Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. The group started out playing new wave but later shifted to a more mainstream pop sound, which brought them significant popularity in the early-to-mid 1980s. They recorded a string of hits that charted in the UK, the US, and elsewhere.
The band's name comes from two bumbling detective characters in the English-language version of the comic series «The Adventures of Tintin» — Thomson and Thompson, who were doubles but not brothers.
Over the years the lineup swelled to as many as seven members, but the group was best known as the trio that lasted from 1982 to 1986:
- Tom Bailey (vocals, keyboards, bass)
- Alannah Currie (drums, percussion, vocals)
- Joe Leeway (percussion, congas, vocals)
Thompson Twins became a notable presence in the US during the so-called «Second British Invasion.» In 1985 the band performed at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia, where Madonna joined them on stage.
Among the band's best-known hits: «Hold Me Now» (#4 UK, #3 US), «Doctor! Doctor!» (#3 UK), «You Take Me Up» (#2 UK), «Love On Your Side,» and «Lies.» The 1984 album «Into the Gap» became one of the year's best sellers, moving five million copies worldwide and topping the UK album chart.
Leeway left the band in 1986, and the remaining duo of Bailey and Currie continued releasing music for another seven years. In 1993 they changed their name to Babble, reflecting a shift away from pop and toward dub influences and a chill-out style. Under that name they released two albums before finally disbanding in 1996.
In the 1980s, Thompson Twins cultivated a recognizable image with bold hairstyles and a distinctive logo, designed by Andie Airfix, depicting the band members' silhouetted heads with their signature haircuts.
Despite the wave of 1980s nostalgia and many acts of that era reuniting, Thompson Twins declined to follow the trend, although Bailey, Currie, and Leeway did appear together on the British television show «Top Ten Electro Bands» in 2001. In 2014, Tom Bailey returned to touring under the name Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey, and in 2018 released a solo album, «Science Fiction.»