Win

Win emerged as an eccentric but appealing Scottish pop outfit that surfaced on the music landscape through scattered singles issued in 1985 and 1986 before finally delivering their first full-length record, Uh! Tears Baby (A Trash Icon), on the London-based Uh! label in 1987. Fronted by Davey Henderson—formerly the driving force behind Fire Engines—on vocals, guitar, and keyboards, the lineup also comprised Russel Burn handling keyboards, percussion, vocals, and samples, Ian Stoddart on drums, vocals, percussion, and keyboards, Manny Shoniwa contributing guitar, bass, keyboards, and vocals, plus Simon Smeeton covering guitar, bass, keyboards, and vocals. The album blended Henderson’s idiosyncratic songcraft with an up-to-date dance pulse that felt contemporary in the eighties, while David Motion’s pristine production only heightened its peculiar atmosphere.

The group seemed intent on shattering conventions yet stayed safely within established bounds, an effect comparable to Marc Bolan fronting early It Bites while interpreting Orange Juice material and having the results blended by Kraftwerk and Adam Ant (“wow” is right). Despite their unconventional bent, Henderson’s compositions remained melodic and instantly memorable, propelled by the ensemble’s soulful rhythmic drive. Two years afterward the band issued their long-delayed follow-up, Freaky Trigger, via Virgin, now augmented by William Perry on keyboards and vocals; the sound stayed largely consistent, though leaning slightly more toward funk. Lacking significant traction, the act eventually dispersed, with Henderson reappearing several years later at the helm of Nectarine No. 9.