Animal Nightlife was a British group in the 1980s. It consisted of Andy Polaris on vocals, Leonardo Chignoli on bass, Steve Brown on guitar, Billy Chapman on saxophone and Paul Waller on drums.

History

Founded in 1980 in the London night club scene, their sound has been described as white

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

cool jazz Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and lighter tone, in contrast to the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz often employs formal arrangements and ...

– a 1980s dance sound that is rooted in blues, soul, R&B and jazz. Their debut single, "Love Is Just The Great Pretender" and the follow-up "Native Boy", came out on the

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label. The latter entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at Number 60 in 1983. In August 1984, they reached Number 25 with "Mr. Solitaire", their most successful release. They hit the chart again in July 1985 with a re-recording of "Love is Just the Great Pretender", which reached Number 28. Their first album, ''Shangri-La'', was released on

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

a month later in August 1985. The band ended its recording career in 1988 after the release of their second album, ''Lush Life'', on Virgin subsidiary 10 Records. In November 2016, ''Shangri-la'' was re-issued in a deluxe two-CD edition by Cherry Red. Frontman Andy Polaris recently resurfaced creating fashionable window displays in

Dalston Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas includ ...

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shop.

Discography

Albums

* 1985: ''Shangri-La'' # "Native Boy" # "Waiting for the Bait to Bite" # "Perfect Match" # "Love is Just the Great Pretender '85" # "Insomniazz" # "Lazy Afternoon" # "Between Lovers" # "After Hours" # "Basic Ingredients" # "Throw in the Towel" # "Bittersweet" # "Mr Solitaire" ''Shangri-la'' was released on Island Records (ILPS 9830). It entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

on 24 August 1985, and remained in the chart for six weeks, reaching number 36. The original vinyl release did not include 'Lazy Afternoon' or 'Mr Solitaire'. * 1987: ''Lush Life'' # "Why Couldn't Your Black Heart Tell a White Lie" # "Always Your Humble Slave" # "TV Scene" # "Sweet Smell of Success" # "Boys With the Best Intentions" # "Luck" # "The War I Lost" # "Mouth" # "Last Hotel of the World" # "Breakaway"

Singles

Animal Nightlife had four singles in the

during the 1980s.

Band members

* Andy Polaris - vocals (1980–1988) * Sally Gissing - vocals (1980–1981) * Lynn Harding - vocals (1980–1981) * Leah Seresin - vocals (1981–1983) * Chrysta Jones - vocals (1981–1983) * Billy Chapman - saxophone (1980–1988) * Declan John Barclay - trumpet (1980–1983) * Steve Brown - guitar (1980–1988) * Steve Shanley - bass (1980–1983) * Leonardo Chignoli - bass (1984–1988) * Michael "Mac" McDermott - percussion (1980–1983) *

Dee C. Lee Diane Catherine Sealy (born 6 June 1961), known as Dee C. Lee, is a British singer. Born to Saint Lucian parents, she grew up in south east London. Early in her career, she was a member of the British band Central Line under the aliases Dee Sea ...

- vocals (occasional) * Marc "Yellowcoat" Kingman - backing vocals (occasional) * Paul Waller - drums (1980–1986)

References

External links

Glamour, Camaraderie, Culture and Union; the world of Animal Nightlife
{{Authority control English pop music groups English jazz ensembles Musical groups established in 1980 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Innervision Records artists Island Records artists