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After leaving Bronski Beat in the spring of 1985, vocalist Jimmy Somerville (b. 22 June 1961, Glasgow, Scotland) teamed up with the classically-trained pianist Richard Coles (b. 23 June 1962, Northampton, England) to form the Committee. When a rival group laid claim to that name, they became the Communards, a title borrowed from a 19th century group of French Republicans.
Their debut single, the disco-styled "You Are My World" reached the UK Top 30. The follow-up, "Disenchanted", was another minor hit, after which the duo decided to augment the line-up with various backing musicians. Meanwhile, their self-titled debut album climbed to number 2 in the UK. In September 1986, the group unexpectedly reached number 1 with a revival of Harold Melvin's "Don't Leave Me This Way". The song was most memorable for the vocal interplay between the falsetto of Somerville and the husky tones of guest singer Sarah Jane Morris. Her statuesque presence added much to the group's live appeal, especially when dancing alongside the diminutive Somerville. A further UK Top 10 hit followed with "So Cold The Night". After touring extensively, the group issued a second album, Red. produced by Stephen Hague. A series of singles were culled from the album, including "Tomorrow", their comment on wife-beating, which reached number 23. The group returned to the Top 5 with a stirring revival of Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye". During 1988, they registered two more minor UK hits with "For A Friend" and "There's More To Love". With their fusion of disco-revival and falsetto pop, the Communards proved one of the more accomplished new acts of the mid-late 80s and seemed likely to enjoy further success in the new decade.
As with Bronski Beat, however, Somerville showed a restlessness with the British music scene and wound down the group's activities, after which he went solo and scored hits with a cover of Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Read My Lips" before relocating to San Francisco.

Communards Tour
The Town & Country club completely sold out with over 3000 fans. This concert-venue which was once a warehouse, is located in East London, well known for it´s unemployment and racial conflict. It was very much a conscience decision on JS and Richard Coles´s part to hold the final concert of their European-tour there.

	History > Communards > History Page 1 of 3
		Back	Home	Next

After leaving Bronski Beat in the spring of 1985, vocalist Jimmy Somerville (b. 22 June 1961, Glasgow, Scotland) teamed up with the classically-trained pianist Richard Coles (b. 23 June 1962, Northampton, England) to form the Committee. When a rival group laid claim to that name, they became the Communards, a title borrowed from a 19th century group of French Republicans. Their debut single, the disco-styled "You Are My World" reached the UK Top 30. The follow-up, "Disenchanted", was another minor hit, after which the duo decided to augment the line-up with various backing musicians. Meanwhile, their self-titled debut album climbed to number 2 in the UK. In September 1986, the group unexpectedly reached number 1 with a revival of Harold Melvin's "Don't Leave Me This Way". The song was most memorable for the vocal interplay between the falsetto of Somerville and the husky tones of guest singer Sarah Jane Morris. Her statuesque presence added much to the group's live appeal, especially when dancing alongside the diminutive Somerville. A further UK Top 10 hit followed with "So Cold The Night". After touring extensively, the group issued a second album, Red. produced by Stephen Hague. A series of singles were culled from the album, including "Tomorrow", their comment on wife-beating, which reached number 23. The group returned to the Top 5 with a stirring revival of Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye". During 1988, they registered two more minor UK hits with "For A Friend" and "There's More To Love". With their fusion of disco-revival and falsetto pop, the Communards proved one of the more accomplished new acts of the mid-late 80s and seemed likely to enjoy further success in the new decade. As with Bronski Beat, however, Somerville showed a restlessness with the British music scene and wound down the group's activities, after which he went solo and scored hits with a cover of Sylvester's "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and "Read My Lips" before relocating to San Francisco. Communards Tour The Town & Country club completely sold out with over 3000 fans. This concert-venue which was once a warehouse, is located in East London, well known for it´s unemployment and racial conflict. It was very much a conscience decision on JS and Richard Coles´s part to hold the final concert of their European-tour there.