Blancmange was formed in Harrow, London in 1979 by vocalist Neil Arthur (born 15 June 1958, Darwen, Lancashire) andinstrumentalist Stephen Luscombe (born 29 October 1954, Hillingdon, Middlesex). The duo released their first EP "Irene and Mavis" the following year, but had their first real exposure 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.Blancmange supported Nash the Slash on a London club tour in October and November 1980. Nash introduced the band to the Virgin subsidiary record label DinDisc, but they were ultimately signed by London Records, in 1982.Their first success was the 1982 minor hit single, "Feel Me". 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", "Blind Vision", "That's Love That It Is" and "Don't Tell Me", all of which reached the top 40, with "Don't Tell Me" even making no.8 in the UK, while their second album Mange Tout reached the top 10. 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).
Eventually, as synthpop became less fashionable, the band's fortunes declined. The 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. Blancmange formally split up in 1987.Luscombe released an album of Indian influenced music Music From New Demons with Pandit Dinesh, Peter Culshaw, Priya Khajuria and Asha Bhosle under the name The West India Company, in 1989. Meanwhile, Arthur released a solo album, Suitcase, in 1994.
for a new album.
This led to them signing a recording contract with London Records.Blancmange supported Nash the Slash on a London club tour in October and November 1980. Nash introduced the band to the Virgin subsidiary record label DinDisc, but they were ultimately signed by London Records, in 1982.Their first success was the 1982 minor hit single, "Feel Me". 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", "Blind Vision", "That's Love That It Is" and "Don't Tell Me", all of which reached the top 40, with "Don't Tell Me" even making no.8 in the UK, while their second album Mange Tout reached the top 10. 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).
Eventually, as synthpop became less fashionable, the band's fortunes declined. The 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. Blancmange formally split up in 1987.Luscombe released an album of Indian influenced music Music From New Demons with Pandit Dinesh, Peter Culshaw, Priya Khajuria and Asha Bhosle under the name The West India Company, in 1989. Meanwhile, Arthur released a solo album, Suitcase, in 1994.
for a new album.
