Culture Club

In the early 1980s few new wave acts matched the commercial dominance of Culture Club, whose light and catchy pop-soul produced seven consecutive Top Ten singles in the United Kingdom and six in the United States. Although the songs themselves were ideally formatted for radio, the true catalyst for the band’s rise was its charismatic, cross-dressing vocalist Boy George. His preference for extravagant dresses and theatrical cosmetics created an androgynous image that proved irresistible on the fledgling MTV network. George’s acerbic humor and frequent sharp-tongued remarks further secured widespread press attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Although the group shared stylistic ties to the new romantics—both movements drew from Northern soul and fashion—Culture Club possessed a keener pop sensibility that broadened its appeal beyond that of its contemporaries. That spotlight proved fleeting; the band could not keep pace with shifting MTV aesthetics and was undermined by internal strains, among them Boy George’s developing drug dependence. By 1986 Culture Club had disbanded, though several of its recordings endure as new-wave standards.

Born George O’Dowd on June 14, 1961, the son of a boxing-club manager, Boy George developed an early affinity for the glam-rock sounds of T. Rex and David Bowie. In the post-punk climate of the late 1970s he became a fixture at London’s new-romantic clubs. Together with fellow cross-dressers Marilyn and Martin Degville—later of Sigue Sigue Sputnik—George gained underground notoriety for his flamboyant wardrobe, prompting Malcolm McLaren to invite him into a nascent incarnation of Bow Wow Wow. Briefly performing with the group as Lieutenant Lush, he soon departed to form In Praise of Lemmings alongside bassist Mikey Craig, born February 15, 1960. After guitarist Jon Suede joined, the ensemble adopted the name Sex Gang Children. Within months the musicians encountered Jon Moss, born September 11, 1957, a seasoned drummer who had previously worked with Adam & the Ants and the Damned.

By 1981 Boy George had rechristened the band Culture Club and replaced Suede with guitarist Roy Hay, born August 12, 1961, formerly of Russian Bouquet. Late that year the quartet cut demos for EMI, which declined to sign them. Virgin Records offered a contract early in 1982, and the single “White Boy” appeared that spring. Neither it nor the follow-up “I’m Afraid of Me” charted, yet British music and fashion publications began featuring stories about Boy George. The group’s breakthrough arrived in the autumn with “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” which ascended to the top of the British charts. Soon afterward the debut album Kissing to Be Clever reached number five in the United Kingdom, while the non-album single “Time (Clock of the Heart)” climbed to number three. In early 1983 both the album and “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” entered the American charts, the single ultimately peaking at number two; “Time” also reached number two in the United States. The non-album British single “Church of the Poison Mind” likewise attained a number-two position at home, and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya” became a Top Ten hit across the Atlantic that summer.

When Colour by Numbers appeared in the autumn of 1983, Culture Club had become the preeminent pop-rock act in both Britain and America. “Karma Chameleon” secured the number-one spot on either side of the ocean, and the album itself topped the United Kingdom chart while rising to number two in the United States. Throughout 1984 further successes followed, with “It’s a Miracle” and “Miss Me Blind” both entering the Top Ten. The third album, Waking Up with the House on Fire, surfaced in the fall; although “The War Song” reached number two in Britain, the record stalled at platinum certification in America, whereas its predecessor had achieved quadruple-platinum status.

After a short February tour, Culture Club entered a hiatus in 1985 while Craig, Moss, and Hay pursued separate musical ventures. During this period Boy George, who had publicly condemned drug use, developed a heroin addiction; simultaneously his already turbulent relationship with Moss deteriorated. These difficulties remained concealed until the band resurfaced in the spring of 1986. Although the comeback single “Move Away” charted that April, its parent album From Luxury to Heartache lingered on the charts for only a short time. Speculation about George’s heroin use intensified, and by summer he publicly confirmed the addiction. In July British police arrested him for cannabis possession. Days later keyboardist Michael Rudetski, a contributor to From Luxury to Heartache, was discovered dead of a heroin overdose at George’s residence; Rudetski’s parents filed unsuccessful wrongful-death charges against the singer.

While Boy George contended with heroin dependency and a subsequent reliance on prescription narcotics, Culture Club dissolved. He announced the breakup in the spring of 1987 and launched a solo career later that year. Although several European dance hits resulted, he did not score an American success until 1992, when his cover of Dave Berry’s “The Crying Game” appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film of the same title. In 1995 George released his autobiography, Take It Like a Man. Culture Club reconvened in 1998 to issue the two-disc collection VH1 Storytellers/Greatest Hits. A new studio album, Don’t Mind If I Do, followed in 1999, reaching number 64 on the United Kingdom chart without an American release. The group marked its twentieth anniversary with a 2002 concert at Royal Albert Hall before entering an informal hiatus. Jon Moss and Mikey Craig later attempted to tour with vocalist Sam Butcher, yet the project was abandoned prior to launch.

Culture Club regrouped in 2014 for touring and commenced work on fresh material with producer Youth. An album titled Tribes was slated for 2015 but never appeared; the sessions instead formed the basis for Life, released in 2018 and marking the band’s first collection of new songs in nearly two decades.