1983–1985: early years and The Age of Consent Bronski Beat formed in 1983 when Jimmy Somerville, Steve Bronski (both from
Glasgow) and Larry Steinbachek (from
Southend,
Essex) Bronski Beat signed a
recording contract with
London Records in 1984 after doing only nine live
gigs. The band's debut single, "
Smalltown Boy", about a gay teenager leaving his family and fleeing his home town, was a hit, peaking at No 3 in the
UK Singles Chart, and topping charts in Belgium and the Netherlands. This event is featured in the film
Pride. The third single, released before Christmas 1984, was a revival of "
It Ain't Necessarily So", the
George and
Ira Gershwin classic (from
Porgy and Bess). The song questions the accuracy of biblical tales. It also reached the UK Top 20. Although the original had been one of Marc Almond's all-time favourite songs, he had never read the lyrics and thus incorrectly sang "What’ll it be, what’ll it be, you and me" instead of "Falling free, falling free, falling free" on the finished record. The band and their producer Mike Thorne had gone back into the studio in early 1985 to record a new single, "Run from Love", and PolyGram (London Records' parent company at that time) had pressed a number of promo singles and 12" versions of the song and sent them to radio and record stores in the UK. However, the single was shelved as tensions in the band, both personal and political, resulted in Somerville leaving Bronski Beat in the summer of that year. "Run from Love" was subsequently released in
remix form on the Bronski Beat album
Hundreds & Thousands, a collection of mostly remixes (LP) and
B-sides (as bonus tracks on the CD version) as well as the hit "I Feel Love". Somerville went on to form
the Communards with
Richard Coles while the remaining members of Bronski Beat searched for a new vocalist.
1985–1995: Somerville's departure, John Foster and Jonathan Hellyer eras Bronski Beat recruited John Foster as Somerville's replacement (Foster is credited as "Jon Jon"). A single, "
Hit That Perfect Beat", was released in November 1985, reaching 3 in the UK. Bronski died on 7 December 2021, at the age of 61, in a Central London flat fire. ==Members==