Crash Test Dummies

If nothing else, you have to hand it to Crash Test Dummies for managing to have a worldwide hit with a song that has a title as unwieldy as ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’. Whilst it doesn’t really roll off the tongue, the song itself was a huge smash back in 1993, when it peaked at number two in the UK and at number four on the corresponding U.S. countdown. The album from which it was lifted, God Shuffled His Feet, was a success, too, and whilst the band - who can only count singer Brad Roberts and keyboardist Ellen Reid amongst their permanent members - have failed to match up to that level of commercial appeal since, they’ve continued to record and tour, with their most recent album, Ooh La La!, released in 2010. The current lineup most recently hit the road throughout 2010 and 2011, with heavy emphasis on both Ooh La La! and God Shuffled His Feet, as well as a few covers thrown in; The Replacements’ ‘Androgynous’ and ‘The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead’ by XTC were both popular picks. Reid would occasionally throw in a solo track or two, as well, to the delight of the hardcore - only in the U.S., though, as Dummies fans in the UK have been deprived of them for some years now, and only time will tell if they’ll ever make it back to these shores for further shows.