Soft Cell

As a synth-pop act from Leeds with a theatrical image and sexually provocative lyrics, Soft Cell made for unlikely chart-toppers even by the permissive standards of '80s New Wave. Nevertheless, singer Marc Almond and multi-instrumentalist Dave Ball scored one of the era's definitive hits with their sultry 1981 version of "Tainted Love", originally a 1965 single by Gloria Jones, which was a favourite of Northern soul DJs. It was only the start of a remarkable string of hits, with Almond imbuing the passion and poignance of originals like "Bedsitter" and "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" (from 1981’s Non Stop Erotic Cabaret) with both a keen intelligence and a queer sensibility. Though the pressures of fame and success prompted the end of the partnership in 1984, Almond and Bell reunited in 2020 to begin a new chapter that included 2022's Happiness Not Included, an album that boasted much of their earlier music's slyness and panache.