‘We had a disagreement that spilled over into personal insults. But we soon made up – and wrote this about the process’
Thompson Twins were a seven-piece, rag-bag, guitar-based band living in a squat when I met Alannah Currie, who was also squatting in London. She was in an anarchic improv band, the Unfuckables, who were clearly not destined for Top of the Pops, but there was something very exciting about her. When I invited her to come on at the end of a Thompson Twins gig, she stole the show.
We slimmed down to a three-piece with Alannah, Joe Leeway [keyboards, percussion, vocals] and myself. Suddenly we were a recognisable trio who could all fit in one car. After I bought a synthesiser, our track In the Name of Love became a dance/club sensation, which opened doors in America. Until then, we’d always vaguely hoped our music would do well, but after that we thought: “Why don’t we actually design it to do well?”
Hold Me Now came about after we’d gone off to write songs in some house somewhere and had a creative disagreement that spilled over into personal insults. But behind that was real affection and a relationship we’d kept secret from the press. We soon made up and immediately wrote Hold Me Now about that process. The song came very easily. It felt more mature than the clubby stuff. It was slower, heartfelt, more emotional, and being about real stuff gave it authenticity.
