Modern Romance (band)
| Modern Romance | |
|---|---|
| Origin | England |
| Genres | Pop, salsa, dance, R&B, mambo, electronic, new wave, Afro-Cuban, blues, soul, disco |
| Years active | 1980–1985 2001– |
| Labels | WEA, RCA, Ronco, Wounded Bird Records |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | Andy Kyriacou Peter J. Pinto Matt Earnshaw Martin Shaw Nicola Poustie |
| Past members |
Geoff Deane David Jaymes Robbie Jaymes Paul Gendler John Du Prez Michael J. Mullins Kevin Sutherland Steve Etherington |
| Notable instruments | |
| Keyboards and vocals | |
Modern Romance were a British pop music band that found popularity in the early 1980s. Formed in 1980 by previous members of an earlier band, The Leyton Buzzards, the band achieved a string of UK chart hits before they broke up in 1985.
Geoffrey Deane and David Jaymes formed Modern Romance in 1980, having previously been the mainstays of the punk parody band the Leyton Buzzards which they formed in 1977. The Leyton Buzzards released a single ("19 and Mad") on the independent label Small Wonder, but this was unsuccessful. After winning a competition organised by the UK tabloid newspaper The Sun, part of the prize was a recording contract with Chrysalis Records. In 1979, the band released a single via Chrysalis entitled "Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees". Despite an appearance on Top of the Pops, this was also unsuccessful (peaking at no.53) and their working relationship with Chrysalis quickly soured after further unsuccessful releases. The band then split up though Deane and Jaymes continued working together, embracing the burgeoning electronic style of dance music that was becoming popular in London clubs at the time. They found a new manager and created a limited company called Business Art Productions, and signed to WEA. In 1980, their first release, eponymously titled "Modern Romance", was unsuccessful. After a second unsuccessful single, "Tonight", the band then opted to lessen the predominantly electronic sound in favour of a Latin-American dance style with emphasis on bass, percussion and brass. They recruited trumpet player John Du Prez into their new line-up. The band released a new single, "Everybody Salsa" in summer 1981, which reached the UK Top 20. However, prior to the release, they recruited a new drummer, Andy Kyriacou, who began promoting the single with the band, and in fact set up their first personal appearance in a club. They followed this later in the year with similarly themed "Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey", which reached the UK Top 10. Despite these two hits, the band's debut album, Adventures in Clubland, was not a success. However, in the US they scored a number 2 hit on the Billboard Dance chart with "Can You Move", a mostly rap variation of "Everybody Salsa". After further UK Top 40 hits with "Queen of the Rapping Scene" and a cover of the 1955 hit "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White", Deane departed the band in 1982 to pursue solo projects.
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