THE HUMAN LEAGUE

THE HUMAN LEAGUE is an English electronic new wave band formed in Sheffield, England, in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.

Originally an avant-garde all-male synthesizer-based group, they evolved into a commercially successful synthpop outfit under vocalist and songwriter Philip Oakey’s leadership, yielding the group’s biggest-selling album, Dare (1981).

Since 1987, the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey and long-serving female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley (who joined the band in 1980), with various sidemen. The Human League has influenced many electro-pop, other synthpop, and mainstream acts, including Madonna, La Roux, Moby, Pet Shop Boys, and Little Boots. They have been sampled and covered by various artists, including Tony Christie, Utah Saints, Ministry of Sound, Craig David, George Michael, KMFDM, and Robbie Williams.

Since 1978, The Human League has released nine studio albums, four EPs, and twenty-seven singles. They have had four albums and eight singles in the UK Top Ten, one of which was #1 (two in the US), and they have played over 350 live concerts. The band has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.