Blancmange

Born in Harrow, northwest London, Blancmange took shape in 1979 around Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, after a short stint by Laurence Stevens. The project belongs to the British synth-pop and new wave of the early 1980s, characterized by dry keyboard lines, danceable rhythms and melodies tinged with Eastern influences. After a first EP and an appearance on the Some Bizzare compilation in 1981, Blancmange released Happy Families in 1982, then Mange Tout in 1984 and Believe You Me in 1985, before splitting in 1986. Reactivated in the late 2000s, Blancmange returned with Blanc Burn in 2011; Stephen Luscombe’s health later led Neil Arthur to continue alone under the name. Since then Blancmange has developed a more introspective approach to songwriting, between electronic pop, stripped-down new wave and instrumental passages, on albums such as Happy Families Too... (2013), Semi Detached (2015), Commuter 23 (2016), Unfurnished Rooms (2017), Wanderlust (2018), Mindset (2020) and Private View (2022). Alongside Blancmange, Neil Arthur has also led the projects Fader with Benge and Near Future with Jez Bernholz.