The Human League, Bananarama, et Margate Summer Series

The Human League came into being in 1977. The group was united in their quest to create avant-garde, fresh, electronic music that relied on the technology of their day. The group began to gain traction and popularity after they hired a Director of Visuals and began including video clips and extreme lighting within their sets. The sheer entertainment value coupled with the fresh sounds of singles such as “Being Boiled” won the group the beginnings of their following, but this fan base grew exponentially with the release of “Don’t You Want Me”.

The Human League are considered to have started the second wave British Invasion of the United States after their breakthrough single “Don’t You Want Me” went to number one in the US and multiple countries around the world. The song and the band inspired multiple new wave artists and exploded the electronic, avant-garde music scene.

The band has released nine studio albums since 1979. Five were top 20 hits in the UK and two were top 40 hits in the US. The band’s most successful album was 1981’s “Dare” which hit the number one spot in the UK, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada and peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was this album that contained the platinum selling single “Don’t You Want Me” as well as “Open Your Heart” and “Love Action (I Believe In Love)”.

Having sold more than 20 million records world wide, the band has certainly been influential on individuals and bands worldwide. Bands such as Moby and the Pet Shop Boys as well as Little Boots all attribute their sound and style to The Human League. The Human League has toured extensively across the globe and in 2007 they toured with a performance of the set list from their hit album “Dare”. Fans were so excited for this special performance that the band managed to sell out nearly every date. One thing’s for certain, when it comes to any live performance from The Human League: they’ve still got it!

Prior to the earliest incarnation of Bananarama, Bristol-natives Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin had been friends since the age of four. Dallin subsequently studied fashion journalism in London, which is where she met fellow-student Siobhan Fahey, whom shared her interest in punk-rock. The three soon became a formula for success with the trio performing early impromptu sets at gigs for the likes of The Monochrome Set, Iggy Pop, and The Jam in the late 1970s. By 1981 Bananarama’s members were housed above a rehearsal room used by then-Sex Pistol members Steve Jones and Paul Cook, who helped the group record and release their debut cover single “Aie a Mwana” in 1981.

The single found its way to the to a number of label executives, however Bananarama ultimately signed with Decca Records, whom they remained with until 1993. After hearing their debut single “Aie a Mwana”, Fun Boy Three member Terry Hall invited the trio to contribute vocals to their single “T’ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)”. The single rose to the Top 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and propelled the group to mainstream recognition. The group’s debut full-length album “Deep Sea Skiving” appeared in 1983 and peaked at No. 7 on the UK Albums Chart, led by the Top 5 hit singles “Really Saying Something”, “Shy Boy”, and “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”. The album also peaked at No. 63 on the U.S. chart, however Bananarama were considered more of a cult band in the States.

The band’s self-titled sophomore album charted at No. 16 on the UK Albums Chart in 1984, however is notably marked by social commentary on drug culture and social apathy among other topics. Spawning the singles “Hotline to Heaven”, “Rough Justice”, “Robert De Niro’s Waiting”, and their U.S. breakthrough single “Cruel Summer”, the record was received favourably by critics. After appearing on the Band Aid single “Do They Know Its Christmas?” in 1984, the group released the single “Do Not Disturb” in 1985 raising the anticipation for their subsequent release.

1986’s “True Confessions”, spawned Bananarama’s international breakthrough single “Venus”, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 upon release. Also finding the top spot in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, and Italy, the record earned the band an unprecedented level of exposure. The full-length “Wow!” followed in 1987, which found notable success in Australia for its Europop sound, following which, due to tensions in the group Fahey left after its release. Fahey went on to become one half of the duo Shakespeare’s Sister, and Bananarama subsequently invited Jacquie O’Sullivan to fill the spot. In 1991 the group released the studio album “Pop Life”, followed by “Please Yourself” in 1993, and “Ultra Violet” in 1995. In 1998 Fahey returned for a special one-off reunion for the cover of the ABBA track “Waterloo”, before Dallin and Woodward released Bananarama’s eighth studio album “Exotica” in 2001.