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Another sad new we’re becoming accustomed to in this awful year, Craig ‘Gilly’ Gill, the founding member and drummer of the indie ‘Madchester’ band Inspiral Carpets, dies at the too young age of 44.

It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our drummer and close friend, Craig Gill,” the statement reads on the band’s Facebook page.

Liam Gallagher, whose brother Noel was a roadie for the band,  Clint Boon, Tim Burgess and former New Order bassist Peter Hook are among the first to have paid their tribute.

Craig was part of the band since the beginning when he was just a teenager, aged only 14, and has served as a member for 30 years.

Hailing from the suburbs of Oldham, Inspiral Carpets rose to fame alongside The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays and The Charlatans as essential part of the late 80’s “Madchester” scene.

They wrote essential indie pop favourites  as ‘Saturn 5‘, ‘This Is How It Feels‘, ‘She Comes In The Fall‘, ‘Joe‘ and ‘Dragging Me Down‘.

Their music, a bright collision of pop, beat and psychedelia, was dominated by the unique farfisa organ sound played by Clint Boon.

1990 was the most important year for the band’s history when they  headlined the Reading Festival and played at GMEX in Manchester.

I was lucky to catch them live twice, that year at Glastonbury Festival and during ‘The Revenge Of The Goldfish‘ tour in 1992 at the Brixton Academy and keep very fond memories of those beautiful performances.

Craig was also renowned for his cult Manchester Music Tours, which saw him take fans around the city to explore its musical heritage. He used to joke : “What does Morrissey like in his sandwiches? I don’t know, but Marr might!

We mourn for another inspirational and talented musician, a huge void for the Manchester and European music scene. Your drums will beat forever in our hearts, Gilly…cool as f*uck!

Fabrizio Lusso