The Fixx

In certain respects the Fixx exemplify the classic New Wave act, a British ensemble that refined synth pop and art rock while directing its efforts toward listeners in the United States. At the height of their popularity during the first half of the 1980s the group registered scant impact at home, never entering the British Top 50, yet they registered strongly on MTV, Top 40 radio and album-oriented rock outlets across America, climbing to the Billboard Top Ten with the insistent “One Thing Leads to Another” before reaching comparable positions with the atmospheric “Are We Ourselves?” and “Secret Separation.” By the close of the decade changing tastes had eroded their commercial momentum, yet the Fixx continued as one of the handful of early-1980s bands that maintained a steady schedule of touring and recording into the 2020s.

University acquaintances vocalist and keyboardist Cy Curnin and drummer Adam Woods launched the project at the beginning of the decade, placing an advertisement in the music press that yielded keyboardist Rupert Greenall, guitarist Tony McGrail and bassist Russell Mckenzie. Operating initially as the Portraits, the musicians issued two singles on Ariola Records, “Little Women” and “Hazards in the Home,” neither of which attracted notice. Within twelve months McGrail and Mckenzie departed in favor of Jamie West-Oram and Charlie Barrett respectively; the ensemble adopted the name the Fixx and cut the single “Lost Planes,” which secured a contract with MCA.

Their first full-length release, the Rupert Hine-produced Shuttered Room, appeared in 1982. The album generated two modest British hits, “Stand or Fall” and “Red Skies,” and charted briefly at home while lingering inside the American Top 200 for nearly a year despite the absence of any successful singles. Barrett subsequently exited, and after a short interim with Alfie Agius the band installed Dan K. Brown as his permanent replacement.

A second collaboration with Hine, 1983’s Reach the Beach, positioned the Fixx as a commercial force in the U.S. The compact, driving “One Thing Leads to Another” rose to number four and propelled the album into the Top Ten; by year’s end Reach the Beach had been certified platinum, spawning two further Top 40 singles in “Saved by Zero” and “Sign of Fire.” Notwithstanding this American breakthrough, the Fixx remained outside the British charts and never returned to them.

Phantoms followed in 1984. Although the album reached number 19 and earned gold status, it fell short of its predecessor’s performance; after the number 15 single “Are We Ourselves?” it departed the charts. The group retained its core synth-centered approach on 1986’s Walkabout, which yielded the hit “Secret Separation.” With the conclusion of their partnership with Hine the Fixx adopted a harder, guitar-led style for 1988’s Calm Animals, which peaked at number 72 without producing any charting singles. Ink, issued in 1991, likewise failed to restore their earlier visibility even after an attempt to modernize the sound through greater guitar emphasis and polished dance rhythms.

Following that release the Fixx stepped back from widespread attention, reemerging in 1998 with Elemental, an album that featured bassist Chris Tate in place of Brown. The following year they issued 1011 Woodland, a set of re-recorded hits. Former Roxy Music and Adam & the Ants bassist Gary Tibbs joined for 2003’s Want That Life. Five years later Brown rejoined for a world tour that became permanent.

In 2012 the Fixx delivered Beautiful Friction, their first studio album in nearly a decade. A sustained period of live work ensued, encompassing themed outings such as the “All Request Tour,” the “FIXXmas Tour” and full-album performances of Reach the Beach. The band also supported Every Five Seconds, released in 2022.