AGE OF CHANCE
Formed in Leeds, West Yorkshire (UK) in the late 80's, they were arguably ahead of their time, with guitar fuelled dance anthems that pre-dated big beat and american industrial bands.  In a similar vein to Gang of Four before them, Age of Chance mixed dancefloor beats with radical politics, and came close to entering the mainstream pop charts for a short while.

With Steve Elvidge (vocals), Neil Howson (guitar), Geoff Taylor (bass) and Jan Perry (percussion, drums) they released their debut single, 'Motorcity' on their own label, which was championed by Radio 1 DJ John Peel.  'Bible of the Beats' was the follow-up, and while they gained media attention due to their choice of clothing, such as designer cyclist gear, suggesting a pop-art approach with it's vivid colours, they continued to perform an original brand of danceable noise.  Live sets at this stage rarely lasted more than 20 minutes, but were full of energy.

A cover version of Prince's 'Kiss' brought them further attention, and another re-worked classic 'Disco Inferno' came close to reaching the Top 40 before they signed to Virgin Records.  Subsequent singles failed to improve their success, although a Public Enemy remix of 'Take It' brought a small amount of interest.  Vocalist Steve E left soon after and although a replacement was found in Charles Hutchinson, the band found themselves dropped by Virgin.  When the new vocalist also decided to leave, drummer Jan Perry took over before the band finally split in 1991.

Elvidge had continued in a similar vein with the sample driven outfit Mad Love, but failed to achieve any further success, and later became a DJ in the Leeds and York area.  Other members found employment outside the music industry.


IF YOU LIKE THESE, YOU'LL LIKE AGE OF CHANCE: Atari Teenage Riot,
Gang of Four, Public Enemy, Chumbawamba, The Shamen, Marrs - 'Pump Up the Volume', Depeche Mode, Redskins.
AGE OF CHANCE Discography
AGE OF CHANCE reviews
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