Marc and the Mambas
Encyclopedia
Marc and the Mambas was a new wave
group, formed by Marc Almond
, in 1982 as an off-shoot project from Soft Cell
. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson
from The The
and Annie Hogan
, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career.
Their second Some Bizzare released album, Torment and Toreros
, contains a mix of ballads, both with and without dance beats, and is an interesting mix of Vaudeville, French Chanson, and goth sensibility, using guitar noise, piano, and string sections. Almond later later described this recording as an "attempted suicide put on vinyl."
Interestingly, the group was closer to a jazz outfit rather than a rock group. Band members changed from album to performance and back each time something new was started. The only consistent members were Marc Almond, Annie Hogan and Steve James Sherlock. Further members, such as Billy McGee and Martin McCarrick
went later on to join Almond for his first solo efforts (called Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners). But Martin McCarrick left for Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1987, and the rest of that band (then called La Magia) dissolved in 1988. Since then Almond has been a solo artist, working closely together with Neal X
(of Sigue Sigue Sputnik
fame) since 1993. Lee Jenkinson (guitar) recorded a single with producer Flood (under the band name The Poppyfields) and is currently in the band Jellynail.
As for the Mambas, David Ball was an associated member for their first single, "Sleaze" and Matt Johnson from The The was a member for the first and second album but did not join anymore for the last concerts in 1983 (put to Vinyl and later to CD as Black, Bite & Blues.) Never a full but an associated member was Jim Foetus
(aka Jim Thirlwell/Clint Ruin), who did guest vocals and percussion on "A Million Manias" as well as "Love Among the Ruined."
It was in 1983, that Almond as well as Soft Cell were very close to the avant-garde scene around Foetus, Psychic TV
, and Einstürzende Neubauten
. Almond also took part as one of four members of The Immaculate Consumptive
, who never released any album but did a few shows in New York
and Washington D.C., at the end of 1983. The group was initiated by Lydia Lunch
. Further members were Jim Foetus and Nick Cave
.
Marc and the Mambas very much belonged to that scene and were something as an odd ball at the same time. Since despite being quoted differently at the time, he never gave up his pop sensibilities, which returned in Soft Cell's last effort (for 17 years) on This Last Night In Sodom
... (1984). As Soft Cell called it a day and Almond started his solo career, many people were surprised that Vermine In Ermine was pop influenced. His second album Stories of Johnny (1985) even more so. However, Mother Fist and Her Fiver Daughters, released in 1987, picked up where the Mambas had left off in 1983, and since then Almond has always traversed effortlessly between pop (such The Stars We Are (1988) to chanson such as Jacques (1989) and avant garde (such as Heart On Snow (2003)). However, he only returned to hard core avant garde a la "A Million Manias" or "The Animal in You" in side projects such as Flesh Volcano
(with Jim Foetus, 1987) or in guesting on albums of Coil
.
In the beginning of the 2000s, he reformed Soft Cell for a while. For the first time since the early 1980s, he re-emerged as a dance music artist, exploring collaborations with artists such as System F], Loverush, or King Roc. Almond always kept in touch with some of the Mambas' core members like Anne Stephenson and Gini Ball (David Ball's wife), who performed with him during his Sin, Songs And Romance gigs at the Almeida in 2004. He frequently includes Mambas songs in his live repertoire and this way, their legacy remains alive.
Antony Hegarty
from Antony and the Johnsons
cited Torment and Toreros as the most important influence on his life and his work.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
group, formed by Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
, in 1982 as an off-shoot project from Soft Cell
Soft Cell
Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and platinum debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret...
. The band's line-up changed frequently, and included Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson (singer)
Matt Johnson is a musician best known as the founder and only constant member of the group The The. Johnson is known for his often deeply introspective lyrics. Musically he ranges from slow acoustic hooks to techno-pop....
from The The
The The
The The are an English musical and multimedia group that have been active in various forms since 1979, with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member.-Early years :...
and Annie Hogan
Anni Hogan
Anni Hogan is a British musician, record producer, composer and Club DJ, born in 1961. Originally known for her association with British music artist Marc Almond, Hogan now collaborates with a diverse variety of artists including Rachel McFarlane and Cagedbaby....
, with whom Almond worked later in his solo career.
History
Marc and the Mambas started Marc Almond's solo career. As Soft Cell's sound developed more into a darker mix of pop and electronic dance music, With Some Bizzare Label Marc and the Mambas continued the dark themes - but built around more complex rhythms.Their second Some Bizzare released album, Torment and Toreros
Torment and Toreros
Torment and Toreros is the second album to be released by Marc and the Mambas, the album reached #28 in the UK album charts in August 1983. It also is the last album to go under the name "Marc and the Mambas"...
, contains a mix of ballads, both with and without dance beats, and is an interesting mix of Vaudeville, French Chanson, and goth sensibility, using guitar noise, piano, and string sections. Almond later later described this recording as an "attempted suicide put on vinyl."
