The story of electronic act Blancmange can be divided into two distinct chapters.
In the early 1980s the duo – Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe – met at art school, and, with ‘proper’ electronic equipment the preserve of superstars like Kraftwerk, instead constructed experimental homemade instruments which at least sounded vaguely like synths.
From here they infused the emergent synth-pop scene with oblique lyrics, wry British humour and occasionally tabla-tinged sonics.
This unlikely mix saw them soar into the Top 10 with singles such as ‘Living On The Ceiling’, ‘Blind Vision’ and ‘Don’t Tell Me’.
The band departed in 1986 after this string of hits and Top of the Pops appearances, but remained in contact, often joking that they should do more stuff together one day.
Eventually they realised they weren’t really joking, re-emerging some 25 years later with 2011’s acclaimed album Blanc Burn.
Sadly Luscombe left shortly after due to ill-health, a hereditary heart condition preventing him from continuing, but agreed that Arthur should carry on with the Blancmange name, the brief reunification unlocking an astonishingly prolific side to the frontman, resulting in seven more Blancmange albums in the space of a decade.
Now, those two career halves are documented in a collection which spans five decades in a comprehensive 38 tracks.
Aptly entitled Everything Is Connected, the new compilation shows that while their biggest hits came in the early part of their career, their sound is diverse but consistently familiar – primary-coloured electronics with a hidden edge, or a rain-spattered bleakness that’s somehow comforting, often delivered with blunt Northern humour.
And their place as electropop royalty alongside the likes of Depeche Mode and Soft Cell is assured, thanks to their influence on those who followed in their footsteps. Admirers include John Grant, Honey Dijon, and megastar Moby who described the band as “probably the most under-rated electronic act of all time”.
Arthur says: “I’m really lucky to be able to make the music completely on my own terms.
“Within myself there are no limits, there’s a massive palette inside and I will try anything.”
Some 40 years after the release of their debut Happy Families, Blancmange re-signed to London Records for their most recent album, Private View, with this and their new anthology happily closing a circle and showing once again, that everything is indeed connected.
This article originally appeared in the Portsmouth News.
Also chief newshound at Jockrock
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