The Communards

Jimmy Somerville found the rapid ascent of Bronski Beat through the mid-1980s so demanding that he stunned observers by exiting the band after delivering just its debut long-player. The breakthrough singles “Smalltown Boy” and the ensemble’s version of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love,” both spotlighting his unmistakable falsetto, placed Bronski Beat at the center of pop attention across several nations. Although his departure raised questions about the future of one of the gay community’s most visible artists, Somerville soon reappeared alongside classically trained pianist and longtime friend Richard Coles.

Originally called the Committee, the pair later adopted the name Communards to sidestep overlap with another act sharing a similar title, selecting the moniker as an homage to a faction of nineteenth-century French Republicans. Their sound merged exuberant yet refined dance-pop with quieter pieces that suited Coles’ abilities while revealing the full range of Somerville’s vocals. Two disco remakes, Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and Gloria Gaynor’s “Never Can Say Goodbye,” reached the Top Five of the American club chart. On a different note, “Reprise” delivered one of the most incisive critiques of Margaret Thatcher, while “For a Friend” offered a moving tribute to a close associate lost to AIDS. Both the 1987 album Communards and its 1988 follow-up Red achieved strong sales and generated additional modest hits beyond the tracks already cited.

Coles stepped away from music in 1988 to work as a religious commentator, prompting Somerville to launch a solo career that yielded his debut album, Read My Lips, by 1989. He continued releasing material only intermittently through the rest of the decade.