ABC (band)
ABC | |
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ABC performing at the O2 Apollo Manchester, 2025 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England |
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| Years active |
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| Labels |
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| Spinoff of | Vice Versa |
| Members | Martin Fry |
| Past members |
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| Website | abcmartinfry |
ABC are an English pop band which formed in Sheffield, South Yorkshire in 1980, evolving from the earlier electronic band Vice Versa. Associated with the new pop movement of the early 1980s, ABC blended synth-pop with disco and rock influences. The band achieved mainstream success with their debut album, The Lexicon of Love (1982), which reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and featured the hit singles "Tears Are Not Enough", "Poison Arrow", "All of My Heart" and "The Look of Love".
Fronted by lead vocalist Martin Fry, the band's only constant member, their classic line-up featured Fry, guitarist and keyboardist Mark White, saxophonist Stephen Singleton, and drummer David Palmer. ABC achieved ten UK and five US top 40 hit singles from 1981 to 1990. The band's early-1980s success in the US made them part of the Second British Invasion. Following The Lexicon of Love, ABC continued to release music throughout the 1980s, with notable albums including Beauty Stab (1983), which included the hit single "That Was Then but This Is Now", How to Be a ... Zillionaire! (1985), which included the hit singles "(How to Be A) Millionaire" and "Be Near Me", and Alphabet City (1987), which included the hit singles "When Smokey Sings" and "The Night You Murdered Love".
Although their commercial success declined after the 1980s, ABC have remained active through live performances, reissues, and occasional new material. In 2016, Fry released The Lexicon of Love II, a sequel to their debut studio album, which was well received by both critics and fans.