Blancmange (band)

Blancmange are an English synthpop band who came to prominence with a string of hits in the early to mid-1980s.

Biography

Blancmange was formed in Harrow, Middlesex in 1979 by singer Neil Arthur (born 15 June 1958, Darwen, Lancashire) and instrumentalists Stephen Luscombe (born 29 October 1954, Hillingdon, Middlesex) and Laurence Stevens. Stevens left shortly after the band was formed, and Arthur and Luscombe continued as a duo. The duo released their first EP, Irene and Mavis, the following year, but their first real exposure came via a track on the seminal Some Bizzare Album, alongside fellow acts Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. This led to them signing a recording contract with London Records.

The duo found minor success with their 1982 double A-sided single, "God's Kitchen"/"I've Seen the Word", which peaked at no. 65 in the UK. This was followed by "Feel Me", which peaked at no. 46. Later that year, they broke through with "Living on the Ceiling", which reached no. 7 in the UK Singles Chart. Their debut album, Happy Families (which featured a sleeve painting in the style of Louis Wain), also reached the top 30.

Further hits followed with "Waves" (no. 19), "Blind Vision" (no. 10), "That's Love That It Is" (no. 33) and "Don't Tell Me" (no. 8), while their second album Mange Tout also reached no. 8 in the UK Albums Chart. In 1984, Blancmange covered ABBA's single "The Day Before You Came", which reached no. 22 in the UK (slightly higher than Abba's original less than two years earlier). But after this, the band's fortunes declined. Their 1985 single "What's Your Problem" only reached no. 40, and the subsequent album Believe You Me spent only two weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at no. 54.^[1] Blancmange formally split up in 1987.

Luscombe released an album of Indian-influenced music, New Demons, with Pandit Dinesh, Peter Culshaw, Priya Khajuria and Asha Bhosle under the name West India Company, in 1989. Meanwhile, Arthur released a solo album, Suitcase, in 1994.

Following a gap of a quarter of a century, Blancmange released their fourth studio album, Blanc Burn, in March 2011.

Blancmange announced on their official website in July 2013 that they will be going on tour in November across the UK and will be playing their debut album in its entirety at each show. They will also be releasing a new album, Happy Families Too..., featuring updated recordings of the original tracks from their 1982 debut album. Initially, the new album is only available on the tour but a digital download will follow.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

• 1990: Second Helpings
• 1992: Heaven Knows
• 1994: The Third Course
• 1996: Best of Blancmange
• 2006: The Platinum Collection
• 2012: The Very Best Of Blancmange

EPs

• 1980: Irene & Mavis (33 RPM 7", Blaah Records, limited edition, only 500 copies ever printed)
• 2011: 21st Century Blanc Remixes Part 1
• 2013: Irene & Mavis (Minimal Wave Records, limited edition vinyl 10", digital release to follow)

Singles

Others

• 2011: "Drive Me" UK Download only^[1]

Radio session tracks

• "I Would" / "Living on the Ceiling" / "Waves" / "Running Thin" (Recorded for a February 1982 Peel Session show.^[3])

In media

• In the 1986 Sci-Fi film Flight of the Navigator, Blancmange appear on David's TV with the music video for "Lose Your Love" when he is introduced to music videos by Carolyn McAdams, played by a young Sarah Jessica Parker.
• In 2000, "Living On The Ceiling" was sampled by the German techno group Scooter on the song "Kashmir", from the album Back To The Heavyweight Jam.
• During the 1980s and through the late 1990s the main theme of "Living On The Ceiling" was used as the intro for the Arabic news program on Israel's Channel One television.
• An instrumental version of the song "Blind Vision" by Blancmange is used for the closing credits of the 1985 b-movie Avenging Angel.
• "Don't Tell Me" plays during the club scene in the 1987 thriller No Man's Land, starring Charlie Sheen and written by Law & Order's Dick Wolf.
• Faithless remixed "Feel Me" for their 2010 release The Dance.
• In Australia, "Living On The Ceiling" is used for a television advertisement of Berocca, where a group of average looking citizens dance to the song using treadmills in an open air city location.

References