The Human League

**The Human League** are a British post-punk/new wave turned pop band, formed in Sheffield in 1977. The life of the group can be divided into two distinct phases, both centred on the use of electronic instruments only in their music. The original line-up was formed by Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, vocalist Philip Oakey and visuals director Adrian Wright. After releasing their debut single Being Boiled c/w Circus of Death on the independent Fast label in 1978, they were signed to Virgin, releasing two albums *Reproduction* (1979) and *Travelogue* (1980). Commercial success was somewhat limited however and the band split into two in the autumn of 1980 with Ware and Marsh going on to form Heaven 17 and the B.E.F. production company, leaving Oakey and Ware with the name of The Human League but very little else in the way of music writing or playing skills.

The second phase of the group began with Oakey recruiting two inexperienced dancers and backing vocalists, school friends Susanne Sulley and Joanne Catherall spotted in a Sheffield disco, eventually adding the more experienced musicians Ian Burden and Jo Callis (formerly of The Rezillos). This formation gained greater success releasing the seminal *Dare* album in 1981, which spawned four hit singles including their signature tune and no.1 worldwide hit Don't You Want Me, opening the floodgates for the 'synth pop' genre in the early eighties. Success continued during the decade, although with few exceptions failed to meet the standards, and sales figures, of the *Dare* period. After further changes in the line-up and song writing members, The Human League were eventually dropped by Virgin at the end of the decade, returning in 1995 with hit single Tell Me When and parent album *Octopus*.
Now reduced to the core members of Oakey, Sulley and Catherall plus backing musicians, the group continue to perform live. Their last album *Credo* was released in 2011. A retrospective anthology of the group's career from the beginning entitled *A Very British Synthesizer Group* was released in 2016.

## Links to Janice

Janice was a fan of the band and would have played their records, possibly during their early years and certainly during their meteoric rise to success in the early 80s and beyond. She continued to play a selection of their better known songs in more recent years.

Oakey, Catherall and Sulley were guests on Janice's Radio 2 show on 22 February 2011.

Oakey was Janice's guest on *Singled Out*, 15 August 1986

## Sessions

* none

*The original line-up of The Human league recorded one session for John Peel in 1978*.

### Radio

* 27 May 1985 - "three of the best" (tracks unknown)

* 24 May 2010 - Empire State Human (1979)
* 12 January 2011 - Electric Shock (album *Credo* - preview play)
* 22 February 2011 - Never Let Me Go / Night People (*The Human League in conversation* - new album *Credo*)
* 01 April 2011 - Never Let Me Go (2011)
* 26 April 2012 - Human (1986)
* 04 June 2012 - Mirror Man (1982)
* 16 June 2014 - Human
* 07 October 2014 - Mirror Man
* 12 May 2015 - Human
* 15 March 2016 - Being Boiled (1978, *part of 3-2-1: In the Sauna*)
* 17 March 2016 - Human
* 20 April 2016 - The Things That Dreams Are Made Of (album *Dare*, 1981)
* 05 May 2016 - Don't You Want Me (1981)
* 09 August 2017, *A Long Walk With.. Holly Johnson* - Being Boiled
* 16 November 2017 - Don't You Want Me
* 27 March 2018 - Don't You Want Me
* 08 March 2021 ‎ - Mirror Man
* 04 May 2021 - Love Action (I Believe in Love) (1981)

### Top of the Pops

* 02 December 1982 (TOTP) - Mirror Man  (rpt.)
* 05 May 1983 (TOTP) - (Keep Feeling) Fascination
* 21 April 1983 (TOTP) - (Keep Feeling) Fascination (video)

## External links

* Official Facebook page
* Discogs
* Official Chart Archive
* Spotify