In this long-form conversation, I sit down with Rikki Turner, former frontman of Paris Angels, to talk about the band’s beginnings, the making of Perfume, and Manchester during one of its most intense and creative periods.
Paris Angels formed in 1987, emerging from the same Manchester ecosystem that produced bands like Inspiral Carpets, Northside and Intastella. Rikki talks about the early years — playing to “one man and his dog”, residencies at the Boardwalk, and the support of people like Colin Sinclair, who truly believed in the band before things took off.
We talk about Perfume landing right on the cusp of the Madchester era, and how Paris Angels fitted into what Rikki describes as the “second wave” — a moment when indie and dance culture began to properly merge. He reflects on signing to Virgin Records, early support from independent label Sheer Joy, and what it meant to suddenly be part of something much bigger.
A big part of the conversation focuses on Acid House, ecstasy, and the Hacienda. Rikki describes nights at Hot, the atmosphere inside the club, and how Manchester absorbed house music from Chicago and made it its own. He talks openly about drugs as a lifestyle at the time, and how quickly everything shifted from guitars and bands to electronic music and collective dance culture.
Rikki also discusses his wide-ranging musical influences — from The Smiths, Joy Division and The Gun Club, to opera, jazz, girl groups like The Shangri-Las, and early rock ’n’ roll. This broad taste helped shape Paris Angels’ sound and their ability to blend indie guitars with electronic rhythms.
One of the most powerful moments comes when Rikki talks about his sister Mandy, who died of cancer aged just 21. Her illness and death deeply affected him during the recording of Perfume, and he explains how the emotion in that track is real — not performance, but grief. It’s a moving insight into a song that still gets regular airplay today.
We also talk about:
• Being played regularly on BBC 6 Music
• Appearing on Never Mind The Buzzcocks
• Why Paris Angels couldn’t tour the US despite college radio success
• How Acid House changed Manchester overnight
• Why it’s so much harder for new bands today
• Mental health, addiction, and finding peace later in life
This is an honest, funny, and deeply human conversation about music, Manchester, and a time when everything seemed possible
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