After Dinner Speakers: The Lightning Seeds, Martha Lane-Fox, Nicholas Parsons

Contrary to the multiples suggested by the moniker, Lightning Seeds is the brainchild of one man, Ian Broudie (b. 4 August 1958, Liverpool, England), who had gouged a significant niche in the Merseyside music scene during the 80s. Originally a member of Big In Japan - a forerunner of the likes of Echo And The Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes, not to mention a breeding ground for future Frankie Goes To Hollywood singer Holly Johnson and drummer Budgie, who was later to join Siouxsie And The Banshees - Broudie eventually ended up playing in the Original Mirrors and developed an appetite for production work. His efforts on the first two Echo And The Bunnymen albums acted as a springboard from which he was catapulted into the studio with numerous acts, including the Fall, Wah!, Icicle Works and Frazier Chorus. On the creative front, Broudie collaborated with Wild Swans singer Paul Simpson under the name Care, releasing three immaculate singles and preparing the blueprint for his own pop-obsessed project. Thus, Lightning Seeds was born as an opportunity for Broudie to expand his own songwriting ideas. The project had an immediate impact when his first single, "Pure", fuelled everyone's interest by virtue of being a deliberately low-key release, and went on to reach number 16 in the UK chart in summer 1989. Cloudcuckooland followed, encapsulating Broudie's notion of the perfect, sweet pop song, whereupon he put his producer's hat back on to work with contemporary bands such as Northside, the Primitives, Frank And Walters, Alison Moyet and Sleeper, among many others. He continued his work under the Lightning Seeds moniker in 1992 with Sense, another collection of bittersweet pop confectionery, but he would have to wait until 1994's Jollification for a further commercial breakthrough. The album contained the glorious UK Top 20 hit singles, "Change", "Lucky You" and "Perfect". This time Broudie put together a full touring band, playing live for the first time since the Original Mirrors folded. The assembled line-up; Martin Campbell (bass, ex-Rain), Chris Sharrock (drums, ex-Icicle Works) and Paul Hemmings (guitar, ex-La's) drew on his Liverpool connections, but Broudie remained very much the nucleus. In 1996, Broudie composed England's anthem for soccer's European championships, "Three Lions" (recorded with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner), which reached number 1 in the UK chart. Later in the year his songwriting reached a creative peak with the gloriously melodic Dizzy Heights, which included three further Top 20 singles, "Ready Or Not", "What If ...", and "Sugar Coated Iceberg", and the Top 10 hit "You Showed Me". The compilation set Like You Do included two new tracks. "Three Lions 98", released to coincide with England's World Cup challenge, topped the UK charts in June 1998. Broudie attempted to modernise the band's sound on Tilt, although the closest point of reference was arguably New Order