Bronski Beat was a popular British synth pop trio of the 1980s.

At their height, the band comprised of distinctive and diminutive singer Jimmy Somerville, backed by Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbacheck, both of whom played keyboards and percussion.

Formed in 1983, their debut hit came the following year - the striking tale of a boy who was cast away by his family and neighbours for being gay. Called Smalltown Boy, it peaked at Number 3 in the UK and was accompanied by a memorable video of Somerville leaving home, forlornly eating an apple on a train, being attacked by a homophobic gang and being returned to his family by the police.

The song quickly established the trio as an outlet for gay issues – all three members were gay – and the follow-up single Why? pursued the same energetic and electronic formula musically, while the lyrics focussed more centrally and darkly on anti-gay prejudice. Again, it made the Top 10 in the UK.

At the end of 1984, the trio released ... read more »