Blancmange
Promotional photograph from the Mange Tout era. (Left) Neil Arthur, (Right) Stephen Luscombe.
Background information
Origin	Harrow, England
Genre(s)	Synthpop Alternative dance New Romantic New Wave
Years active	1979–1986
Label(s)	London Records, Sire
Associated acts	The West India Company Neil Arthur
Website	http://www.blancmange.biz
Members
Neil Arthur Stephen Luscombe
Former members
Lawrence Stevens (1979)

Blancmange is a British synthpop band that is best known for their hits in the early to mid 1980s.

Biography

According to a Smash Hits interview done by Chris Heath, Neil Arthur attended the University of Birmingham at the same time that Duran Duran lead singer Simon Le Bon did. Years later, when the two met up backstage at a Top Of The Pops taping, Le Bon recognized Arthur from university days and the two met up for a drink and some friendly chat.

Before forming Blancmange, Luscombe was a member of the West Middlesex group, 'Miru Music Club'. Luscombe also recorded with the 'Spontaneous Music Orchestra' and the 'Portsmouth Sinfonia'.

Blancmange was formed in Harrow, London in 1979 by vocalist Neil Arthur (born 15 August 1958, in Darwen, Lancashire) and instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe (born on 29 October 1954, in 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 Bizarre compilation album, alongside fellow acts Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. This led to them signing a deal 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 subsequently 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" (below), which made Number 7 in the UK singles chart. The sleeve of their first album Happy Families is a painting in the style of Louis Wain.

In 1984 Blancmange covered ABBA's single "The Day Before You Came," which reached No 22 in the UK. Eventually, as synthpop became less fashionable, the band's fortunes declined; the 1985 single "What's Your Problem" only reached No. 40, and the same year's album Believe You Me spent only two weeks in the British album chart. The music video for their song "Lose Your Love" was briefly shown during a scene in the 1986 Disney film Flight of the Navigator.

Blancmange split up in 1986.

Luscombe later released an album of Indian influenced music, New Demons, with Pandit Dinesh, under the name 'The West India Company', in 1989. Arthur meanwhile released his solo album Suitcase, in 1994.

As stated on the band's official MySpace page, Blancmange have recently reformed and are writing material for a new album.

Discography

EP

• "Irene & Mavis" (1980)

33rpm 7" vinyl released on Blaah Records

Singles (with chart position)

• "God's Kitchen / I've Seen The Word" (1982) UK #65
• "Feel Me" (1982) UK #46
• "Living On The Ceiling" (1982) UK #7
• "Waves" (1983) UK #19
• "Blind Vision" (1983) UK #10
• "That's Love That It Is" (1983) UK #33
• "Don't Tell Me" (1984) UK #8
• "The Day Before You Came" (1984) UK #22
• "What's Your Problem?" (1985) UK #40
• "Lose Your Love" (1985) UK #77
• "I Can See It" (1986) UK #71

Studio albums (with chart position)

• Happy Families (1982) - UK #30
• Mange Tout (1984) - UK #8
• Believe You Me (1985) - UK #54

Compilation albums

• Second Helpings (1990)
• Heaven Knows (1992)
• The Third Course (1994)
• Best of Blancmange (1996)
• The Platinum Collection (2006)

Session tracks

• "I Would"
• "Living on the Ceiling"
• "Waves"
  
• "Running Thin"

Recorded for the BBC Radio 1 John Peel show and transmitted in February 1982.

Notes

External links

• All Music Guide Band Biography - Blancmange
• Trouser Press Guide Band And Album Review - Blancmange
• Blancmange Fan site