rock sound.
==Festive Fifty Entries ==
*1992 Festive Fifty: Teethgrinder #33
==Sessions==
Both sessions are available on Therapy? ‎– Music Through A Cheap Transistor - The BBC Sessions (2007, Mercury, 2xCD) 
1. Recorded: 1991-08-15. Broadcast: 28 September 1991.
*Innocent X / Meat Abstract / Prisonbreaker / Perversonality
2. Recorded: 1992-11-29. Broadcast: 06 February 1993. Repeated: 08 May 1993
*Pile Of Bricks / Bloody Blue / Totally Random Man / Autosurgery
==Other Shows Played==
thumb|right|335 px|"Teethgrinder, #33 in the 1992 Festive Fifty(The following list was compiled only from the database of this site and Lorcan's Tracklistings Archive and is certainly incomplete. Please add further details if known.)
;1990
*13 October 1990: Meat Abstract (7" - Meat Abstract / Punishment Kiss) Multifuckingnational
*21 October 1990: 'Meat Abstract (12 inch)' (Multifuckingnational) (Peel thinks it is the double A side, 'Punishment Kiss', due to confusing labelling)
;1991
*27 July 1991: Loser Cop (album - Babyteeth) Wiiija WIJ9
*05 August 1991 (Ö3): Loser Cop (album - Babyteeth) Wiiija WIJ9
* 05 August 1991 (Radio Bremen): Loser Cop (album - Babyteeth) Wiiija WIJ9
*10 August 1991: Innocent X (album - Babyteeth) Wiiija WIJ9
* 19 August 1991 (Radio Bremen): Innocent X (album - Babyteeth) Wiiija WIJ9
* 25 August 1991: Loser Cop (album - Babyteeth) Wiiija WIJ9
*06 September 1991 (BFBS): Loser Cop (album - Babyteeth) Wiiija WIJ9
;1992
*19 January 1992: Fantasy Bag (LP - Pleasure Death) Wiiija
*26 January 1992: DLC (album - Pleasure Death) Ouiiiija
*31 January 1992 (BFBS): Prison Breaker (album - Pleasure Death) Wiiija
*08 February 1992: Fantasy Bag (album - Pleasure Death) Wiiija
*08 May 1992: Innocent X (Remix) (Various CD - Volume 3) Volume
*04 September 1992: DLC (mini-album - Pleasure Death) Wiiija 
*26 September 1992: "Teethgrinder" (A&M) (JP: 'If any members of the band are listening, thanks for the Validaire Comrades Football Club T-shirt, as soon as I've had the liposuction I'll be able to fit into it ... I had a phone call this afternoon from Blackburn, or some place where there's a decent football team, you get to see plenty of goals at Anfield though, don't you, wrong team scores them, mind you, but there's still plenty of goals.')
*27 September 1992 (BFBS): Human Mechanism (12" - Teethgrinder) A&M 
*03 October 1992: Summer Of Hate (CD EP - Teethgrinder) A&M 
*04 October 1992 (BFBS): Teethgrinder / Teethgrinder (Tee Hee Dub Mix) (12") A&M
*09 October 1992: 'Teethgrinder (Tee Hee Dub Mix) (12")' (A&M)
*10 October 1992: Human Mechanism (12" - Teethgrinder) A&M
*11 October 1992 (BFBS): Human Mechanism (12" - Teethgrinder) A&M
*17 October 1992: Teethgrinder (7") A&M
*24 October 1992: 'Teethgrinder-Tee Hee Dub Mix (12 inch)' (A&M)
*25 October 1992 (BFBS): Teethgrinder (12") A&M
*01 November 1992 (Ö3): 'Teenage Kicks (7"-Have A Merry Fucking Christmas)' (A&M)
*07 November 1992: 'Disgracelands (CD-Nurse)' (A&M)
*22 November 1992 (BFBS): Accelerator (LP - Nurse) A&M
*29 November 1992 (BFBS): Perversonality (LP - Nurse) A&M
*19 December 1992: 'Teethgrinder (7 inch)' (A&M) FF #33
;1993
*01 January 1993: 'Teenage Kicks (7 inch-Have A Merry Fucking Christmas)' (A&M) (JP: '500 copies of that handed out to customers in Dublin and Belfast by the band. I got one meself actually, although I wasn't at one of the gigs, because I'm so sweet.')
*08 January 1993: Teenage Kicks (7 inch – Have A Merry Fucking Christmas ) A&M
*17 January 1993 (BFBS): Teenage Kicks (7" - Have A Merry Fucking Christmas) A&M 
*05 February 1993: Nausea (v/a cassette - Five Alive) Melody Maker MMMC ONE
*12 February 1993: Totally Random Man
*14 February 1993 (BFBS): Nausea (v/a CD - Five Alive) Melody Maker
*26 February 1993: 'Accelerator' (EP 'Short Sharp Shock) A&M
*28 February 1993 (BFBS): Understand Me (CD: Therapy? Who Did This) Lost Control Records
*05 March 1993: 'Auto Surgery (7"-Shortsharpshock EP)' (A&M)
*14 March 1993 (BFBS): 'Accelerator' (EP 'Short Sharp Shock) A&M
*21 March 1993 (BFBS): Auto Surgery (album- Shortsharpshock) A&M
*Early March 1993 (BBC World Service): Accelerator (Shortsharpshock E.P.) A&M Records
*07 May 1993: Speedball (acetate for EP - Face The Strange E.P.) A&M
;Others
*Peel Out In The States (Program 02): 'Teenage Kicks (7"-Have A Merry Fucking Christmas)' (not on label) (JP: 'I still regard the Undertones' original Teenage Kicks as being the best record anybody's ever made, or perhaps the closest anybody's come to making the perfect record.')
*Peel Out In The States (Program 05): 'Accelerator (7"-Shortsharpshock EP)' (A&M)
== See Also ==
*Alternative Ulster - John Peel's Favourite Music Scene?
==External Links==
*Wikipedia
*Discog
*Official Website
== Footnotes ==
Category:Artists