Though not as instantly recognisable as fellow baggy scene members Happy Mondays or The Stone Roses, The Farm enjoyed their fair share of success during the early 1990s with their catchy blend of leftist imagery, acid house, and guitar-oriented rock. Formed in 1983 in Liverpool, the band were initially composed of Peter Hooton (vocals), Stevie Grimes (guitar), Phil Strongman (bass), and Andy McVann (drums). They released their debut single in 1984 with “Hearts and Minds,” produced by Madness’ Graham “Suggs” McPherson. In 1986, following Andy McVann’s untimely death in a car crash, the band revamped their lineup once more and steered towards a more synth-pop sound with the singles “Some People” (1986) and “Body and Soul” (1989). Preceded by the hit singles “Groovy Train” and the anthemic “All Together Now”, which peaked at number six and four in the UK Singles Chart, their highly-anticipated studio debut Spartacus (1991) topped the UK Albums Chart and quickly obtained gold status. They followed up with Love See No Colour (1991), which spawned the Top 20 cover of the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me?” and Hullabaloo (1994). After the commercial flop of their last two albums, The Farm went into an indefinite hiatus until 2004, which saw them releasing a new version of their hit “All Together Now”. Specially recorded to support the England National Football Team in the Euro 2004 tournament, the single featured Liverpool’s SFX Boys Choir and climbed to number five on the UK Singles Chart. In subsequent years, the band released the live album All Together Now (2007) and spent most of their time touring extensively, playing at some of the UK’s top festivals. In 2025, following an extended break from the studio, the band returned with Let The Music Take Control: their first album in over 30 years.
