Instant Sunshine

Instant Sunshine is a comedy musical cabaret group who sing to an acoustic guitar accompaniment. It was formed in 1966[1] by three doctors at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, Peter Christie, David Barlow and Alan Maryon-Davis. In 1972 they were joined by the journalist and double bass player Miles Kington. In 1998 Kington left the group and Tom Barlow joined in his place for several years.

Peter Christie is the leading spirit and writes the words and music. Their style has been compared to Flanders and Swann. The lyrics typically have an element of surreal fantasy (one song begins "Our Budgie has Changed to an Orang-Utang"), while the tunes are usually wistful and mock-sentimental. Their act contains an abundance of comic "business" and sound effects, usually provided by Alan Maryon-Davis. They perform at music festivals or in cabaret at private bookings, and have played alternate years at the Edinburgh Fringe since 1975.[1] The group have also performed many songs for radio and television programmes, being particularly known for their regular contribution to BBC Radio 4's Stop The Week over a period of about ten years. They provided the theme song for the BBC television version of Stephen Potter's Oneupmanship (1979), had three series of their own on Radio 4 (1985, 1986 and 1988) and a book "The Instant Sunshine Book - with hints for struggling supergroups" (Robson Books 1980).

They produced five vinyl LPs: "Live at Tiddy Dols" (Page One 1968), "Instant Sunshine" (EMI 1976), "Funny Name for a Band" (EMI 1977) "Reasonably Together Again" (EMI/One-Up 1979) and "The Instant Sunshine LP - Songs for struggling supergroups" (EMI/NTS 1980). There are currently six CDs in print, "Instant Sunshine Comes of Age" (Merlin Classics 1987), "Jubilee" (Merlin Classics 1992), "Live at the Old Vic" (Merlin Classics 2002) and remixed versions of the EMI recordings "Instant Sunshine", "Funny Name for a Band" and "Reasonably Together Again" (all Instant Sunshine 2008). The recordings are currently occasionally broadcast on BBC Radio 4Xtra and are available via the BBC iPlayer.

Song titles

Instant Sunshine (1976)

  1. Worms
  2. No News Today
  3. When I was in Bombay
  4. Metamorphosis ("Our budgie has changed to an Orang-Utang")
  5. Ten-gallon Hat
  6. Corduroy Trousers
  7. Spanish Holiday
  8. Top Dogs
  9. I Wish I Was a Sassenach
  10. Some Dancing
  11. Don't Tell the Abbot
  12. The Monster
  13. Habeas Corpse
  14. Herts is Trumps ("Tring")
  15. Mrs Brown
  16. Doctors
  17. Fleeting Time

Funny Name for a Band (1977)

  1. Sunshine
  2. Nouveau Poor
  3. The Blues
  4. Kiddies' Olympics
  5. Bar-stool Sailing
  6. Flooding
  7. Methylated
  8. The Canary Song ("When you're working down a mine")
  9. Bird Seed
  10. Hurdey Gurdey
  11. Now I'm Adolescent
  12. Here We Go Again
  13. Poor Guy
  14. Tittle-tattle Rag
  15. Talking Plants
  16. Who Mowed the Lawns of Eden
  17. The Demon in the Drink ("Salvation Army")
  18. Sunshine (reprise)

Reasonably Together Again (1979)

  1. Heathrow Holiday
  2. A Very Tropical Subject
  3. Tadpoles
  4. On the Fringe
  5. Kids on the Corner
  6. My Lawn
  7. Danish Bacon Baby
  8. Boring Song
  9. A Little Bit of Burgling on the Side
  10. Ruthless Roues
  11. Beefcake
  12. Rabbikang
  13. Lily Gilding
  14. Allotment
  15. Don't Eat a Turkey this Christmas
  16. Our Show is Live

Instant Sunshine Comes of Age (1987)

  1. The Parish Magazine
  2. A Memorable Meal
  3. Smooth Train Blues
  4. Yodelling Neurosis
  5. My Garden Shed
  6. My Dog Has Fleas
  7. Every Body needs a Body
  8. Wish You Were Here
  9. Spring Collection
  10. Has Anyone Seen My Horse
  11. At the Launderette
  12. Scat Like That
  13. Foreign Relations
  14. Conservation Conversation
  15. Who Mowed the Lawns of Eden?
  16. Never be Tempted by Water
  17. Go Plastic
  18. Platform Three
  19. Sorry
  20. Los Peckham Ryos

Jubilee (1992)

  1. A Bouquet of Roes
  2. Whitehall Farce
  3. What is a Thingummy-jig
  4. Middlesex Man
  5. Pick up the Phone
  6. Eating Food is Wrong
  7. Specs Appeal
  8. If I Keep on Whistling
  9. Shiny Leather Chair
  10. Who Dunnit
  11. Ideal Home
  12. Cucumber Sandwiches
  13. Birds and Bees
  14. Holiday Survival
  15. Westminster Pier to Greenwich
  16. It Happened in the Park
  17. Equal Animal Rights
  18. Alas Poor Hamlet
  19. Mini Mozart
  20. Listen to the Summer
  21. Fleeting Time

Live at the Old Vic (2002)

  1. Sunshine
  2. Birdseed
  3. Platform Three
  4. Knitting for Victory
  5. Herts is Trumps
  6. Smooth Train Blues
  7. The Euro
  8. The Demon in the Drink
  9. Our Show is Live
  10. Lots in the Attic
  11. Lugubrious Lobster
  12. Who Mowed the Lawns of Eden
  13. My Horse and I
  14. Corduroy Trousers
  15. Kiddies Olympics
  16. Conservation Conversation

Others including

Literature

References

  1. 1 2 "Interview: Peter Christie". Off the telly.co.uk. 2006-04-01.2008-07-26
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