A Flock of Seagulls, the English new wave and synth-pop band from Liverpool, released its third studio album “The Story of a Young Heart” on 20 August 1984 through Jive Records. The album turns 42 this year.

“The Story of a Young Heart” was produced by Steve Lovell and recorded at Ridge Farm Studio in Capel, England, running just over 42 minutes. After the commercial success of the band’s self-titled 1982 debut and 1983’s “Listen,” the group shifted direction with a more polished sound and heavier use of guitars, built loosely around themes of heartbreak and loss. Frontman Mike Score wrote the lyrics, including “Remember David,” a song written in honor of a close friend Score had lost to suicide. The album was recorded by the band’s best-known lineup of Score, his sister Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and guitarist Paul Reynolds.

Three singles came from the album: “The More You Live, the More You Love,” released ahead of the LP in July 1984 and reaching the UK and US Top 40, “Never Again (The Dancer)” in October 1984, and “Remember David” as a non-UK 7″ single in 1985. During the album’s tour, Reynolds’ worsening drug problems led to his exit from the band mid-tour, cutting the tour short and marking the last album to feature the group’s original lineup until the 2018 reunion record “Ascension.”

About A Flock of Seagulls

Mike Score, his brother-in-law Frank Maudsley and sister Ali Score formed A Flock of Seagulls in Liverpool in 1979, after Score, then working as a hairdresser, bought a second-hand Korg MS-10 synthesizer. After several lineup changes on guitar, 17-year-old Paul Reynolds joined, and Maudsley encouraged the reluctant Score to take over as lead vocalist. The band signed to Jive Records and released its first single, “Talking,” in 1981, followed by “Telecommunication” in 1982, both produced by Bill Nelson. The EP “Modern Love Is Automatic” carried the single “I Ran (So Far Away),” which became the band’s best-known song and received heavy rotation on the newly launched MTV.

The band’s self-titled debut album followed in 1982, reaching number one in Australia and the Top 10 in the US and New Zealand, and later that year the single “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)” gave the band its first UK Top 10 hit. The instrumental “D.N.A.” won a Grammy Award in 1983. The second album, “Listen,” arrived in April 1983 and kept up the band’s momentum, with the group touring alongside The Police and playing the US Festival that year. “The Story of a Young Heart” followed in August 1984, taking the band in a heavier, more guitar-driven direction before Reynolds’ departure mid-tour changed the lineup.

Gary Steadman, formerly of Classix Nouveaux, replaced Reynolds on guitar, and keyboardist Chris Chryssaphis joined for the fourth album, “Dream Come True,” released in the UK in 1985 and the US in 1986. The album’s poor commercial reception led the band to dissolve in 1986. Mike Score continued under the A Flock of Seagulls name with new lineups from 1988 onward, releasing the single “Magic” in 1989 and the album “The Light at the End of the World” in 1995. The band’s original four members reunited briefly in 2003 and 2004 for a VH1 special and a short US tour, and again in 2018 to record the orchestral album “Ascension” with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by “String Theory” in 2021. A new lineup featuring Score, Pando, Gordon Deppe and Kevin Rankin has continued to record and perform since 2017, releasing the single “Some Dreams” in 2024. Four decades on, “The Story of a Young Heart” remains the record that marked the band’s turn away from the sound of its early hits, and it turns 42 this year.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Out on February 25th is a single involving Ali Score, original drummer of legendary new wave – synthpop band A Flock Of Seagulls. “You Are A Star” is Jenn Vix’s retrowave single and sees Score return to music after a lengthy hiatus.

Here’s how the collaboration started: “When I was a kid, I moved to NYC from Miami. One of the most wonderful things about NYC at the time, was the record shops located around the city. I would spend my weekends crate digging, and finding new music. One of my friends at a shop downtown played me a single titled “Talking” by A Flock of Seagulls, that he got from the UK. I couldn’t even buy it at the time because there was only one copy in the shop. I was amazed, because I’d never heard anything like it! A little while later, I saw the video for ‘I Ran’ on MTV and, at that moment, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I also wanted to one day play music with the drummer of A Flock of Seagulls, and here I am now, working with him! It’s a dream come true!”

