Early career (1984–1987) The band began when Martin Metcalfe moved on from his first band Teenage Dog Orgy in 1984. They were named after author
Jean Rhys's 1931
novel After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie. The band continued to tour heavily, became radio mainstays on Scottish radio and performed at the televised concert "The Big Day" on
Glasgow Green.
Gary Kurfirst, who managed
Talking Heads and
Debbie Harry, bought the band's contract from Parlophone and signed them to his own label,
Radioactive, a subsidiary of
MCA. Radioactive were keen to release the band's second album, but required a chart friendly track. They completed recording "Now We Are Married", in Edinburgh, and Radioactive issued it as a single ahead of
Hammer and Tongs. Both releases again failed to chart, and the group were persuaded to leave the label by their management. In the end, Manson only featured on a
duet, "Normal Boy". The band issued the album on their own record label, Blokshok, following their split from Capitol Records, something later described as "reflecting troubled times – both professionally and personally – for the band".
Five was described as a shift from the "radio friendly first two albums released on major labels", featuring a more "rougher edge". Recorded as the same time as the
debut album from
their side project,
Five has been acknowledged as "more than worthy of place in Scottish music history". Manson left Angelfish, and The Mackenzies, to join the group in 1994. Warm up gigs were performed in Dundee on 17 May and Dunfermline on 18 May, followed by full shows in Glasgow at The Garage (venue of their farewell concert) on 22 May, Aberdeen Lemon Tree on 23 May and Edinburgh Liquid Rooms on 25 and 26 May 2019. These shows were followed up by a winter tour of the UK, culminating in a sold-out performance at the Glasgow
Barrowlands on 20 December. During interviews to promote their tour, Metcalfe revealed that a number of hurdles had to be overcome to reunite the band, including Duncan's
multiple sclerosis and the fact that Scobie had not played keyboard in over 20 years. He described Duncan's ability to relearn his guitar parts in spite of his ongoing health concerns as "something of a miracle". A documentary about the reunion entitled
Until the End of the Road was released in 2020. A live album entitled
A Night in the Windy City was released in February 2021 and featured their 2019 performance at the Glasgow Barrowlands. In April 2024, the band announced six more concerts in October to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their third album,
Five. The same month, the album was remastered and reissued. On 7 November 2024,
Five debuted at number five on the
Scottish Albums Charts, giving the band their first entry on the national albums chart in Scotland, and on 1 December 2024,
Five was released digitally. ==Artistry==