Blancmange are set to revisit the formative years of their influential synth-pop career with the reissue of their first three studio albums: Happy Families (1982), Mange Tout (1984) and Believe You Me (1985). All three records will be re-released by London Records on 4th December 2026, across LP and CD formats, with restored artwork and a range of additional material.
Blancmange
The releases celebrate a remarkable period of creativity for the British electronic duo, Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, whose distinctive blend of infectious synth-pop melodies, experimental electronics, unconventional rhythms and far-reaching musical influences helped establish them as one of the defining acts of the early 1980s.
Each album will receive a new 2026 vinyl cut, with the LP editions pressed on coloured vinyl and retaining the original track listings. The CD editions will feature bonus material, including B-sides, extended versions, remixes and BBC session recordings. All formats will feature fully restored artwork.
Signed to London Records in February 1982, Blancmange quickly found international success with Living On The Ceiling, the breakthrough single that helped launch the duo into one of the most exciting periods of British synth-pop. Their early work combined accessible pop hooks with a more adventurous musical sensibility, drawing on influences such as Can and Captain Beefheart, while their surreal videos and striking sleeve artwork gave the band a distinctive visual identity.
The first of the three reissues, Happy Families, originally released in 1982, arrives on transparent orange vinyl. The album remains a defining statement of the period, balancing sharp electronic production with memorable melodies and the duo’s unmistakable sense of experimentation. Its CD edition adds studio B-sides, BBC session recordings and contemporary remixes of Living On The Ceiling by Roman Flügel and Richard Norris, both appearing on CD for the first time.
Blancmange
Next comes Mange Tout, released in 1984, which saw Blancmange broaden their sound by recording in New York with producer John Luongo. The result was a more muscular electronic record, incorporating brass arrangements and soulful backing vocals while retaining the band’s characteristic melodic inventiveness. The album will be available on transparent green vinyl, with the CD edition featuring B-sides, extended versions and Honey Dijon’s rework of Blind Vision, also making its CD debut.
The final instalment, Believe You Me, followed in 1985 and marked the closing chapter of the duo’s original run. Working with soul producer Stewart Levine, Arthur and Luscombe explored a different musical palette, bringing electronic instrumentation together with strings, woodwind and carefully crafted pop songwriting. The album will be pressed on transparent yellow vinyl, while the CD edition adds B-sides and extended versions.
By the end of 1985, the relentless pace of recording and touring had taken its toll. The pair found themselves increasingly short of creative inspiration and often working separately. Following a Greenpeace concert at the Royal Albert Hall in April 1986, Blancmange entered a lengthy hiatus, eventually returning in 2011 with the album Blanc Burn.
Ill health led Luscombe to step away from the band’s activities the following year, leaving Arthur to continue Blancmange with a succession of forward-looking albums. The project returned to London Records in 2022 with Private View. Sadly, Luscombe passed away in September 2025.
These reissues offer an opportunity to rediscover the creative partnership between Arthur and Luscombe, whose first three albums remain enduring examples of British electronic pop at its most adventurous. Their influence continues to resonate with artists across generations, including Moby, John Grant and Honey Dijon.
Blancmange
The three albums will be released on 4th December 2026, with pre-orders available now through the official Blancmange store, alongside strictly limited test pressings. Further details and pre-orders are also available via Blancmange’s link page.
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