Culture Club go back to their roots ahead of Birmingham show
Their roots can be traced to Walsall and for a while they were Britain’s biggest band.
Culture Club sold more than 150 million records worldwide and enjoying hits with Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, Karma Chameleon and Time.
Their lead singer, Boy George, was seldom out of the headlines as his androgynous style and frequent controversies kept him at the top of the news agenda. And he famously vowed that he would never bring back the multi-award-winning band – after moving on and carving out a successful solo career in music, fashion, TV and winning an Ivor Novello Award for his Outstanding Services to British Music.
But now Culture Club are back – again – having initially split in 1986 but having reunited in 1989, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2011 and 2014.
They’ll be heading back to their former stomping ground in the West Midlands on November 16 to play the Arena Birmingham while a new album is planned for October 26, called LIFE.
The band – Boy George, 57; Roy Hay, 57; Mikey Craig, 58; and Jon Moss, 60 – have just shot a video for their new single, Let Somebody Love You.
George still has fond memories of the area and has an aunty who still lives in Birmingham. His grandmother previously lived in the city while he spent his formative years there.
“I moved to Walsall when I was about 17 and for about a year I lived in a flat with Martin Degville, who was in Sigue Sigue Sputnik,” he said.
George also worked in the Bull Ring at a fashion store and use to go to such Birmingham clubs as The Rum Runner, alongside fellow regulars Duran Duran, and Holy City Zoo, which was owned by footballer Andy Gray.
“I won a competition for Birmingham’s Weirdest Person and was presented with a lovely bottle of champagne by Andy Gray,” George recalled.
