From the album "Observations of Istanbul"

Observations of Istanbul

We can discuss the price

This is the original full length version of "Ruin Moon". It was shortened for both the "Magistrates & saints" 12" ep and the album "This is the winter darkness". The sound quality on this demo is not great but it's worth preserving for it's historic significance. It was written and recorded days after Barry's grandfather died so is emotionally raw and personal particularly in the second part of the song.

Ruin moon

Opening track of the album "This is the winter darkness"


goin' down to the ocean

forgotten stories

This was the final ever insane picnic studio recording. It was May 1989. We hadn't played together for a while and for the first time we found ourselves without Tony Smith who had been our producer and sound engineer since the beginning. We went into a new studio with Mike Cheal at the controls. Mike had been the guitarist in Hiroshima the heavy rock band that Owen had left to join us several years earlier. We also decided to try out a new bass player in David White and have Owen focus on drumming. We recorded a 9 minute heavy rock epic which was a poor attempt at being Led Zeppelin and such a long way from what the insane picnic had set out to be. Although the track had some inspired moments and lyrically it had the poetic trademark, it very clearly was not us. We left the studio happy enough with what we had achieved though it's hard to be objective when you have just finished creating something. Within a few days there were some rumblings from Owen that he was not happy with the track at all and a strange discontent started to set in. The weird thing was that there was no formal split or announcements or anything we just stopped calling each other to arrange anything. It was the last time the three of us were in a room together.

Stray woman

Angry poetic lyricism set in (and raging against) Thatchers Britain over a musical backdrop of mainly uptempo noise and melody combined in concise songs played on drums, bass and guitars

Four days in April e.p. - autumn 1982 

"A twisted cross between Echo and the Bunnymen and the Fall, The Insane Picnic succeed where most others fail by creating an atmosphere that may not be unique but is at least threateningly distanced from the obvious possibilities" - Ian Pye, Melody Maker 

"A strangely appealing nihilistic din" - Sounds 

Romance / The Politician`s Promise single - spring 1983 

"Sly suburban lyrics, the music is full blooded intelligent and edgy, the guitar is on razor honed form. This is pop music that sparkles like lucozade but does you a great deal more good" - NME 

"A cunning blend of noise and melody" - Maximum Rock'n'Roll 

Magistrates and Saints 12" - autumn 1986. 

"Headless drifters, destabilizing and unpunking rock's great undertow" - Melody Maker