Vicious Pink is a

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

duo Duo may refer to: Places *Duo, West Virginia, an unincorporated community and coal town in Greenbrier County, West Virginia *Duo, Tampere, a shopping centre in Hervanta, Tampere, Finland * DUO, a twin-tower development in Singapore Arts, enterta ...

formed in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, England in 1981. They reformed for a new album in 2023 and will perform live again in 2024.

History

With a catchy sound and a penchant for highly provocative and sexualized lyrics, the band's music was aimed toward clubs rather than commercial hits. Vicious Pink consisted of two members,

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

singer Josephine Warden and keyboardist Brian Moss. The duo began as

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

s for

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their plat ...

, then known as Vicious Pink Phenomena. Vicious Pink are remembered for four dance singles: "8:15 to Nowhere", " Cccan't You See", and "Fetish"

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

Tony Mansfield Tony Mansfield (born 19 January 1955) is an English songwriter, musician and record producer. Early work Mansfield was born in Wimbledon, London, and became best known as the main songwriter/producer for New Musik, a synthpop band that perfo ...

New Musik New Musik were an English synthpop group active from 1977 to 1982. Led by Tony Mansfield, they achieved success in 1980 with the top 20 single " Living by Numbers" which was followed up with the top 40 hits "This World of Water", "Sanctuary" ...

fame. Their last single "Take Me Now" was produced by Gary Moberley . The band also backed

at The Warehouse in Leeds. The American owner of The Warehouse, Mike Wiand, was their manager. Wiand was also a key factor in the success of the 1980s dance track " Let the Music Play" by Shannon, which was released in the UK on his Warehouse Records label. Vicious Pink played live at The Ritz in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in December 1984. Vicious Pink were able to briefly attain a

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

level of success without ever breaking into the mainstream. Although they had started releasing music in 1982, they failed to attract much attention until the release of the single " Cccan't You See" ( UK No. 67) and its

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"8:15 to Nowhere" in 1984. Over the next two years, both sides of this single accrued play in clubs on both sides of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. In 1983, the duo recorded two unreleased

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

, ''Blue'' and ''The Tape Gallery'', and a self-titled album released in 1986, after they had ceased recording. This album was a collection of previously released singles. Warden later married a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based music lawyer, and Moss continued his music career; he is now the keyboardist for the artist, Mirazma. In 2015, Vicious Pink release
various mixes of "Kings of the Mountains"
a 2012 track. In 2019, Vicious Pink describe
"Organiclon Sentient Ship"
as new music. In 2022, Vicious Pink released the double LP ''West View'', containing remasters and demos. On 21 September 2023 during a live stream of Soft Cell and Vicious Pink music and rarities hosted by Dakeyene on Twitch TV, Josie confirmed the band would release a new album, ''Unexpected'' on

Minimal Wave Records Minimal Wave Records is a New York City-based independent record label founded by Veronica Vasicka in 2005. The label was launched "to create a network for synth wave enthusiasts and promote 80s electronic music via an online archive and vinyl re ...

before the end of the year and debuted a new song, "Not Your Kind of Girl", and that they would reform for live dates the following year.

Discography

Albums

* ''

Vicious Pink Vicious Pink is a synth-pop duo formed in Leeds, England in 1981. They reformed for a new album in 2023 and will perform live again in 2024 History With a catchy sound and a penchant for highly provocative and sexualized lyrics, the band ...

'' (1986) * ''West View'' (2022) * ''Unexpected'' (2024)

Singles

* "My Private Tokyo" (1982) * "Je T'aime" (1983) (UK #84) * "8:15 to Nowhere" (1984) * " Cccan't You See" (1984) (UK #67) * "Fetish" / "Spooky" (1985) (UK #87) * "Cccan't You See" (Remix) (1985) (UK #95) * "Take Me Now" (1986)

References

External links

Brian Moss's current project
{{Authority control English electronic music duos English synth-pop groups English new wave musical groups British synth-pop new wave groups Female-fronted musical groups Male–female musical duos New wave duos Musical groups from Leeds Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1986