Blancmange star Stephen Luscombe has died, with his bandmate Neil Arthur paying tribute to the musician
Blancmange star Stephen Luscombe has died, with his bandmate Neil Arthur paying tribute to the musican. Stephen and Neil were a duo for much of their career and rose to fame in the 80s with their hit songs Living on the Ceiling, Waves, Blind Vision and Don’t Tell Me.
The band released three studio albums in the 80s, including Happy Families, Mange Tout and Believe You Me. In 1986, the duo split but later reformed in the late 2000s before releasing their fourth studio album, Blanc Burn, in 2011. Following the release, Stephen left due to ill health.
Neil went on to perform under the Blancmange name ion his own. The singer recently paid tribute to Stephen, the keyboardist, with a short statement to the Mirror.
He said: “Heartbroken. RIP Stephen. Love you forever.”
A New Wave fan page also paid tribute to the star, writing: “We sadly say goodbye to Stephen Luscombe (Blancmange). Rest in peace. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to Neil Arthur and all of their families, friends and fans.”
Another fan commented: “R.I.P. Steven thanks for the great memories and music,” and one commented: “RIP Stephen. Thanks for the memories.”
Blancmange was formed in Harrow in 1979 by Neil, Stephen and Laurence Stevens. Laurence left after the band was formed and the remaining duo went on to create iconic tracks.
The group’s name derived from the dessert of the same name. In 1980, they released their first EP, Irene and Mavis, but their exposure came with their track, Sad Day, on the album Som Bizzare Album alongside Soft Cell and Depeche Mode.
The compilation album led to them signing a recording contract with London Records. Stephen suffered from heart problems, which forced him to retire his music career.
In 2012, Stephen said he was unable to play on a number of tour dates because of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He said: “It wouldn’t have been too clever to ignore that, and not fair on the boys to have that at the back of their minds.
“Turns out it’s hereditary – and the latest scan recently showed no change – SOOO I won’t be coming on the next adventure unfortunately.”
When Stephen left, Neil continued recording and performing as Blancmange and used the help of session musicians.
Stephen previously revealed his influences and interests included Brian Eno, Can, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa.
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