The Names (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Michel Sordinia |
| Headquarters | Brussels , Belgium |
| Products | Post-punk music |
The Names are a post-punk group hailing from Brussels, Belgium, established in 1978 by bassist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Michel Sordinia.
History
The founding members comprised Sordinia, guitarist Marc Deprez, and drummer/keyboardist Christophe Den Tandt; briefly, Robert Frankson and vocalist Isabelle Hanrez also joined the lineup. Initially performing under the name The Passengers in their local scene, they adopted the moniker The Names for their first single "Spectators of Life," which was launched by WEA in 1979 as an experiment within the domestic new wave scene.
In pursuit of a UK record deal, The Names made contact with Factory Records during a Joy Division concert held in Brussels. With the addition of drummer Luc Capelle, they recorded "Nightshift" in Manchester in August 1980 under the guidance of producer Martin Hannett. This release, characterized by a dark and precise modern rock sound reminiscent of Magazine, Comsat Angels, and Joy Division/early New Order, climbed to number 35 on the UK Indie Chart. In February 1982, they recorded a session for John Peel's show on BBC Radio 1, which was later issued as the Radio Session 1982 digital EP.
Producer Hannett also managed their subsequent single "Calcutta" (released on Factory Benelux in 1981) and their debut album Swimming (issued by Les Disques du Crépuscule in 1982). Following Capelle's motorcycle accident, Michel Silverstein stepped in as drummer during his recovery. Concurrently, Sordinia lent his vocals to the side project By Chance's single "Soul Kitchen" (1981), released through Crammed Discs.
The group mainly toured across the Benelux countries and France, including an appearance in Les Disques du Crepuscule’s multimedia project Dialogue North-South (1982). They were slated to support A Certain Ratio in Manchester in 1980; however, postponements resulted in New Order performing live for the first time after Joy Division's dissolution.
Their last single, "The Astronaut" (1982), produced once again by Hannett after parting ways with Factory Records, was released via Les Disques du Crépuscule. With post-punk's waning popularity, The Names disbanded shortly thereafter.
In 1985, Postcard Views, a cassette compiling both studio recordings and live performances, was released by LTM Recordings. Expanded versions of Swimming appeared in 1991 (Factory Benelux) and 2000 (LTM Recordings), with Factory Benelux reissuing it once more in 2013 including the 1982 Peel session.
In 1995, original members Sordinia, Deprez, and Den Tandt reunited under the name Jazz and released the album Nightvision. A compilation titled Spectators of Life came out in 2001 featuring B-sides and live tracks from 1979 to 1982 alongside Jazz material from 1994–1995.
The Names regrouped again in December 2007 for A Factory Night event in Brussels. They followed this with the release of Monsters Next Door in April 2009 on the French label Str8line. Later that year, Den Tandt left and was succeeded by Christophe Boulenger.
In 2014, Factory Benelux put out the compilation In Time, which included selections from both Nightvision and Monsters Next Door. On 18 May 2015, with drummer Laurent Loddewyckx joining the lineup, The Names released their third studio album Stranger Than You through Factory Benelux.
Another compilation entitled In Mutation was released by Les Disques du Crépuscule in 2016; it featured a solo cassette single by Deprez from 1981 as well as a live recording from 1982.
Studio albums
- Swimming (1982, released by Les Disques du Crépuscule)
- Monsters Next Door (2009, under Str8line)
- Stranger Than You (2015, issued by Factory Benelux)
- Encore! (2025, distributed through Spleen+ Records)
Live albums
- German Nights (2017, Factory Benelux label)
Compilation albums
- Postcard Views cassette format (1985, LTM Recordings)
- Swimming + Singles (initially 1991 by Factory Benelux; reissued 2000 via LTM Recordings)
- Spectators of Life (2001, LTM Recordings)
- In Time (2014, Factory Benelux)
- In Mutation (2016, Les Disques du Crépuscule)
Singles and EPs
- "Spectators of Life" 7"/12" formats (1979, released by WEA)
- "Night Shift" 7" single (1981, through Factory)
- "Calcutta" 7" release (1982, Factory Benelux)
- "The Astronaut" 12" single (1982, Les Disques du Crépuscule)
Compilation appearances
- "The Cat" featured on From Brussels with Love (1980, Les Disques du Crépuscule)
- "Music for Someone" included in The Fruit of the Original Sin (1981, Les Disques du Crépuscule)
- "Tokyo Twilight" part of Ghosts of Christmas Past (1981, Les Disques du Crépuscule)
As Jazz
- Nightvision album (1997, Pazz Records)
External links
- Official website (archived)
- The Names biography (LTM)
- The Names discography (LTM)