SUSAN SULLEY (THE HUMAN LEAGUE)

FOR ALMOST ALL OF A CAREER WHICH IS APPROACHING ITS FORTIETH YEAR, THE VARIOUS MEMBERS OF ELECTRO PIONEERS THE HUMAN LEAGUE HAVE BEEN FIRMLY ROOTED IN INDUSTRIAL SHEFFIELD.

Despite the enduring success – and immediate ‘classic’ status – of 1981 album DARE the band has stayed true to its roots, operating from a studio in the city. Already moderately well known and respected for a series of cult singles and the albums REPRODUCTION and TRAVELOGUE, The Human League was going through a break-up in 1980 – but frontman Phil Oakey salvaged the group. He spotted two teenage girls on the dance floor of a “bit of a dive” nightclub, and asked them to join as backing singers / dancers, to “add some glamour” to a new line-up. History records that Oakey’s instinct to persevere with The Human League was right. The band’s third album – the pop oriented DARE – went triple platinum in the UK and enjoyed global reach, not least due to the success of single DON’T YOU WANT ME and its iconic video. Thirty-five years on The Human League is recognised as one of the most important bands to have emerged from the post-punk / new wave era. In this new edition of The Mouthcast singer Susan (formerly Susanne) Sulley speaks from The Human League’s rehearsal space ahead of a run of summer festivals and a major UK tour scheduled for the end of 2016. She reflects on the changes to her city since its troubled 1980s, and she discusses the pressures of media attention for an 18-year old female…