Cutting Crew

Formed in London in 1985 around Nick Van Eede and the Canadian-Scottish guitarist Kevin MacMichael, Cutting Crew sits at the crossroads of pop rock, new wave, synth-pop and melodic rock typical of the second half of the 1980s. The band emerged with the single '(I Just) Died in Your Arms' in 1986, followed by the album Broadcast the same year, where Van Eede's songwriting, MacMichael's clean guitar work and a highly structured production establish a sound that is both radio-friendly and tense. In quick succession, Cutting Crew also released 'I've Been in Love Before' and 'One for the Mockingbird', before moving on with The Scattering in 1989, and then Compus Mentus in 1992, in a more adult and subdued register. After the band's split in 1993 and Kevin MacMichael's death in 2002, Nick Van Eede relaunched Cutting Crew in the mid-2000s with a new lineup. Under this name Grinning Souls appeared in 2006, Add to Favourites in 2015, and then Ransomed Healed Restored Forgiven in 2020, a project built around new orchestral versions and revised tracks. Since this reformation, Cutting Crew has mainly performed on British and European stages, in an expanded band format where the original pop-rock coloring opens up to broader arrangements without breaking with its melodic writing.