Marc and the Mambas

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Marc and the Mambas was a pop-group formed by Marc Almond as an off-shoot project from Soft Cell. The band's line-up changed frequently and included:

Matt Johnson from The The, and
Annie Hogan (Anni Hogan), with whom Marc worked later in his solo career.

Marc and the Mambas forever can be considered the blueprint for Marc Almond's solo career. As Soft Cell developed into an excellent mix of pop and electronic "dark" dance music, Marc and the Mambas picked up there - but more and more got rid of the dance beat.

While their first album still was searching for its own voice - with a mix of ballads with and without dance beats, Torment and Toreros was an incredible mix of Vaudeville, French chanson, goth sensibility, guitar noise, piano, string sections and a singing hero that went mad during the course of this album. Marc Almond later noted ironically, this album was an attempted suicide put on vinyl, and in a way it was. However, looking back at it almost 25 years later, it still goes strong, since there was never anything like that before and after.

Interesting was on top of that the group as such was an outfit that was closer to a jazz outfit rather than a rock group. The band members changed from album to performance and back each time something new was started. The only really consisting members were Marc Almond, of course, and Annie Hogan. Further members, such as Billy Mc Gee and Martin McCarrick went later on to join Marc for his first solo efforts (called Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners). But Martin McCarrick left for Siouxsie and the Banshees in 1987, and the rest of that band (then called La Magia) dissolved in 1988. Since then Marc has been a true solo artist, working closely together with Neal X (of Sigue Sigue Sputnik fame) since 1993.

As for the Mambas, David Ball was an associated member for their first single, "Sleaze" and Marc Johnson from The The was a member for the first and second album but did not join anymore for the last concerts in 1983 (put to Vinyl and later to CD as Black, Bite & Blues.) Never a full but an associated member was Jim Foetus (aka Jim Thirwell/Clint Ruin), who did guest vocals and percussion on "A Million Manias" as well as "Love Among the Ruined."

It was in 1983, that Marc as well as Soft Cell were very close to the avant-garde scene around Foetus, Psychic TV , and Einstürzende Neubauten. Marc also took part as one of four members of The Immaculate Consumptives who never released any album but did a few shows in New York and Washington D.C, in the end of 1983. The group was initiated by Lydia Lunch. Further members were Jim Foetus and Nick Cave.

Marc and the Mambas very much belonged into that scene and were something as an odd ball at the same time. Since despite being quoted differently at the time, he never gave up his pop sensibilities, which already returned in Soft Cell's last effort (for 17 years) on This Last Night In Sodom... (1983). As Soft Cell called it a day and Marc started his solo career, many people were suprised that Vermine In Ermine was very much pop influenced. His second album Stories of Johnny (1985) even more so. However, Mother Fist and Her Fiver Daughters, released in 1987, picked up where the Mambas had left off in 1983 and since then Marc always goes back and forth effortlessly between pop (such The Stars We Are (1988) to chanson such as Jacques (1989) and avant-garde (such as Heart On Snow (2003)). However, he only returned to hard core avantgarde a la "A Million Manias" or "The Animal in You" in side projects such as Flesh Volcano (with Jim Feotus, 1987) or in guesting on albums of The Coil and alike.

In the beginning of the 2000s he even reformed Soft Cell for a while. For the first time since the early 80s, he reemerged as a dance music artist, exploring collborations with artists such as System F., Loverush, or King Roc. There was always the fans' wish for the Mambas to return one day but that is not going to happen, since too many different people were involved in the project. Marc, however, always kept in touch with some of the Mambas core members like Anne Stephenson and Gini Ball (David Ball's wife) who performed with him during his Sin, Songs And Romance gigs at the Almeida in 2004. He includes frequently Mambas songs in his live repertoire and this way, their legacy remains alive.

By the way, Anthony from Anthony and the Johnsons, quotes "Torment and Toreros" as the most important influence on his life and his work.

[edit] Discography

Albums

Untitled (1982)
Torment and Toreros (1983)
Black Bite and Blues (Live) (1984, gutterheart release)
Radio Sessions One (Live, togteher with tracks from the "Vermine In Ermine period, Marc's first proper solo effort)

Singles

"Sleaze" (Take It, Shake It) - Fan Club Only Release
"Big Louise" (Although a sleeve was commissioned and a catalgue number allocated, this single was never actually released)
"Black Heart"
"Torment"