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Fiction Factory were a Scottish new wave band from Perth. Formed in 1982, they are best known for their single "(Feels Like) Heaven", which peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Eddie Jordan and Kevin Patterson.

History

Before they began Fiction Factory in 1982, Kevin Patterson (vocals) and Eddie Jordan (keyboards) had played in the band Street People around 1978, performing original songs and covers of Magazine and Ultravox! songs, before forming ska band the Rude Boys (later shortened to the RBs) with Grant Taylor (trumpet) and Chic Medley (guitar). The eight-piece RBs played numerous live gigs, released an album and two singles, but due to musical differences Patterson, Jordan and Medley left the band to form Fiction Factory. Initially thought of as a song writing unit for other artists, they eventually enlisted Graham McGregor (bass guitar) and Mike Ogletree (drums and percussion), a former member of Simple Minds and Café Jacques, to form a proper band. Influences on Fiction Factory included Magazine, Kraftwerk, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whom Patterson described as "a big favourite". Patterson's vocal style was influenced by the Walker Brothers, Sparks, and Magazine's Howard Devoto.

The band frequented Bandwagon Music Supplies in Perth. "They would come into my shop wanting to hear their recording on my wee cassette recorder that turned out to be a number six single that still gets played today," said Pete Caban, the shop's owner. "I still see the guys, they still come in." The shop closed in 2020 after 37 years in business.

The band's single "(Feels Like) Heaven" became a UK Top 10 hit in 1984 (also reaching the Top 10 in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Switzerland); it was their only success in the UK. The follow-up single "Ghost of Love" only reached no. 64 on the singles chart, while the parent studio album Throw the Warped Wheel Out did not reach the chart at all. Fiction Factory had more success in Europe with "(Feels Like) Heaven" reaching no. 2 in Switzerland and the Top 20 in several countries, "Ghost of Love" spending 11 weeks on the German singles chart and Throw the Warped Wheel Out charting in Switzerland (no. 23), Sweden (no. 34) and Germany (no. 57).

In 1984 Fiction Factory toured Europe as support for OMD, but the same year Jordan, McGregor and Ogletree departed from the band. Patterson and Medley recorded the next studio album with session musicians, including keyboardist Paul Wishart and brothers Graham and Neil Weir of OMD.

Fiction Factory disbanded in 1987 after the release of their second studio album Another Story had become a commercial flop. Patterson formed the short lived duo The Dearhearts with singer Karen Smyth and left the music industry soon afterwards. He now works in IT and is married with two children. Patterson and Jordan reunited to perform "(Feels Like) Heaven" with a backing band at the latter's wedding in August 2007. Medley went on to work with the Scottish world music project, Mouth Music.

In 2011, the original line-up reformed for the first time since 1984 for their performance at that year's Rewind Festival.

In 2016, Manic Street Preachers covered "(Feels Like) Heaven" for the album BBC Radio 2 Sounds of the 80s, Volume 2.

In 2022, Fiction Factory reunited and performed at the Belgian "W-Festival" in Ostend.

Line-up

• Kevin Patterson – vocals (1982–1987, 2007, 2011, 2022)
• Chic (Charles) Medley – guitars (1982–1987, 2011, 2022)
• Graham McGregor – bass guitar (1982–1984, 2011)
• Eddie (Edward) Jordan – keyboards (1982–1984, 2007, 2011, 2022)
• Mike Ogletree – drums and percussion (1982–1984, 2011, 2022)
• Grant Taylor – trumpet (1983–1984) (played on first studio album)
• Paul Wishart – keyboards (1985–1987) (played on second studio album)
• Graham Weir – trombone (1985) (played on first and second studio album)
• Neil Weir – trumpet (1985) (played on first and second studio album)
• James Locke – drums and percussions (1985) (played on second studio album)
• Pim Jones – guitar (1985) (played on second studio album)
• Marwenna Laidlaw – (1985) (backing vocalist on second studio album)
• Fiona Carlin – (1985) (sang on second studio album)
• Bill Montague – bass guitar (2022) W-Fest, Ostend, Belgium
• Leon Thorne – guitar and saxophone (2022) W-Fest, Ostend, Belgium

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

1. ^ Zappa, François (3 August 2022). "Interview: Fiction Factory". El Garaje de Frank. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
2. "Perth music shop to shut after four decades as owner blames years of delayed works at city centre landmark" – The Courier, 4 August 2020
3. Fiction Factory Official Charts
4. Fiction Factory Ghost of Love chartsurfer.de
5. ^ "Swiss Albums". hitparade.ch.com. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
6. ^ "Swedish Albums". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
7. ^ "German Albums". offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
8. ^ "Fiction Factory biography". musikalske.net.
9. "University of Dundee: Contact Magazine 2002". 3 July 2003. Archived from the original on 3 July 2003.
10. "Departmental Administrators". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 2 March 2007.
11. "Fiction Factory - feels like heaven". YouTube. 7 September 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
12. "Rewind Festival". Rewind Festival. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
13. "Canadian Albums" (PDF). RPM Magazine. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
14. "UK Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
15. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 111. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
16. "Austrian Singles". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
17. "Belgian Singles". ultratop.be. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
18. "German Singles". offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
19. "Irish Singles". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
20. "Italian Singles". hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
21. "Netherlands Singles". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
22. "New Zealand Singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
23. "Swedish Singles". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
24. "Swiss Singles". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
25. "Gallup Top 200 Singles". Gallup. 9 June 1984. Retrieved 11 November 2022 – via ukmix.org.

External links

• Fiction Factory at AllMusic
• Fiction Factory discography at Discogs
• Fiction Factory at IMDb

• Musicians from Perth, Scotland
• Musical groups established in 1983
• Musical groups disestablished in 1987
• Musical groups reestablished in 2007
• Musical groups disestablished in 2007
• Musical groups reestablished in 2011
• Musical groups disestablished in 2011
• Scottish new wave musical groups
• British synth-pop new wave groups
• CBS Records artists