And here’s what Vixx says about the single itself: “Well, ‘You Are a Star’ is a love song. It’s a tribute to someone who worked as an astronomer, and an astrophysicist. The music happened very late at night, as I was sitting in front of the keyboard, practicing, and then the lyrics drifted into my mind shortly after I wrote the music…. We’re all made of stardust.”

Vix describes this collaboration as “a dream come true”.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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UK artist James Knights has been involved with Scarlet Soho and Boytronic. During the past few years he set up his solo-project KNIGHT$. He first released the EP “What’s Your Poison?” (2016) and moved on with another EP “Alligator” (2017). Early 2019 saw him unleashing his debut album “Dollar$ & Cent$” on Cargo Records. The songs are an electronic fusion between ‘pop’, Italo-disco and Hi-Nrg. It’s an album getting people into dance and simply making them happy. This is what James Knigthts has to tell us about it.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: How did the Knight$ project see the daylight and what have been the sources of inspiration?

James: I took a little break from making music in 2015 when my previous project ended. At that time I was unsure if I would make music again at all. Then, after 9 months the idea of KNIGHT$ took a hold, and I felt ready to be creative again.

Q: You’ve just released the debut album “Dollars & Cents”. A debut full length always is something particular so what are your feelings regarding this debut and the final achievement?

James: 2019 felt like the right time to make a full length LP after my first two EPs (“What’s Your Poison?” and “Alligator”) went down quite well. I had so many ideas coming forward during 2016, so I knew we could get real quality songs. From the fan response I really feel it’s some of the best stuff I’ve made.

Q: Some of the songs and especially the new single “Gelato” are pretty Italo-disco and Hi-NRG like. It’s pretty kitsch and fun, but still my favorite track from the album. Tell us a bit more about this song and the crazy clip?

James: I can remember I wanted to write a song that would be easy to listen to, with no struggle in it at all. Just flowing constantly. It was Summer and I looked out of the window and really wanted to capture this feeling of optimism I had.

Yes, the video is quite funny. There’s a small club where I live with some nice lights. We didn’t have much time to shoot, so we shot the video over four or five hours. I was exhausted by the end from all the dancing and ice cream eating!

Q: You’re more familiar with electro-pop music (Scarlet Soho, Boytronic) so what are the main differences in the global production work with  Knight$?

James: I think KNIGHT$ has similarities with Scarlet Soho and Boytronic. It’s still my voice, and that hasn’t changed much over the years. It’s just that with KNIGHT$ everything can happen a lot faster. If there’s a good idea coming I can record it immediately and get it out there. The magic is to not overthink anything at all and let the songs flow.

Q: Disco, Italo-disco, Hi-NRG… they all have something pretty fun-, happy- and party-like. I think we’re missing this today and especially in times the world is featuring a lot of terror and horror. Can we see  Knight$ as a cure to feel better?

James: Absolutely! Life can be hard enough in 2019. I don’t want my music to add to the listeners woes, or contribute to my own. I refuse to be a part of this trend, and will do almost anything to grasp some positivity from wherever it’s hiding!

Q: I noticed you already did several live performances. Tell us a bit more about the live concept, the first reactions and what’s the next step for Knight$?

James: So far I am very pleased with the response. The audience is younger than I had before, and the show is packed full of energy for 60 minutes! We’ve been opening for Peter Heppner, Heaven 17, and in July we will head out with A Flock Of Seagulls in the UK. We can thaw the coldest of hearts wherever we go!

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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From 15th until 19th August 2018 the third edition of the W-Festival takes place at the festival-area in the Rue Couture d’Orroir in Amougies, Belgium. More than 60 new wave, EBM, industrial, post-punk, synth-pop and eighties bands are featured on 3 stages.

