Blancmange (band)

Blancmange
Neil Arthur as Blancmange performing live at KOKO in London, 2011
Neil Arthur as Blancmange performing live at KOKO in London, 2011
Background information
OriginHarrow, London, England
Genres
Years active1979–1986, 2006–present
Labels
MembersNeil Arthur
Past members
Websiteblancmange.co.uk

Blancmange (/bləˈmɒ̃ʒ, -ˈmɑːnʒ, -ˈmɒnʒ/) are an English synth-pop band formed in Harrow, London, in 1979. The band were a duo for much of their career, composed of Neil Arthur (vocals) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards). They came to prominence in the early 1980s, releasing four UK top-20 singles: "Living on the Ceiling", "Waves", "Blind Vision" and "Don't Tell Me". They released three studio albums during that decade: Happy Families (1982), Mange Tout (1984) and Believe You Me (1985).[1]

The duo amicably broke up in 1986 but reformed in the late 2000s, and in 2011 released their fourth studio album, Blanc Burn. Luscombe left following the release due to ill health, and since then Arthur alone has continued to perform under the Blancmange name, releasing nine new studio albums along with a re-recording of the band's debut studio album, titled Happy Families Too... (2013).[2][3] He has also been involved in a further three collaborative albums as Fader (with Benge) and Near Future (with Jez Bernholz).

  1. ^ "The Morning Call, 29 Mar 1986". The Morning Call. 29 March 1986. p. 59. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  2. ^ Chi, Ming Lai (3 July 2017). "BLANCMANGE The Blanc Tapes". The Electricity Club. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  3. ^ Sutton, Michael. "Blancmange - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 August 2017.