Microdisney

{{Short description|Irish band}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2014}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Microdisney

| image = Microdisney.jpg

| caption = Coughlan and O'Hagan in the late 1980s

| image_size =

| landscape =

| background = group_or_band

| origin = Cork, Ireland

| genre = {{hlist|Pop}}

| years_active = {{hlist|1980–1988|2018–2019}}

| label = {{hlist|Reekus|Kabuki|Rough Trade|Virgin}}

| spinoffs = {{hlist|The Fatima Mansions|The High Llamas|Stump}}

| website =

| current_members =

| past_members = Cathal Coughlan
Sean O'Hagan
Mick Lynch
Giordaí Ua Laoghaire
Nick Montgomery
Jon Fell
Dave Galvin
Chris McCarthy
Aisling Hayden
Rob McKahey
Tom Fenner
James Compton

}}

Microdisney were an Irish rock band formed in Cork in 1980.{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor-first=Colin|editor-last=Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=Virgin Books|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=840/1|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}} They were founded and led by songwriters Cathal Coughlan (keyboards, vocals) and Sean O'Hagan (guitar).{{cite web|last1=Ankeny|first1=Jason|date=n.d.|title=Microdisney|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/microdisney-mn0000891124/biography|publisher=AllMusic}} Originally typeset as Micro Disney, the band had become Microdisney by the time they (Coughlan and O'Hagan) had relocated to London in 1983 and signed to Rough Trade Records.{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/learn-and-sing/iron-fist-in-velvet-glove-the-story-of-microdisney-part-1-244e583c690b|title=Iron Fist in Velvet Glove (Part 1)|first=Paul|last=McDermott|date=27 April 2021|website=Medium.com|access-date=20 June 2021}} Between 1983 and 1986 the band recorded six Peel Sessions{{Cite web|url=http://www.furious.com/perfect/microdisney.html|title=Perfect Sound Forever: Microdisney – their story|website=Furious.com|access-date=20 June 2021}} for BBC Radio and released their debut album for Rough Trade called Everybody Is Fantastic.

In 1985, their album The Clock Comes Down the Stairs reached number one in the UK Indie Chart,{{Cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/radio-documentary-celebrates-career-of-recently-reformed-microdisney/|title=Iron Fist in Velvet Glove : radio documentary celebrates career of recently reformed Microdisney|website=Louderthanwar.com|date=29 November 2017|access-date=20 June 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.joe.ie/music/microdisney-back-touring-best-album-one-night-607674|title=Microdisney are back and touring their best album – for one night only|website=Joe.ie|access-date=20 June 2021}} and they reached number 55 in the UK Singles Chart and the top 40 in Ireland with the 1987 single "Town to Town".{{cite web|url = http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&placement%5Bartist%5D=microdisney | publisher = Irish Recorded Music Association | title = Singles Charts – Placement – Search – Microdisney |access-date = 23 June 2018 }}{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Ed |title=Sean O'Hagan returns to 'cosmopolitan' Cork |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsfilmtv/sean-ohagan-returns-to-cosmopolitan-cork-453498.html |work=The Irish Examiner |date=28 June 2017}} This single, released by Virgin Records, was followed into the UK chart by "Gale Force Wind" in March 1988. That July, days after supporting David Bowie at London's Dominion Theatre, the band split up.{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/04/how-i-fell-in-love-with-microdisney|title=How I fell in love with Microdisney | Pádraig Collins|date=4 February 2019|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=20 June 2021}}

O'Hagan and Coughlan formed separate bands, the High Llamas and the Fatima Mansions, respectively, with Coughlan also going on to work with Sean Hughes in Bubonique{{Cite web|url=https://brandnewretro.ie/2012/04/26/sean-hughes-cathal-coughlan-fatima-masions-nme-may-1992/|title=Sean Hughes & Cathal Coughlan (Fatima Mansions), NME, May 1992|website=Brandnewretro.ie|access-date=20 June 2021}} and Luke Haines as part of The North Sea Scrolls project.{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/06785-north-sea-scrolls-cathal-coughlan-luke-haines-andrew-mueller|title=The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | North Sea Scrolls: Coughlan, Haines, Mueller Present New History|website=Thequietus.com|access-date=20 June 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/luke-haines-cathal-coughlan-and-andrew-mueller-the-north-sea-scrolls-album-review/|title=Luke Haines, Cathal Coughlan and Andrew Mueller: The North Sea Scrolls – album review|first=Ged|last=Babey|website=Louderthanwar.com|date=20 January 2013|access-date=20 June 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2.2117/north-sea-scrolls-1.1584469|title=North Sea Scrolls|first=Tony|last=Clayton-Lea|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=20 June 2021}} In 2017, a radio documentary was made about the band called Iron Fist in Velvet Glove – The Story of Microdisney by producer Paul McDermott, which was re-broadcast by Newstalk 106-108fm as part of their Documentary on Newstalk season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstalk.com/documentary-and-drama-on-newstalk/documentary-on-newstalk-iron-fist-in-velvet-glove-the-story-of-microdisney-506328|title=Documentary on Newstalk: Iron Fist in Velvet Glove – the story of Microdisney|website=Newstalk.com|access-date=20 June 2021}}

In 2018, Microdisney reunited for the first time in 30 years, performing live in Dublin and London.{{cite news |last1=Clayton-Lea |first1=Tony |title=Microdisney come full circle. Welcome back, you little rascals |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/microdisney-come-full-circle-welcome-back-you-little-rascals-1.3518500 |work=The Irish Times |date=3 June 2018}} In February 2019, they played their last shows in Dublin and Cork.{{cite web | title=Cathal Coughlan: 'Microdisney ran its course. Let's just leave it' | website=The Irish Times | date=2013-03-21 | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/cathal-coughlan-microdisney-ran-its-course-let-s-just-leave-it-1.3786845 |last1=Clayton-Lea |first1=Tony}} The members of Microdisney were awarded an IMRO/NCH Trailblazer Award, given to "culturally important" Irish albums (in this instance, for The Clock Comes Down the Stairs) in 2018.

A 2024 documentary, titled Microdisney: The Clock Comes Down the Stairs and focusing on the band's formation and career and reformation, was broadcast on BBC4 on 15 March 2024.{{cite web|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001x9fs | publisher = BBC | title = BBC Four – Programmes – The Story of Microdisney: The Clock Comes Down the Stairs | accessdate = 7 March 2024 }}