This year some of the confirmed artists are: Bauhaus (Peter Murphy 40 years of Bauhaus celebration feat. David J.), Anne Clark, DAF, Clan Of Xymox, DIE KRUPPS, Dive, Front Line Assembly, Suicide Commando, Covenant, Lords Of Acid, Vive La Fête, A Split Second, Project Pitchfork, Trisomie21, She Past Away, Chameleons Vox, Red Zebra, Kim Wilde, Paul Young, Marc Almond, Midge Ure, A Flock Of Seagulls, Heaven 17, ABC, …

Besides watching concerts you can also visit markets and merchandise shops, signing-sessions, afterparties and other exclusivities like the daily screening of “Industrial Accident – The story of Wax Trax ! Records” documentary (94 min.) from the 16th till the 19th of August at 10:30am.

Side-Line gives away 10 free tickets (for 4 days)! Just enter the contest below. We will choose the winners on June 18.

Information and tickets can be found here

Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM, new-wave, electro-punk, metal-rock.

Background/Info: Thee Flanders is a German psychobilly formation, which has already released several albums throughout the years. They sometimes seem to cover famous songs. This album features 20 remixes by an impressive list of mainly electro-underground formations.

Content: The main songs of this release are “You Spin Me Round” from Dead Or Alive and “Nightmares” from A Flock Of Seagulls. Both 80s new-wave hits have been covered by Thee Flanders, sung together with Bela B (Die Ärzte) and Markus Meyn (Camouflage) and remixes by Leather strip, Die Krupps, Blind Passenger, Robert Görl, Ad:Key, Beborn Beton, Scheuber feat. G. Thomas, Patenbrigade: Wolff, In Strict Confidence, Absurd Minds, Mirko Hirsch, Head-Less, White Trash Wankers, T.A.N.K., Sound Tessellated, Beyond Obsession, Tomas Tulpe, Modekay, Keller Technik and The Klaak Syndrome.

The result is a very diversified release, which mainly sounds electro-like, but moving from darker-electro remixes to EBM to electro-minimal, but also electro-punk, new-wave and somewhat metal-orientated work. Notice by the way that White Trash Wankers is the only band that remixed another song (cf. “Buried Alive”).

+ + + : This album definitely sounds like a challenge, but especially for the fans of the band who I can imagine aren’t used at all to hearing their favorite band remixed by electronic formations. It’s not only a challenge, but I like this originality and it could be fun to hear one of those famous electro-acts featured on the album getting remixed by psychobilly bands. Why not? But the main point is that especially the remixes of “You Spin Me Round” feature a few outstanding versions. I want to make a special mention for the originality and minimalism of Patenbrigade: Wolff, the groovy approach of Head-Less, the harder version of Die Krupps and into EBM transposed remix of AD:Key. Another noticeable remix is “Nightmares” from Leather Strip.

– – – : There are a few less inspired remixes featured, but that’s rather understandable when you get a total amount of 20 remixes. But the main point remains for sure the reaction of the Thee Flanders fans about this totally weird challenge.

Conclusion: Is it just for fun or a psychobilly formation that has found a way to enter electro clubs? Whatever it is, this work is DJ food and be sure you are going to dance to it!

Best songs: “You Spin Me Round – Patenbrigade: Wolff Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Head-Less Mix”, “Nightmares – Leather Strip Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Die Krupps Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – Mirko Hirsch Mix”, “You Spin Me Round – AD:Key Mix”.

Rate: (8).

Band: www.theeflanders.de / www.facebook.com/theeflanders

Label: www.half7records.de /  www.facebook.com/Halb-7-Records-203287363058978

About Thee Flanders

Thee Flanders is a psychobilly and punkabilly band from Potsdam, Germany, led by Norman Winter and founded in 1997. Albums include “Die Halbstarken” (2002), “Graverobbing” (2007), “The Spirit Of 666” (2009) and “…Denn Sie Wissen Nicht Was Sie Tun!” (2012). In 2016 the band released the single “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record),” a cover of the Dead Or Alive hit, alongside the compilation “Graverobbing (Hymns From The Crypt).” “The Electro Remixes,” issued on Halb-7-Records in 2017, gathers reworkings of the band’s covers of “You Spin Me Round” and A Flock Of Seagulls’ “Nightmares” by artists from the electro-underground scene.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com