Visage - Darkness To Diamond
- Written by Marky Edison
1980s new romantic pioneers Visage reformed in 2012. Founding member and all-round legend Steve Strange was joined by old bandmate Steve Barnacle, along with Robin Simon (Ultravox, Magazine) and Lauren Duvall.
Strange called it Visage MK III, and Midge Ure and Rusty Egan were notably absent. The list of past members and associates of the band is illustrious and includes various other members of Magazine and Bad Seed Barry Adamson. The original line up formed in the wake of punk and enjoyed a number of Top 10 hits in the early '80s. Ure and Egan had been playing in Rich Kids and Strange came recommended by former Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock.
Ure was an early adopter of synthesizers and was the main songwriter in the group. After he left to concentrate on Ultravox, the band lost momentum and focus, and ultimately dissolved in 1985. Hearts And Knives (2013) was Visage’s first album in nearly 30 years. Keen to make the most of their comeback, Visage recorded a live retrospective album with a symphony orchestra and began working on what would become Demons To Diamonds.
Just when it seemed that momentum was back on his side, Strange suffered a heart attack and died while on holiday in February last year. The rest of the band opted to complete the album and Demons To Diamonds was released posthumously in November with the profits from the new material going towards erecting a statue of Strange in his hometown in Wales. That’s been swiftly followed by a remix album due for release next week. The album is 11 remixes and extended versions of the tracks from Demons To Diamonds.
There’s no big singles to propel Visage back to the top of the charts but, what there is, is 40 minutes of quality retrofuturist electro, beginning with 'Aurora'. This is a stripped back blissed out version of the standout song from last year's album. It has an ethereal quality and it's a superior arrangement to the original release. It sounds more complete and more modern than the previous version.
The remix of Visage's cover of David Bowie's 'Loving The Alien' breathes new life into the old classic. The stuttering gear change into the euphoric chorus sounds tailor-made for Strange. The renaissance of 1980s themes and fashions in today's pop music means that Visage now sound current without having to alter their approach. 'Your Skin Is My Sin' lays on the funk bass and synth pads. 'Sax Scene' is an instrumental remix of 'Clubscene' sans Strange's vocals. while the remix of 'Star City' strips away the cod-space shuttle voiceover and sounds better for it.
The remix of Midge Ure's 'Become' takes a modern song, that Ure included on his recent album, and makes it gloriously '80s. It's equal parts Human League and the old Fashion TV theme tune by Animotion, and 100% Visage.
Overall this is an album of improved and modernised mixes of Strange's swansong. It’s a release for fans and is unlikely to win over many new listeners but it is superior to its predecessor in most ways. Hopefully it is sufficiently successful that Porthcawl gets its Steve Strange statue. Truly eccentric pop stars are thin on the ground these days and should be celebrated.
Darkness To Diamond is available from amazon and the band's website.