The Danse Society
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1980 in Barnsley, England |
| Headquarters | Barnsley , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, Europe |
Key people | Steve Rawlings, Paul Nash, Lyndon Scarfe, Tim Wright, Paul Gilmartin, Maethelyiah, David Whitaker |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Number of employees | 5 (original lineup) |
The Danse Society—originally called Y? and subsequently Danse Crazy—is a gothic rock group from England that originated in Barnsley in 1980. The band was active until 1986 before reuniting in 2011. Its members included Steve Rawlings on vocals, Paul Nash playing guitar, Lyndon Scarfe on keyboards, Tim Wright handling bass, and Paul Gilmartin on drums. After the release of the Heaven Is Waiting album, Scarfe was succeeded by David Whitaker, formerly of Music for Pleasure.
Initial Era
The band began under the name Y? and then switched to Danse Crazy, a change prompted by the rise of the Two Tone movement. Their debut single, "Clock," was launched in 1980 through their independent label Society. Their first album, Seduction (1982), achieved a peak position of No. 3 on the UK Indie Chart.
Following this, their sophomore album Heaven Is Waiting was released in 1983 via Arista, reaching No. 39 on the UK Albums Chart. The album included a rendition of the Rolling Stones' "2000 Light Years from Home", which came out as a limited double single and 12" in 1984. Under label influence, they recorded "Say It Again" with producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman.
By 1986, after issuing Looking Through under the moniker The Danse Society International, all members except Rawlings left to establish Johnny in the Clouds.
Rawlings carried on using the name Society, releasing the single "Saturn Girl" in 1987 before shifting focus to electronic dance music with Meridian Dream.
Reunion
In late 2009, a Facebook initiative called The Danse Society Reformation Plot successfully brought most original members back together. The revitalized lineup featured new singer Maethelyiah from Blooding Mask and released their fourth studio album, Change of Skin, in July 2011. Early demo recordings with original vocalist Steve Rawlings surfaced on YouTube and appeared on the 2021 "Best Of" compilation; however, Rawlings did not complete the album’s final vocals—these were performed entirely by Maethelyiah. The lead single "God Cry" was released in November 2011, followed by "Vatican" in April 2012, which included a revamped version of an early track titled "Seduction." Their first concert after a 25-year hiatus took place at Germany's Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival in May 2012, followed by additional festival appearances.
An unreleased song called 'Towers,' recorded in 2010 featuring Rawlings’ vocals—his only contribution during the reformation phase—served as the foundation for the title track of Change of Skin, now performed by Maethelyiah.
Their fifth studio release, Scarey Tales, arrived in February 2013.
On 1 February 2014, original members Gilmartin and Roberts unexpectedly resigned, resulting in canceled tour dates. The remaining lineup—Nash, Whitaker, and Maethelyiah—continued with new additions Lee Jones on bass and Iain Hunter on drums. Subsequent changes saw Sam Bollands replace Whitaker and Jack Cooper take over from Jones. On 9 December 2014, they issued the single "If I Were Jesus" / "Sound of Silence," followed by their sixth album, VI, released on 25 September 2015.
In June 2018, the band introduced the EP The FUTUR1ST, which included a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt," dedicated to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, alongside original songs "One Thought in Heaven" and "Scream." Drummer Joss Rylance played on this release before Tom Davenport succeeded him. The seventh studio album, Sailing Mirrors, was unveiled in September 2020 to coincide with their 40th anniversary. In June 2021, Dylan Riley replaced Davenport and Jono Mori took over from Bollands for a brief UK tour; Billy Bostanci served as a temporary substitute for Cooper. Mori was later succeeded by Steve Dickinson. The band’s eighth studio album, The Loop, came out in 2024.
Paul Gilmartin, founding drummer who contributed significantly to key releases such as Seduction (which reached No. 3 on the UK Indie Chart) and Heaven Is Waiting (which hit No. 39 UK Albums), passed away on 6 August 2024 after remaining with the group until his departure in 2014.
Studio albums
- Seduction (1982)
- Heaven Is Waiting (1983)
- Looking Through (1986) (released under The Danse Society International)
- Change of Skin (2011)
- Scarey Tales (2013)
- VI (2015)
- Sailing Mirrors (2020)
- The Loop (2024)
Compilation albums
- The Danse Society (1983)
- The Danse Society (1984)
- Demos Vol. 1 (2011)
- ONT BBC (2020)
- A-Z 40 Years of Danse (2021)
- 40 Years of Danse - EXTENDE (2021)
Singles
| Month | Year | Title | UK |
UK Indie |
Record label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 1980 | "Clock"/"Continent" | — | 11 | Society |
| March | 1981 | "There Is No Shame in Death" | — | 26 | Society |
| May | 1981 | "Woman's Own" | — | — | Society |
| December | 1982 | "Somewhere" | — | 2 | Society |
| March | 1983 | "Somewhere" (re-issued) | 94 | — | Arista |
| July | 1983 | "We're So Happy" | — | 22 | Society |
| August | 1983 | "Wake Up"/"Seduction" | 61 | — | Arista |
| October | 1983 | "Heaven Is Waiting" | 60 | — | Arista |
| March | 1984 | "2,000 Light Years from Home" | 77 | — | Arista |
| July | 1985 | "Say It Again" | 83 | — | Arista |
| February | 1986 | "Hold On (To What You've Got)" | 89 | — | Arista |
| August | 1987 | "Saturn Girl" (credited as Society) | — | 48 | Big Life |
| November | 1987 | "Love It" (credited as Society) | — | 19 | Big Life |
| November | 2011 | "God Cry" | — | — | Society |
| April | 2012 | "Vatican" | — | — | Society |
| December | 2014 | "If I Were Jesus" / "Sound of Silence" | — | — | Society |
| June | 2018 | The FUTUR1ST (EP) | — | — | Society |
| September | 2020 | Sailing Mirrors | — | — | Society |