Steve Strange
| Steve Strange | |
|---|---|
Steve Strange before performing at the closing ceremony of the World Ski Championships, Harrachov, Czech Republic, March 15th 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steven John Harrington |
| Born |
28 May 1959 Newbridge, Caerphilly, Wales |
| Died | 12 February 2015 (aged 55) Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1977–1986, 2004–2015 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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| Website | Steve Strange on Myspace |
Steven John Harrington (28 May 1959 – 12 February 2015), better known by his stage name Steve Strange, was a Welsh pop singer. From the late 1970s he was a nightclub host and promoter. He became famous as the leader of the new wave synthpop group Visage, best known for their single "Fade to Grey", and was one of the most influential figures behind the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s.
Harrington was born in Newbridge, Caerphilly, Wales. His grandfather moved with his family to Aldershot, Hampshire, where his father was serving in the British Army as a paratrooper. The family moved back to Wales and lived in Rhyl on the north coast, where his parents bought a large guest house and opened sea front cafes. They then divorced and he moved with his mother back to Newbridge in South Wales where he attended Newbridge Grammar School. It merged with a secondary school to form Newbridge Comprehensive School a year after he arrived there, and he subsequently lost interest in all subjects but art.
After attending a Sex Pistols concert at the Castle Cinema in Caerphilly in 1976, Harrington befriended the bass player Glen Matlock. He then arranged gigs for punk bands in his home town and befriended Jean-Jacques Burnel of The Stranglers before leaving for London where he worked for Malcolm McLaren and formed a punk band called The Moors Murderers with Soo Catwoman. Additional members included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, future Psychedelic Furs drummer Vince Ely, future Clash drummer Topper Headon and the Kid (who was formerly in Adam and the Ants, as Mark Ryan). They recorded a song called "Free Hindley". After several gigs, the band split up around early 1978.
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