When Adam Ant left The B-Sides to start Adam & The Ants, The Monochrome Set formed from the remnants.
They released their debut single, Alphaville, on Rough Trade in 1979. The song had a powerful propulsive jangle that anticipated Felt and their ilk.
Like early Human League and Devo, the band pioneered a visual edge to live performances helmed by non-playing non-member Tony Potts.
Three mighty early 80s LPs established the band as a Luis Buñuel remix of Cliff Richard and The Shadows before they buckled in the wake of a near-hit single, Jacob’s Ladder (1984).
Lester Square, Andy Warren and Bid recorded five further 1990s Monochrome Set LPs with their ghoulish cutie-pop finding a typically perverse following in Japan.
The trio then reformed the band briefly in 2008 and more permanently again in 2010. Also in 2010, singer Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri) suffered a subarachnoid haemorrhage and underwent surgery to his brain.
The Monochrome Set released a new studio album, Platinum Coils, in 2012 – their first since 1995’s Trinity Road.
Bid (Ganesh Seshadri)
Guitar, vocals
Lester Square (Thomas W.B. Hardy)
Guitar
Simon Croft
Bass, vocals
Andy Warren
Bass
John Hanley
Drums
Orson Presence
Keyboards
Trevor Ready
Drums
