The Human League, Soft Cell, et Alison Moyet

The Human League came into being in 1977. The group was united in their quest to create avant-garde, fresh, electronic music that relied on the technology of their day. The group began to gain traction and popularity after they hired a Director of Visuals and began including video clips and extreme lighting within their sets. The sheer entertainment value coupled with the fresh sounds of singles such as “Being Boiled” won the group the beginnings of their following, but this fan base grew exponentially with the release of “Don’t You Want Me”.

The Human League are considered to have started the second wave British Invasion of the United States after their breakthrough single “Don’t You Want Me” went to number one in the US and multiple countries around the world. The song and the band inspired multiple new wave artists and exploded the electronic, avant-garde music scene.

The band has released nine studio albums since 1979. Five were top 20 hits in the UK and two were top 40 hits in the US. The band’s most successful album was 1981’s “Dare” which hit the number one spot in the UK, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada and peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was this album that contained the platinum selling single “Don’t You Want Me” as well as “Open Your Heart” and “Love Action (I Believe In Love)”.

Having sold more than 20 million records world wide, the band has certainly been influential on individuals and bands worldwide. Bands such as Moby and the Pet Shop Boys as well as Little Boots all attribute their sound and style to The Human League. The Human League has toured extensively across the globe and in 2007 they toured with a performance of the set list from their hit album “Dare”. Fans were so excited for this special performance that the band managed to sell out nearly every date. One thing’s for certain, when it comes to any live performance from The Human League: they’ve still got it!

Having trained to be a piano tuner after leaving school age 16, Moyet played in a number of punk, rock and blues bands across Essex including the Vandals, the Screamin’ Ab Dabs, and the Little Roosters. It wasn’t however until the singer turned 21 that she earned her mainstream breakthrough as a part of the synthpop duo Yazoo. Formed alongside former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke in 1982, Yazoo released the albums “Upstairs at Eric’s” and “You and Me Both”, which spawned the hit singles “Only You”, “Do’t Go”, and “Situation”. After Yazoo disbanded, Moyet signed with CBS in 1983, marking the start of the singer-songwriter’s solo career.

Released in 1984, Moyet’s debut album “Alf”, was produced by the respected producing and songwriting duo Jolley & Swain. The album became a major hit in Britain, topping the UK Albums Chart and spawning the hit singles “Invisible”, “All Cried Out”, and “Love Resurrection”. Propelling Moyet to British stardom, the singer subsequently performed at Live Aid in 1985, toured alongside John Altman’s jazz band, and released the hit single “Is This Love?” in 1986.

Moyet’s second album “Raindancing” arrived in 1987, peaking at No. Two on the UK Albums Chart and No. 94 in the U.S. Featuring the singles “Weak in the Presence of Beauty”, “Ordinary Girl”, and “Sleep Like Breathing”, “Raindancing” was succeeded by “Hoodoo” in 1991. Reluctant to submit to overly pop sensibilities, despite the potential commercial success of doing so, “Hoodoo” represented Moyet's fight for artistic control. With contributions from Kirsty MacColl, Steve Lillywhite and Marius De Vries, the album’s lead single “It Won’t Be Long” earned a Grammy nomination for Best Song.

After the release of her subsequent album “Essex” in 1994, and the greatest hits compilation “Singles” in 1995, Moyet, due to contractual disagreements with Sony, didn’t release any new material for eight years. During this time Moyet collaborated with the likes of Tricky, Ocean Colour Scene and The Lightning Seeds, and released a pair of compilation albums in 2001 and 2002. Following her Sony contract release in August 2002, Moyet signed with Sanctuary Records and released her fifth studio album “Hometime”. Produced by The Insects, the album drew Brit Award and Mercury Prize nominations, and peaked at No. 18 on the UK Album Chart.

The cover album “Voices” followed in 2004, and, led by the single “One More Time”, the album “The Turn” was released in October 2007. After a move to the label Cooking Vinyl in 2013, Moyet released her eighth studio album “The Minutes”, accompanied by the singles “When I Was Your Girl” and “Love Reigns Supreme”.