Initially, the band was comprised of Steve Strange, Rusty Egan and Midge Ure (also previously of The Rich Kids). Also in there, and credited as a co-writer of FADE TO GREY was Chris Payne,a member of Gary Numan's band. The trio recorded a demo which included a cover of the Zager and Evans hit "In the Year 2525". Ultravox's multi-instrumentalist Billy Currie and the core of post-punk band Magazine – bassist Barry Adamson, guitarist John McGeoch, and keyboardist Dave Formula – joined the studio-only band later. Visage signed to Radar Records and released their first single, "Tar" (which was originally composed whilst Strange was in The Photons), in September of 1979. The single failed to chart, but the band managed to secure a deal with a larger record company, Polydor, the following year.
1980 saw the release of their second single, "Fade to Grey". The single became a huge hit (making the top ten in the UK and topping the chart in several other countries) and was quickly followed by the release of their self-titled debut album which was also a chart success.
After further Top 40 hits with "Mind of a Toy" and the title track "Visage", Strange struggled to reunite the band's members again to record a second album because of their commitments with their respective bands (Ure and Currie with Ultravox; Formula and Adamson with Magazine; and McGeoch with Siouxsie and the Banshees). However, in the autumn of 1981 all musicians (except McGeoch) went into the studio again and recorded The Anvil. The album was released in March of 1982 and became Visage's first (and only) UK top ten album, producing two top twenty singles with "The Damned Don't Cry" and "Night Train". The Anvil earned Silver disc status in the UK, as did the band's first album.
Following this, Ure left the band to concentrate on his work with Ultravox, who were by now becoming even more successful than Visage were. Creative differences with Strange were also cited as reasons for his departure at the time. Visage, now without Ure and Adamson but with the addition of bassist Steve Barnacle, recorded the stand-alone single "Pleasure Boys", which was released in October of 1982. Unfortunately, the single failed to prolong their string of hits and peaked just outside the UK top 40.
Although still recording, Visage then took a two year hiatus from releasing any new material due to contractual difficulties.
With their contractual problems resolved, 1984 saw the return of Visage for what would become their third album and final released for many years. Beat Boy was released in September of 1984 but was a critical and commercial failure, peaking at #79 in the UK. Two singles from the album, "Love Glove" and "Beat Boy", also failed to make the UK top 40. By this time, Billy Currie and Dave Formula had also departed the band (though they received a "special thanks" credit on the album sleeve for their input), leaving only Strange and Egan from the original line-up along with newer musicians Steve and Gary Barnacle and Andy Barnett. A decision to make Visage a live band instead of a strictly studio-based project also failed to meet with success and the band subsequently split in 1985. Their final release was a Visage VHS video compilation of the band's renowned promotional videos and also included footage of Strange's trip to North Africa the year before. The compilation does not, however, include the original video for the "Love Glove" single which was filmed at a late-night Dockland location in London in 1984.
Following the demise of Visage, Strange then formed the short-lived band Strange Cruise. They released one album in 1986, though this too proved unsuccessful. Visage returned to the charts once more when a Bassheads remix of "Fade to Grey" was a UK Top 40 hit in 1993.
In 2004 Steve Strange reformed Visage with an entirely new line-up. The line-up included Steven Young, Sandrine Gouriou and Rosie Harris from Seize and Ross Tregenza from Jetstream Lovers/Goteki. The new line-up released the track "Diary Of A Madman" in 2007, written by Strange and Tregenza.
Strange released another album using the moniker Visage in 2013 called "Hearts and Knieves.
In December 2014, Visage released Orchestral, a mostly live album containing twelve Visage songs remade with a Czech symphony orchestra.
On 12 February 2015 Steve Strange died due to heart attack while visiting Egypt, He died at 55.
There is another band that use the same name:
2) Visage (ヴィサージュ) was a Japanese visual kei band, who was signed to the Undercode VK label.
We Move
Visage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We move, slip and slide cut through the haze
And even as I stand in the room
Listening to all of the silence around
I feel disco and not so some tune
Beating inside make my feet touch the ground
Then we move
We move, like the good book says
I feel my face reflected around
Hot on my heels closing in more and more
The piper plays a beckoning sound
Leading them on 'til their feet reach the floor
The we move
We dance, we dance, .......
Then we move
The song "We Move" by Visage is an upbeat dance tune that speaks about the power of music to make people move in mysterious ways. The first stanza of the song describes how the beat of the music makes the singer's feet touch the ground, despite the silence around them. The second stanza links dancing to religion, saying that they move like the good book says, and that the piper's beckoning sound is leading them onto the floor. Finally, the chorus brings it all together, with the repeated refrain of "we move" and "we dance." The song is essentially about the universal human experience of being moved by music, and how it can make people feel as though they are part of something greater than themselves.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was released by Visage in 1980, at the height of the new wave and disco scene. It was a popular club hit and one of the band's most successful tunes. Another interesting fact is that the band Visage was founded in the late 1970s by Steve Strange, a Welsh pop singer and nightclub host who was known for his flamboyant dress sense and androgynous appearance. Strange had a large influence on fashion and music in the UK during this time, and his band Visage was at the forefront of the New Romantic movement.
Another interesting fact about "We Move" is that it was not written by Steve Strange or any of the other members of Visage. Instead, it was written by Billy Currie, the keyboardist of the band Ultravox. Currie was a friend of Steve Strange and collaborated with him on several projects, including this song.
Finally, the chords for "We Move" are as follows: E, A, B, C#m.
Line by Line Meaning
We move, in mysterious ways
Our movements are unpredictable and enigmatic
We move, slip and slide cut through the haze
Our dancing is smooth and effortless, breaking through any fog or confusion
And even as I stand in the room
Despite being physically still, I am still affected by the music
Listening to all of the silence around
Although no one is speaking, I hear a symphony of silence
I feel disco and not so some tune
The upbeat rhythm of the music makes me feel both energized and nostalgic
Beating inside make my feet touch the ground
The bass of the music reverberates through my body, causing me to dance
Then we move
We begin to dance and lose ourselves in the music
We move, as the music sways
Our movements follow the fluidity of the music
We move, like the good book says
Our movements mimic the guidance given in holy scriptures
I feel my face reflected around
I sense my joyful expression mirrored on the faces of those around me
Hot on my heels closing in more and more
The dancing crowd behind me grows and intensifies
The piper plays a beckoning sound
The music is beckoning and seductive
Leading them on 'til their feet reach the floor
The music compels people to dance until they can't resist any longer
The we move
We dance excitedly and wildly
We dance, we dance, .......
We lose ourselves completely in the rhythm and movement of the music
Then we move
We let the music dictate and inspire our every move until the song ends
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: PETER ANSELM EGAN, MIDGE URE, BILLY CURRIE, STEVE STRANGE, JOHN MCGEOGH, DAVE FORMULA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind