A Formal Sigh
Encyclopedia
A Formal Sigh were a New Wave band from Liverpool
, England
, that formed in 1980 and broke up early in 1982.
(bass guitar) and Flo Sullivan (vocals and keyboards). Robin Surtees (guitar) joined the pair within days. He was followed, after several auditions and temporary drummers, by Roger Sinek (drums) and Greg Milton (guitar and bass). Mark Peters had previously played with The Names
(aka The Famous Names).
The band recorded a session for John Peel
on 5 September 1981, in the BBC
Maida Vale 4 studio. Altered Images
had been in the studio the day before. The Peel session was produced by Dale Griffin
, ex-drummer of Mott the Hoople
, and engineered by Mike Robinson. Peel was, in his own words, ‘rather partial’ to the tape and played it several times, beginning on 10 September 1981. The session was also broadcast several times on Radio Merseyside. A Formal Sigh were for a while the darlings of Merseysound, a high-quality Liverpool New Wave fanzine
, and were featured twice on its cover.
Apart from the Peel session, only two other sessions were recorded, 14–15 February 1981 and 6–7 March 1982, both engineered by Peter Coleman
at Session One Studios in Liverpool. Merseysound released tracks from the first SOS session on its Tapezine. The track 'Looking At Walls' appears to have been bootlegged a few times over the intervening years. More recently, the band has made all recordings available on CD: 'A Far Cry' by A Formal Sigh.
A Formal Sigh gigged regularly in Merseyside and the Northwest. In April 1982 a couple of record companies were just getting interested in signing the band when Flo Sullivan and Robin Surtees decided to leave. They went on to form Shiny Two Shiny. Flo later went solo as Gayna Rose Madder, and Robin joined members of The Room
to form Benny Profane
. Roger Sinek and Greg Milton reverted to their old band name, Barbel, and continued to play intermittently. Mark Peters emigrated to Australia.
The band took its name from a quotation of Ned Rorem
: ‘An artist is like everyone else, only more so; he speaks with a formal sigh.’
. Material ranged from caustic observations of contemporary political situations (in tracks like "Bleak Intrusion" and "Ev Rev") to poignantly worded exposés of troubled relationships and anomie ("There is no Hell" and "Launderette").
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, that formed in 1980 and broke up early in 1982.
Biography
A Formal Sigh formed around the kernel of Mark PetersMark Peters
Mark Peters is a Wales Under-21 international footballer who plays for Southern Football League club Weymouth as a Defender. He has made over 350 appearances in the Football League and Conference National.-Career:...
(bass guitar) and Flo Sullivan (vocals and keyboards). Robin Surtees (guitar) joined the pair within days. He was followed, after several auditions and temporary drummers, by Roger Sinek (drums) and Greg Milton (guitar and bass). Mark Peters had previously played with The Names
The Names
The Names is the seventh novel written by the American novelist Don DeLillo, first published in 1982. The novel, set mostly in Greece, is primarily a series of character studies, interwoven with a plot about a mysterious "language cult" that is behind a number of unexplained murders...
(aka The Famous Names).
The band recorded a session for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
on 5 September 1981, in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Maida Vale 4 studio. Altered Images
Altered Images
Altered Images were an early 1980s Scottish New Wave / post-punk band. Led by lead singer Clare Grogan, the band branched into mainstream pop music, and had a string of chart hits between 1981 and 1983.-Early career:...
had been in the studio the day before. The Peel session was produced by Dale Griffin
Dale Griffin
Dale "Buffin" Griffin is an English drummer and founding member of 1970s rock band, Mott the Hoople....
, ex-drummer of Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
, and engineered by Mike Robinson. Peel was, in his own words, ‘rather partial’ to the tape and played it several times, beginning on 10 September 1981. The session was also broadcast several times on Radio Merseyside. A Formal Sigh were for a while the darlings of Merseysound, a high-quality Liverpool New Wave fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
, and were featured twice on its cover.
Apart from the Peel session, only two other sessions were recorded, 14–15 February 1981 and 6–7 March 1982, both engineered by Peter Coleman
Peter Coleman
William Peter Coleman is an Australian writer/journalist, former politician and Minister of the Crown in the cabinets of Tom Lewis and Sir Eric Willis. Following Willis' resignation as leader he was made Leader of the New South Wales Opposition...
at Session One Studios in Liverpool. Merseysound released tracks from the first SOS session on its Tapezine. The track 'Looking At Walls' appears to have been bootlegged a few times over the intervening years. More recently, the band has made all recordings available on CD: 'A Far Cry' by A Formal Sigh.
A Formal Sigh gigged regularly in Merseyside and the Northwest. In April 1982 a couple of record companies were just getting interested in signing the band when Flo Sullivan and Robin Surtees decided to leave. They went on to form Shiny Two Shiny. Flo later went solo as Gayna Rose Madder, and Robin joined members of The Room
The Room
The Room is Harold Pinter's first play, written and first produced in 1957. Considered by critics the earliest example of Pinter's "comedy of menace", this play has strong similarities to Pinter's second play, The Birthday Party, including features considered hallmarks of Pinter's early work and...
to form Benny Profane
Benny Profane
Benny Profane were a Liverpool band that existed from 1985 until 1990. They released two albums, various singles and EPs, and recorded three John Peel sessions.-History:...
. Roger Sinek and Greg Milton reverted to their old band name, Barbel, and continued to play intermittently. Mark Peters emigrated to Australia.
The band took its name from a quotation of Ned Rorem
Ned Rorem
Ned Rorem is a Pulitzer prize-winning American composer and diarist. He is best known and most praised for his song settings.-Life:...
: ‘An artist is like everyone else, only more so; he speaks with a formal sigh.’
Musical style
A Formal Sigh was always hard to categorise. The female vocal format led some to make questionable comparisons with Siouxsie and the Banshees. Several tracks were redolent of U2U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. Material ranged from caustic observations of contemporary political situations (in tracks like "Bleak Intrusion" and "Ev Rev") to poignantly worded exposés of troubled relationships and anomie ("There is no Hell" and "Launderette").