GYDA \ FEATURING
BOY GEORGE
KIM WILDE
DAPHNE GUINNESS
& LLOYD DANIELS
A CHERDDORFA’R WELSH POPS
WITH THE WELSH POPS ORCHESTRA
TACH 22 NOV ‘15
CODI ARIAN DROS Y GANOLFAN AC AGE CYMRU
RAISING FUNDS FOR THE CENTRE AND AGE CYMRU
His sheer determination however, saw him by 1985, entering a new successful career as a DJ
and party host but again this was short lived after the death of his very good friend Michael
Hutchence in 1987.
A fire at his London home resulted in Steve leaving London and heading back to South
Wales where he suffered a nervous breakdown, and after being famously arrested for petty
theft he sought the treatment so desperately needed.
His autobiography, Blitzed, published in 2002 was a controversial read but Strange, as usual,
never shied from controversy. And in November 2006 he joined the reality TV set, taking
part in and winning the BBC reality series for Children in Need, Celebrity Scissorhands – he
returned as assistant manager of the show salon for two years after this.
In January 2011 Strange and Rusty Egan reopened the Blitz for one
night, and in May 2013 Visage released their fourth album
Hearts and Knives, the first new Visage album in 29 years.
Steve suffered a heart attack and died whilst on holiday in
Egypt in February this year and on hearing the sad news,
a devastated Spandau Ballet dedicated their concert that
evening to him.
This month Visage will release their fifth and final
studio album “Demons to Diamonds”. The album
artwork was done by Boy George and features
the studio songs Steve Strange was working
on with Visage prior to his untimely death.
The album is launched to coincide with the
inaugural “Steve Strange” New Romantic
music festival in his home town of Porthcawl,
Wales. All royalties from the album will
be donated to the newly formed Steve
Strange Statue Fund which will establish
a permanent and lasting memorial to
Steve Strange and his musical, style
and fashion legacies.
Fitting somehow, as Steve once
relived “[Wearing lipstick,
rouge, and eye-liner] One bloke
recently said to me, ‘Cor, mate
you’re not on the stage now!’
– So I turned round and said
to him ‘My dear, I’m on stage
24 hours a day’... and I am”
(1981).
RIP The original New
Romantic.
WINTER 2015
44
