Released in February, Ultravox! failed to set the charts alight. Collectively digging innovative German experimental bands such as Neu! and Kraftwerk, they chose the name Ultravox!, initially inserting an exclamation mark in homage to the former.Īt this juncture, Dennis Leigh also chose the new stage name of John Foxx, while bassist Allen rechristened himself Chris Cross and the band continued recording their self-titled debut with co-production from future U2/ Siouxsie & The Banshees producer Steve Lillywhite and one of their heroes, ex- Roxy Music synth manipulator and David Bowie collaborator Brian Eno. Writing songs and gigging regularly in and around London, the embryonic outfit were signed by Chris Blackwell’s ever-vigilant Island imprint in the early summer of 1976 and only chose their permanent name while recording their debut LP. They struggled to progress, however, and frequently changed their name, taking on briefly held monikers such as The Zips, Fire Of London and even The Damned for several weeks before discovering another aspiring punk group with the same name was working the London circuit. This early incarnation of the band stumbled around looking for a direction, releasing one single, a cover of Fats Waller’s ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’, on Gull Records in 1975. Originally the brainchild of Lancashire-born vocalist and budding songwriter Dennis Leigh – then a student at London’s Royal College of Art – their initial line-up featured violinist Billy Currie and Canadian-born drummer Warren Cann in addition to bassist Chris Allen and guitarist Stevie Shears.

The band’s lengthy passage to prominence dates back to 1974 when they were first conceived as Tiger Lily.

Frequently cited as an influence by fellow synth-pop icon Gary Numan, the band scored seven Top 10 albums and a mammoth 17 Top 40 UK hit singles during their 80s heyday, and their rapturously received reunion shows in 2009 lead to an acclaimed comeback album Brill!ant in May 2012. Chameleonic popsters Ultravox started life as stylish glam-punks before morphing into a highly credible electro-pop outfit and gradually developing into one of the most successful mainstream British acts of the 80s.

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