| The Passengers | |
|---|---|
| Genres | 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) |
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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).
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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.
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.