China Crisis are an English new wave and synth-pop band formed in Kirkby, near Liverpool, Merseyside in 1979 with a core of lead vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist/vocalist Eddie Lundon.

[2] Initially a politically charged post-punk band influenced by Brian Eno's ambient soundscapes, China Crisis soon crossed over to a more commercial sound and had success in the United Kingdom in the 1980s with ten top-50 singles, including the top-10 hit "Wishful Thinking", and three albums charting in or just outside the top 20, including Working with Fire and Steel and the top-10 entry Flaunt the Imperfection, that both received a gold certification.

[6] They then played with various Knowsley post-punk groups including different lineups of the band the Glass Torpedoes before Daly and Lundon continued on their own.

[5] Around 1980 they obtained a synthesizer and a drum machine and began writing songs;[7] Eno's ambient soundscapes were influential on the group's musical trajectory, as were synth-pop acts like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Depeche Mode.

[5] Eventually joined by drummer and percussionist Dave Reilly, they released their debut single "African and White" as China Crisis on the independent record label Inevitable in 1981.

Recorded over a long period of time with different producers, they released their debut studio album, Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain in November 1982.

[10][7][21] Again augmented by Gary Johnson (bass guitar), Steve Levy (oboe), and Waterboys drummer Kevin Wilkinson, in January 1983 the band premiered three new songs, including "Wishful Thinking", in a BBC Peel session.

[19] The arrangement of the song with prominent use of Levy's oboe and flugel horn marked a noticeable change from the band's previous synth-pop sound.

[24] The arrival of Steve Levy and drummer Kevin Wilkinson into the band's line-up, along with the introduction of more session musicians, gave the album a markedly less synthetic sound than its predecessor.

While the band made use of the then latest technology such as the emulator,[10] they notably incorporated brass, woodwind and string instruments to their sound.

He never formally appeared with the band (but made important playing contributions on the album) or the subsequent tour featuring new keyboardist Brian McNeill.

14 UK hit single "Black Man Ray",[20] which also enjoyed critical acclaim and international success, reaching the top 40 in Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the Netherlands, etc.

[citation needed] In 1986, the band collaborated with producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley (known for their work with Madness) on What Price Paradise, which included "Arizona Sky", the album's first single release and another Australian hit.

In addition, "Arizona Sky" achieved stateside success, giving the group a top 40 hit on the US Adult Contemporary chart.

[14] The five-piece band worked with Becker once more on 1989's Diary of a Hollow Horse, which earned critical acclaim though little commercial success.

[30] In December 2002, China Crisis' Daly and Lundon held a one-night unplugged venue in Manila, Philippines, with the support of a local alternative rock band, Rivermaya.

[33] Subsequently, the band toured extensively playing dates in the UK (including regular gigs at the Cavern Club, Liverpool) as well as visiting the United States and Canada, and returning to the Philippines.

[14] On 16 December 2013, the song "Everyone You Know" was made available as a free download on the PledgeMusic website, when pre-ordering the band's seventh studio album Autumn in the Neighbourhood announced for release in 2014.

[35] Ahead of the release of the new album, the track "Being in Love" was premiered on Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 6 Music show on 25 April 2014.

[38] The tour included a special "Flaunt the Imperfection Live" night at the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool on 17 October 2015 to mark the thirtieth anniversary of their 1985 studio album of that name.

[41] While China Crisis continue to tour the UK and play live dates, founder member Eddie Lundon teaches songwriting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.