ABC, Kim Wilde, Go West, Toyah, The Christians, Hue and Cry, Johnny Hates Jazz, Katrina, und Lycra 80's Party

Frontman Martin Fry is the only permanent member of ABC, having never left the band since their formation in 1980; it’s also true that the band themselves have never officially disbanded over the course of their three-decade-plus career, which perhaps beggars belief given the undeniable fluctuation of the fortunes over the course of that time. They enjoyed their greatest success in the eighties - perhaps unsurprisingly, given the popularity of the new wave genre during that decade - and their 1982 debut album ‘The Lexicon of Love’ contains most of their early hits. ‘Tears Are Not Enough’ hit the top twenty in the UK, as did ‘Poison Arrow’, which would go on to feature in the eighties-set video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

It was the 1985 record ‘How to Be a...Zillionaire’ was the group’s biggest success on the other side of the Atlantic, with the single ‘Be Near Me’ seeing ABC hit the top ten in the U.S. for the first time. Since 1990, the group has effectively only comprised Fry, but he continues to use the name to tour - he’s especially popular on the eighties nostalgia circuit - as well as record new material, with ‘Traffic’ released in 2008.

Born Kim Smith, the daughter of the Vernons Girls’ Reginald Smith or Marty Wilde, Kim Wilde completed a foundation course at St Albans College of Art & Design before signing with RAK Records in 1980. The singer’s debut single “Kids in America” arrived a year later in 1981 and earned Wilde instant success. “Kids in America” debuted at No. Two on the UK’s Singles Chart and reached the Top Five in a host of other countries including France, Germany and Australia. The single paved the way for Wilde’s eponymous debut album, which peaked in the Top Three of the UK Albums Chart and spawned the further singles “Chequered Love” and “Water on Glass”.

Wilde’s 1982 album “Select” was another successful album, aided by the singles “Cambodia” and “View from a Bridge”, which both became chart-topping singles in France. The singer’s third album “Catch as Catch Can” was a comparative failure and Wilde subsequently left RAK Records and inked a deal with MCA in 1984.

The singer-songwriter’s debut for MCA arrived in 1984 entitled “Teases & Dares” and whilst it didn’t perform well in the UK, it earned a positive response and chart listing throughout the rest of Europe. Led by the single “Schoolgirl”, “Another Step” was issued in 1986, which spawned the surprise hit “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”. The reinvention of The Supremes classic hit became a No. Two single in both the UK and Australia, and in 1987 became a rare U.S. No. 1 Hit Single.

The success of the single propelled Wilde to popularity and her subsequent album “Close” spent close to eight months in the UK Albums chart. The release led to the singer opening for Michael Jackson on his Bad World Tour, and after the release of “Love Moves” in 1990, Wilde became the opening act for David Bowie on his European tour.

After collaborating with Rick Nowels to produce the album “Love Is” in 1992, and releasing her first compilation album “The Singles Collection 1981-1993”, Wilde embarked on an extensive world tour including gigs in Australia and Japan. The new millennium brought an ’80’s revival tour alongside Paul Young, The Human League and Howard Jones, and after signing a new record deal with EMI, Wilde released her 10th studio album “Never Say Never” in 2006. The singer-songwriter has subsequently released the albums “Come Out and Play” in 2010, “Snapshots” in 2011, and the Christmas themed “Wilde Winter Songbook” in 2013.

In 1982 Go West, determined to find a music producer and record label, recorded the tracks “We Close Our Eyes” and “Call Me” on a portastudio, a portable and affordable home recording studio. The songs drew some attention in the industry and landed the duo a recording contract with Chrysalis Records. Shortly after singing with Chrysalis Go West enlisted the help of British guitarist Alan Murphy, whose musical input and tonal sounds have contributed a lot to the band’s identity.

“We Close Our Eyes” was officially released as Go West’s debut single in 1985 to across the board good reviews. The single reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 and proved to be Go West’s highest placed UK single. The band’s video for the song, directed by Godley & Creme, became popular on MTV almost instantly and the pair were voted “Best Newcomers” at the 1986 Brit Awards.

The band’s self-titled debut album was also released in 1985 and featured the singles “We Close Our Eyes”, “Call Me” and “Don’t Look Down”. The album performed well in the charts peaking at No. 8 in the UK and No. 60 in the U.S and was followed by the album of B-sides and live tracks entitled “Bangs and Crashes” in 1986. Go West’s official follow-up to their debut was entitled “Dancing on the Couch” (1987), the album made the UK Top 20 and earned the band their first Top 40 U.S. single with “Don’t Look Down - The Sequel”.

A few years later in 1990 Go West contributed the single “King of Wishful Thinking” to the “Pretty Woman” soundtrack to chart success across the world. The song became highly popular especially in the States where it was a Top 10 hit and received an ASCAP award in 1991 for being one of the most played songs in America in 1990.

The band has subsequently released the album “Indian Summer” in 1992 which peaked at No. 13 in the UK chart and the 2008 album “futurenow” released through Blueprint Records. In 1997 Cox released his debut self-titled solo album and went on to release a string of solo album throughout the new millennium. In 2010 Go West released the first in a three-part series of EPs entitled "3D" through Townsend Records. The release features some new original material and new recordings of old songs.