The Human League | Artist

The Human League are an English electropop/synth-pop band formed 1977 in Sheffield, UK, by Philip Oakey (lead vocals, synthesizer, keyboards), Martyn Ware (synthesizer), Ian Craig Marsh (synthesizer) and Adrian Wright (visuals, keyboards, synthesizer). Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their dance-friendly new wave sound. The band started when Ware, Marsh and Wright came together with a shared interest in computer based electronic music. The trio, initially called The Future, recruited Philip Oakey as a singer to make them more commercially palatable. The fully formed band renamed themselves The Human League after a breakaway social group from the science-fiction war game 'Starforce: Alpha Centauri'. After being signed to Richard Branson's new Virgin Records label they supported Iggy Pop on his European tour. Their debut studio album Reproduction was released in August 1979 but failed to make an impact on the charts. They followed up with a second album Travelogue which received critical praise but, once again, poor sales. Internal friction within the band led to an agreed split, with Oakey continuing with the Human League name while Ware and Marsh would form a completely new band, Heaven 17. Oakey, now looking for female backing singers for a new lineup, spotted Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall dancing together at the Crazy Daisy Nightclub and invited them to join. Only later did he find out they were just schoolgirls on a night out together and neither had any experience of singing or dancing professionally. Susan and Joanne are still with the band today. The Human League went on to release ten studio albums to-date, standouts include Reproduction, Travelogue, Dare and the 2002 archival release Golden Hour of the Future.

Artist Website: thehumanleague.co.uk

Featured Albums: The Human League

Related Artists: Philip Oakey, British Electric Foundation, Heaven 17