Altered Images

Altered Images, a Scottish new wave outfit, came together at the beginning of 1979 with vocalist Clare Grogan, guitarist Tony McDaid, drummer Tich Anderson, and bassist Johnny McElhone. The group recorded a demo and forwarded it to Siouxsie and the Banshees, who responded by booking them as openers for several shows on the Kaleidoscope tour. A pair of strong BBC Peel Sessions then secured a deal with Epic. Steve Severin of the Banshees produced the band’s first two singles. Although commercial results were modest, “Dead Pop Stars” drew criticism for appearing shortly after John Lennon’s assassination, even though the track had been recorded earlier. Those early releases stood out for their brooding post-punk tone, which sat beside Grogan’s bright, chirpy delivery in an unusual but effective way, much as it does with Cranes.

Severin stayed involved during work on the debut album, yet Epic brought in Martin Rushent to steer the material toward radio play. Happy Birthday reached a wider audience, but the move toward upbeat pop cost the band some of its original followers. NME still named them Best New Group of 1981. Pinky Blue appeared the next year and climbed higher on the charts than its predecessor, and any critical backlash failed to dent sales. Anderson and second guitarist Jim McKinven, who had joined after the second single, departed and were replaced by Steve Lironi.

With the new lineup the band aligned with producer Mike Chapman and shifted toward a more synthetic dance-pop style. Singles continued to underperform on the charts, but the third album Bite enjoyed brief commercial success. Further personnel changes and a tour preceded the group’s breakup.

Grogan, who had already appeared in Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl in 1980, turned to acting in British television series such as Red Dwarf and East Enders. She largely withdrew from music after cutting an unreleased solo album in 1987 and forming the short-lived Universal Love School with Lironi, though she made occasional guest vocal appearances, including on the 6ths’ Hyacinths and Thistles. Lironi later worked as a producer and session musician for Hanson and Black Grape, while McElhone joined Hipsway and spent several years with Texas.

After pursuing acting and writing children’s books, Grogan returned to music in 2004, the same year the Altered Images catalog received its first CD reissues. She assembled an all-female version of the band to perform on the 1980s nostalgia circuit. She maintained a steady schedule of live shows and festival appearances, served as an occasional radio host, and in 2017 became a regular presenter on Absolute Radio 80s. Early in 2018 Cherry Red reissued the band’s Epic albums once more; the set added all the bonus tracks from the 2004 editions and placed eight extended remixes on a separate disc titled The 12" Album.