There were neither any Thompsons nor any twins in the band, but this former seven-piece anarchist collective made it big as a trio in the mid-80’s, remembered at least as much for their hair as for their music:
Leader Tom Bailey had a red mop that was massive on top and short at the sides, with a long rat tail at the back.
Alannah Currie, a slightly-built New Zealander who relocated to South London, had frizzed-out hair that suggested a tonsorial electrocution, while Joe Leeway’s dreadlocks belied the fact that, despite his Nigerian heritage, he grew up a Manchester mod.
In 1980, the Thompson Twins were all living in extreme poverty on the same street in South London, and it was amongst the squats that the aforementioned seven-piece band emerged.
In one of the final sessions for their second album, Set, three of the seven twins (Alannah, Tom and Joe) went in the studio to hash out a track to fill out the second side of the LP.
What they came up with in about 20 minutes was In The Name Of Love, a bouncy, dance-oriented synth-pop number that became a big club and radio hit. Soon they were out on their own as a threesome.
The Thompson Twins specialised in accessible early-MTV-style synth/dance pop and they were huge from 1983 to 1985 – reaching their peak with the single Lay Your Hands On Me and the album Here’s To Future Days – before suddenly vanishing as quickly as they had arrived.
Among their hits were Hold Me Now (US #3), Lay Your Hands On Me (US #6), King For A Day (US #8), Doctor! Doctor! (US #11) and Lies (US #30).
Bailey and Currie renamed the band Babble in 1993.
Tom Bailey Vocals, synthesizers, bass, guitar Alannah Currie Vocals, percussion Joe Leeway Vocals, keyboards, synthesizers
Video
You May Also Like
Mekons, The The Mekons formed in late 1976 around a core of fine art students from Leeds University…
Genesis In July 1970, a callow 19-year-old, who had a brief career as a child actor in…
Television The inaugural house band at CBGB's in New York, and contemporaries of Patti Smith and later Blondie, The Ramones and Talking Heads, Television figure…
John St Peeters Italian-born John St Peeters began his professional performing career during his early teens as Johnny Lo…
Look, The The Look formed in the Cambridgeshire cathedral city of Ely, gigging locally - originally as an…
Thought Criminals, The The Thought Criminals formed in Sydney (Australia) in late 1977. Bass player Roger Grierson set up…
Arctic Circles, The 1960s-influenced band The Arctic Circles played the Melbourne (Australia) independent scene in the mid-1980s. The band's…
Wham! Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael (real name Georgios Panayiotou) met at school in Bushey, Hertfordshire, in…
