Steve Strange

Steve Strange (born Steven John Harrington on 28 May 1959 in Newbridge, South Wales) is a British pop singer, best remembered as the lead singer and frontman of the 1980s pop group Visage. Since the late 1970s, he was also a prominent nightclub host and promoter.

Punk era
In mid-1977 he formed another punk band called The Moors Murderers, along with future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde. The band also included future Psychedelic Furs drummer Vince Ely and future Clash drummer Nicky Headon. They recorded a song called “Free Hindley”. After a number of gigs, the band split up around early 1978.

Later he briefly joined the punk/new wave band The Photons, from Liverpool, as vocalist and co-songwriter in 1978 at the behest of David Littler (ex The Spitfire Boys). The band were managed by Punk impresario Andy Czezowski.

Steve Strange was also imortalised by the fellow punk band Combat 84 in their song “Poseur”, in 1982.

Visage
Shortly after leaving The Photons and now using the alias “Steve Strange”, he formed Visage with then Rich Kids members Rusty Egan and Midge Ure. Intended as a studio-based project, they signed to the small label Radar Records and released their first single “Tar” in 1979. The single was not a success, but the following year, Strange appeared in the video for David Bowie’s no.1 hit “Ashes To Ashes”, a song which helped to propel the burgeoning New Romantic movement into the mainstream. Later that year, Visage signed a new record deal with the major label Polydor and released their second single, “Fade to Grey”. The single became a top 10 hit in the UK and topped the charts in several other countries.