Interestingly, the group was closer to a jazz outfit rather than a rock group. Band members changed from album to performance and back each time something new was started. The only consistent members were Marc Almond, Annie Hogan and Steve James Sherlock. Further members, such as Billy McGee and Martin McCarrick
Martin McCarrick
Martin McCarrick is an English cellist, keyboardist and guitarist.He is best known for his work Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1987 until 1995. He recorded with them three studio albums : Peepshow, Superstition and The Rapture...
went later on to join Almond for his first solo efforts (called Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners). But Martin McCarrick left for Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1987, and the rest of that band (then called La Magia) dissolved in 1988. Since then Almond has been a solo artist, working closely together with Neal X
Neal X
Neal X was the guitarist with the British band Sigue Sigue Sputnik. They had a #3 UK hit single with "Love Missile F1-11" in 1986. He has also worked as a sideman for Adam Ant and Marc Almond...
(of Sigue Sigue Sputnik
Sigue Sigue Sputnik
Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band created in 1982 by the former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band had three UK Top 40 hit singles, including the song "Love Missile F1-11".-Early years:...
fame) since 1993. Lee Jenkinson (guitar) recorded a single with producer Flood (under the band name The Poppyfields) and is currently in the band Jellynail.
As for the Mambas, David Ball was an associated member for their first single, "Sleaze" and Matt Johnson from The The was a member for the first and second album but did not join anymore for the last concerts in 1983 (put to Vinyl and later to CD as Black, Bite & Blues.) Never a full but an associated member was Jim Foetus
J. G. Thirlwell
James George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
(aka Jim Thirlwell/Clint Ruin), who did guest vocals and percussion on "A Million Manias" as well as "Love Among the Ruined."
It was in 1983, that Almond as well as Soft Cell were very close to the avant-garde scene around Foetus, Psychic TV
Psychic TV
Psychic TV or PTV, is a video art and music group that primarily performs psychedelic, punk, electronic and experimental music...
, and Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
. Almond also took part as one of four members of The Immaculate Consumptive
The Immaculate Consumptive
The Immaculate Consumptive was a collaborative group featuring four stars of the No Wave scene, that existed for three shows in 1983. Its members were Marc Almond, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and Clint Ruin ....
, who never released any album but did a few shows in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Washington D.C., at the end of 1983. The group was initiated by Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch
Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, and actress whose career was spawned by the New York No Wave scene...
. Further members were Jim Foetus and Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
.
Marc and the Mambas very much belonged to that scene and were something as an odd ball at the same time. Since despite being quoted differently at the time, he never gave up his pop sensibilities, which returned in Soft Cell's last effort (for 17 years) on This Last Night In Sodom
This Last Night In Sodom
This Last Night in Sodom is the name of a 1984 album released by seminal electro-synth pop duo Soft Cell for Phonogram records. It was released about a month after its two members Marc Almond and David Ball announced their breakup in a letter to various music magazines, including Melody Maker and...
... (1984). As Soft Cell called it a day and Almond started his solo career, many people were surprised that Vermine In Ermine was pop influenced. His second album Stories of Johnny (1985) even more so. However, Mother Fist and Her Fiver Daughters, released in 1987, picked up where the Mambas had left off in 1983, and since then Almond has always traversed effortlessly between pop (such The Stars We Are (1988) to chanson such as Jacques (1989) and avant garde (such as Heart On Snow (2003)). However, he only returned to hard core avant garde a la "A Million Manias" or "The Animal in You" in side projects such as Flesh Volcano
Flesh Volcano
The Flesh Volcano was a side project of singer Marc Almond and industrial musician Clint Ruin, aka Foetus. Its sole release was the Slut EP, which was expanded to album length in a number of reissues...
(with Jim Foetus, 1987) or in guesting on albums of Coil
Coil (band)
Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
.
In the beginning of the 2000s, he reformed Soft Cell for a while. For the first time since the early 1980s, he re-emerged as a dance music artist, exploring collaborations with artists such as System F], Loverush, or King Roc. Almond always kept in touch with some of the Mambas' core members like Anne Stephenson and Gini Ball (David Ball's wife), who performed with him during his Sin, Songs And Romance gigs at the Almeida in 2004. He frequently includes Mambas songs in his live repertoire and this way, their legacy remains alive.
Antony Hegarty
Antony Hegarty
Antony Hegarty is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.-Early life:...
from Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons
Antony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators.-Career:British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Antony's music through his Durtro label. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released...
cited Torment and Toreros as the most important influence on his life and his work.
Main concerts
- 1982 A Little Black Evening - at the Royal Drury Lane Theatre in December
- 1983 Three Black Nights Of Little Black Bites - at the Duke Of York's Theatre in April
- 1983 Black Bite and Blues - at the Duke Of York's Theatre in December
Live albums
- 1984 Black Bite and Blues (Live, Gutterheart fanclub release)
- 2003 Radio Sessions One (Live, together with tracks from the "Vermine In Ermine period, Marc's first proper solo effort)
- TBA Marc and the Mambas LIVE - at the Duke Of York's Theatre, April 1983
Singles
- 1982 Sleaze (Take It, Shake It)
- 1982 Big Louise (Although a sleeve was commissioned and a catalogue number allocated, this single was never actually released)
- 1983 Black Heart
- 1983 Torment