The Passengers (band)

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The Passengers
Genre(s)	Postpunk, new wave
Years active	1977 - 1979
Members
Michel Sordinia (bass, vocals) Isabelle Hanrez (vocals) Marc Deprez (guitar) Robert Franckson (guitar) Christophe Den Tandt (drums, keyboards)

The Passengers were a late-1970s Brussels postpunk / new wave band that later became better known as The Names (see The Names (band)). Original line-up included Michel Sordinia (bass, vocals), Isabelle Hanrez (vocals), Marc Deprez (guitar), Robert Franckson (guitar), and Christophe Den Tandt (drums).

1 Formation
2 Lineup and name change
3 Members
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Formation

The band formed in late 1977 and gave their first gig in February 1978, playing a pop-oriented brand of postpunk. Musical influences at the time included the Velvet Underground, Richard Hell, Blondie, and Television.

In March 1978, they won a punk contest and, symptomatically, turned down the first prize. They were slated to record a single ("Danger Zone" / "Hole in Your Mind") with local punk / new wave label Romantik Records, but the effort never materialized.

[edit] Lineup and name change

In mid-1978, Hanrez and Franckson left the band. By late 1978, the Passengers, now influenced by Magazine and XTC, shifted to a new line-up including Den Tandt on keyboards. By mid-1979, the band changed names, to become The Names.