Although the Thompson Twins didn’t have actual twins in their band, they played with a kind of chemistry that might make you believe they had telepathic abilities. Their performances were highly theatrical and elaborate, and they delivered their music with a great force.
Thompson Twins followed in the same vein as other pop musicians of the 80’s such as Madonna and Pet Shop Boys, who both realized the importance of visual theatrics in live music. Thompson Twins were perhaps the quintessential example of the ‘80s new wave style. They wore wild, feathery hair styles, dressed in flamboyant suits, and sported obnoxious hats, but all of this was part of the entrancing theatrics of the performance. The Thompson Twins’ fashion style conveyed that they were not afraid to push boundaries and pursue their creative ambitions to the extreme.
Thompson Twins delivered an ornate style of music that focused more on ethereal sounding synth pop instead of guitar driven rock and roll. Their music is often eerie and atmospheric, but it also can be upbeat and catchy. For most of their time as a band they were a trio consisting of the lead singer, Tom Bailey, multi instrumentalist, Joe Leeway, and percussionist, Alannah Currie. The percussion in their music was produced in a unique way. They usually had drum machines playing in the background while Currie would add in richer percussive noises by using mallets to hit large drums or by playing the bongos with her hands. Tom Bailey’s singing was usually presented in a clean manner, but occasionally he would run his vocals through reverb and delay to get some spacey tones like in songs such as “Doctor! Doctor!” Their stage presence was absolutely phenomenal. They had bright flashing lights flaring all over stage while Tom Bailey would strut around stage and incite the audience to dance to the music. Although the Thompson Twins have been disbanded for quite some time now, Tom Bailey still is touring around and playing the catchy music of the Thompson Twins. If you are ever given the chance to catch him on his most recent tour you can expect to hear him play most of the Thompson Twins hits such as “Hold Me Now” and “In the Name of Love”.
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