The Names

Late in 1977, Belgian post-punk outfit the Names first assembled under the name the Passengers. The founding members included drummer Mike S. Christophe den Tandt, guitarists Marc Deprez and Robert Franckson, vocalist Isabelle Hanrez, and bassist Michel Sordinia. By the start of 1978, Franckson and Hanrez had exited, after which Sordinia moved into the lead vocal slot.

A string of support dates alongside Magazine and Simple Minds caught the ear of WEA’s Belgian division, which issued the one-off single “Spectators of Life” in 1979. Hoping to secure a longer-term arrangement, the band then pitched that major-label release to the independent labels Factory and Fiction. Factory responded first, bringing the Names aboard the same roster that housed Joy Division and Durutti Column.

The 1981 single “Night Shift,” helmed by producer Martin Hannett, opened the door to further work with the Factory-affiliated Belgian imprint Crepuscule. While the Factory connection instantly raised the band’s profile, it also invited constant and often unfavorable comparisons to Joy Division. Hannett also produced the debut album Swimming, which Crepuscule released in 1982; the sessions wrapped inside a single week, yet the record slipped by unnoticed by both critics and buyers.

Shortly afterward, newly recruited drummer Luc Capelle suffered a serious motorcycle accident. Michel Silverstein stepped in as a temporary replacement while the group struggled through what would become its final single. The band dissolved before that record appeared.

In 1994 four original members reconvened with an additional musician and cut a full-length album under the name Jazz for the Pazz label. Both Swimming and the compilation Spectators of Life later received compact-disc editions.