Laugh was formed in 1980 by graphic designer Tim Gudgeon and medical student Simon Frampton. They wrote all the songs that the band performed in numerous gigs across Manchester and Liverpool until Frampton had to leave in 1984 to complete his medical training (he was to become a GP in Ormskirk). Auditions to replace his distinctive voice produced the line-up of Martin Wright (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Ian Bendelow (guitar), Martin Mittler (bass guitar), and Spencer Birtwistle (drums, later a member of
The Fall). Their debut release was "Take Your Time Yeah!", a
flexi-disc included with
Debris magazine in December 1985, with three further singles following prior to their only album,
Sensation No. 1 (1988). (#44) and "Time to Lose It" (#19), and recorded two sessions for
John Peel's
BBC Radio 1 show. In 1990 the band parted ways with guitarist Bendelow and discovered singer Stella Grundy and dancer Lil' Anthony, changing their sound to a more dance-oriented style and changing their name to Intastella. On 2 December, radio DJ
Marc Riley played
People by Intastella as a tribute. In November 2021, it was announced that guitarist Martin Wright had died. ==Discography==