Platinum Blonde

Emerging from Toronto in 1982 amid the fade of disco and the rise of glammy hard rock, Platinum Blonde took shape just as new wave reached peak commercial visibility. Acts such as the Police, Duran Duran, and Billy Idol were merging image with sound to exploit the emerging medium of music video. Vocalist Mark Holmes, guitarist Sergio Galli, bassist Kenny MacLean, and percussionist Chris Steffer positioned themselves as Canada’s counterpart to that wave. The group issued its debut album, Standing in the Dark, through Epic Records Canada in 1983. Both the record and its singles “It Doesn’t Really Matter” and “Standing in the Dark” achieved immediate success across Canada while drawing notice in the United States, propelling Platinum Blonde to sudden prominence and elevating the profile of Canadian rock. A follow-up, Alien Shores, appeared in 1984 on both sides of the border; although the album earned five-times platinum certification in Canada for sales of 500,000 units, it failed to achieve comparable traction in the U.S. market. By 1987 the band shifted toward a funk-rock approach on the album Contact, yet dwindling fan and label interest rendered the effort its final release. Mounting internal tensions, disputes with the label, and an elusive stylistic identity led to the group’s dissolution by 1989. That same year the members regrouped under the name the Blondes with a revised lineup and released one additional album, Yeah Yeah Yeah, though the moment had already passed.