ABC

ABC are an English pop group formed in Sheffield in 1980, led by singer Martin Fry alongside Mark White and Stephen Singleton, who had previously played in the synth outfit Vice Versa. Fry, originally a fanzine writer, joined the band as vocalist and quickly steered it toward a glossy, orchestrated take on new wave that fused electronic textures with soul and disco influences. Their image was as sharp as their sound: gold lamé suits and a theatrical stage presence became part of their appeal during the early MTV era.

The group's breakthrough came with the 1982 album «Lexicon of Love», produced by Trevor Horn, widely regarded as one of the definitive pop records of its decade. Singles such as «Poison Arrow», «The Look of Love» and «All of My Heart» combined lush string arrangements with Fry's romantic, wry lyricism, giving ABC hits across the UK, US and beyond. Earlier single «Tears Are Not Enough» had already signalled the band's arrival with sharp, danceable songwriting.

Subsequent albums, including «Beauty Stab» and «How to Be a Zillionaire!», saw the band experiment with rockier and more electronic directions, with tracks like «Be Near Me» finding further chart success in the mid-1980s. Though lineups shifted over the years, with Fry remaining the constant creative force, ABC's influence on sophisti-pop and dance-oriented new wave endures, and the band has continued to tour and record in later decades.