Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronic

Though Sigue Sigue Sputnik might not have been the most popular group to come out of the glam rock scene, they were by far one of the most sensational. They took the flamboyant aesthetics of the movement that was established by the likes of David Bowie and Roxy Music and went full throttle with it. And it is really no wonder considering the group was fronted by fashion designer and former flatmate of Boy George, Martin Degville. The band’s fantastical cyber-punk clothing was all designed by Degville and went hand in hand with the group’s stylized sound.
Though a lot of the band’s hype came from their over the top stage antics and wild costumes, the group were also incredibly talented songwriters and musicians. Their songwriting was based in a conceptual approach touching on ideas of dystopian universes, technological advancements and science fiction in general. They combined punk rock and synth-pop into an infectiously catchy sound that swept across the radio. They eventually landed three top 40 hits within the UK.
They were anything but boring. If the music didn’t take hold of you their elaborate stage design and brazen wardrobe would. At live concerts the group looked like they came straight out of an anime show. Their hair stood about three feet off their head and was died with neon colors. They danced on stage in leather pants, combat boots, spiked belts and silver tassels hanging from their shoulders, and their faces were almost always painted in an unearthly manner.
The band achieved their futuristic sounds by taking full advantage of modern synthesized guitars and keyboards and at the time the cutting edge technology of the Simmons electronic drum-set. On such songs as Missile F1-11 the band even played around with intriguing uses of voice manipulation. Modulating and pitch shifting the range of vocalist Degville. Though the band may be considered a novelty act by some critics, their impression on pop will likely have a lasting imprint as well as their cult status within their era.