Sheffield Of Dreams

Paul Lester looks at how pop sophistication replaced post-punk in late 70s and early 80s Sheffield

For some, Sheffield’s The Human League, ABC and Heaven 17 were purveyors of superior 80s chart pop, no more, no less. And yet when they first emerged in the late 70s and early 80s all three groups were as radical and cutting-edge as the punk and post-punk bands they sought to replace. This month, touring together under the banner The Steel City Tour, they will seek to reclaim their reputation as pioneers of electronica, DIY disco and white funk. Here, all three bands talk about Sheffield, their early days, and their eventual rise to international superstardom with their albums Dare!, The Lexicon Of Love and Penthouse.

THE HUMAN LEAGUE

Although Kraftwerk are routinely regarded as the techno Beatles, The Human League had the bigger impact in the UK. But there were two incarnations of the group: the first when Phil Oakey joined forces with Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh to make arty, dark, sci-fi cyber drones with titles like Circus Of Death and The Black Hit Of Space; the second when Craig Marsh and Ware left in 1980 to form Heaven 17, replaced by Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley, after which they became the biggest and best electronic pop group on the planet…

What’s the first thing you remember about joining Martyn Ware and …

by Paul Lester
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