Comsat Angels

Sheffield’s Comsat Angels were defined by the same mix of high-tensile guitar, militaristic beats, moody keyboards and strained vocals as bands like Joy Division, PiL, Wire and Gang Of Four. But sadly the Angels were always overlooked.

Starting out as The Skylids, then Radio Earth, then finally settling on Comsat Angels, they released the Red Planet EP on the Junta label in 1979.

Then came three LPs for Polydor: Their 1980 debut, Waiting For A Miracle, and the bleaker 1981 follow-up Sleep No More show very few differences between them and The Cure or Echo & The Bunnymen, but by 1982’s Fiction The Comsat Angels were floundering.

American communications giant Comsat took issue with the band’s name, and they were forced to change it to CS Angels for their US release of the album Land (Jive/Arista, 1983) – which included the singles Will You Stay Tonight? and a re-recorded Independence Day – and for their subsequent US LP 7 Day Weekend (Jive / Arista, 1985).

With the help of Robert Palmer, the band signed to Island Records and released Chasing Shadows (1987). The 90’s saw a change in direction and name (to Headhunters).

The follow-up LP – Fire On The Moon ( 1990) – was released under the name Dream Command. The band were dropped by Island shortly after.

Two more albums were released by the RPM label: My Mind’s Eye (1992) and The Glamour (1995). Meanwhile, the band invested heavily in their own recording studio in Sheffield, which became a focus for the city’s musical creativity.

Stephen Fellows
Guitar, vocals
Kevin Bacon
Bass
Mik Glaisher
Drums
Andy Peake
Keyboards, vocals
Simon Anderson
Guitar
Terry Todd
Bass