Originally based on the south coast of England in Portsmouth, Cranes released their first album, "Fuse," on cassette in 1990. This material was subsequently re-recorded and released as part of "Self Non Self," released later that year. The intensity of that album garnered very good reviews and caught the attention of John Peel, who picked up on the album right away, with the group recording a session for him in the album's first week of release. Shortly after drawing intense media attention, they signed to the label Dedicated (which also became home to Spiritualized and Beth Orton) and went on to record their EP "Espero" in 1990, with the album "Wings of Joy" following a year later. The release of "Wings of Joy" caught the attention of Robert Smith of The Cure who picked the Cranes to open for them on their world tour in 1992, and then went on to record the albums "Forever" (1993), "Loved" (1994), "La Tragedie d'Oreste et Electre" (1995), and "Population Four" (1997). After a 4 year break, Cranes re-emerged on their own independent label Dadaphonic to release "Future Songs" (2001) and "Particles & Waves" (2004), which saw the band heading in a more electronic direction while retaining the trademark sound of previous releases. In January 2007 the band released "Live at Amsterdam Paradiso," originally recorded in 1991, just before "Wings of Joy" album was released. The show captures the darker, heavier days of the early Cranes and is available only via www.dadaphonic.co.uk