Colin Moulding
The bassist and songwriter who penned XTC's early, quirky hits, crafting wry social commentary that defined the band's new wave sound.
Born 1955 (age 71)·English musician·Birthday: August 17·Baby Boomers
Biography
Colin Moulding grew up in Swindon, a town whose suburban rhythms he would later dissect with wit and empathy in his songs. As the bassist and a principal songwriter for XTC, he provided a grounded, melodic counterpoint to Andy Partridge's more frenetic energy. His compositions, often drawn from everyday British life, yielded the band's first major chart successes. Tracks like 'Making Plans for Nigel,' a deadpan take on industrial-era career planning, became unlikely anthems. While the band's later work became more studio-bound and psychedelic, Moulding's contributions remained essential, his voice offering a steady, humane presence. After XTC's effective end in the mid-2000s, he retreated from music, leaving behind a catalogue of finely observed pop that turned the mundane into something profound.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Colin was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Colin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Colin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Wrote and sang XTC's first three UK charting singles: 'Life Begins at the Hop,' 'Making Plans for Nigel,' and 'Generals and Majors.'
- Served as the melodic anchor on bass for XTC across twelve studio albums from 1978 to 2000.
- His song 'Making Plans for Nigel' was covered by bands like Rush and Monsoon, becoming a cult classic.
- Co-wrote the music for the 1986 XTC album 'Skylarking,' a critically acclaimed masterpiece of orchestral pop.
Did You Know?
He worked as a civil servant for the Inland Revenue before joining XTC.
Moulding was initially the band's lead vocalist before Andy Partridge took over most singing duties.
He is an avid fan of cricket.
After XTC, he largely retired from public life and declined involvement in later band reissues and promotions.
“I always thought the best songs were the ones that sounded like they'd always been there, that you'd just dug them up.”
