It was well over a decade ago when I had the great fortune of catching the face of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Martin Degville, live in action as Sigue Sigue Sputnik ‘Electronic’ at Lewes Con Club with my dearly departed mate Dave Towse. The exact date actually being 30th October 2010. It was a fabulous night, where Martin and hubby Johann Weidemann aka BooBoo performed all the old ‘Flaunt It’ classics. Sputnik gigs are few and far between these days, but thankfully the East Sussex based duo do tend to select local gigs when going out for another ride!
Today, 1st October, it has been announced by promoters Love Thy Neighbour that Degville is bringing Sigue Sigue Sputnik ‘Electronic’ back to Lewes Con Club on 21st May 2027. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased from HERE and HERE.
Degville was arguably more than just the lead singer of Sigue Sigue Sputnik — he was the driving visionary behind the band’s sound, style, and futuristic identity. As co-songwriter, stylist, and image-maker, he engineered a unique aesthetic that merged punk, glam rock, and cyberpunk, creating one of the most distinctive looks and sounds of the 1980s.
Back then, the groundbreaking act comprised Martin Degville (lead vocals), former Generation X star Tony James (synth guitar), Neal Whitmore as Neal X (guitar), Chris Kavanagh (drums, electronic drums), Ray Mayhew (RIP) (drums, electronic drums), and Jane Farrimond as Yana YaYa (dub effects, samples). In 1986, Sigue Sigue Sputnik exploded onto the global music scene with the hit single ‘Love Missile F1-11’, which was used in the American teen comedy film ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ (1986) and the video game ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’ (2002) and the song also featured on the trailer for the American crime comedy film ‘Stretch’ (2014). Pop Will Eat Itself released a cover version of ‘Love Missile F1-11’ as a single in May 1987 and David Bowie released it as a B-side for his ‘New Killer Star’ single.
‘Love Missile F1-11’ appeared on the critically acclaimed ‘Flaunt It’ debut album. The track’s deep basslines, pounding drums, and synth-driven production captured the zeitgeist of the era. Degville’s radical fashion and visual identity amplified the band’s reach, setting them apart on a global scale. This LP was so groundbreaking that it was not only originally packaged in a special edition box, based on Japanese toy robot packaging, and came with a 12-page booklet, but there were actual adverts in between the tunes, including ones for i-D magazine and L’Oréal (“because they were worth it!”).
There really was no-one else out there like Sigue Sigue Sputnik, with their iconic ‘Blade Runner’ meets ‘A Clockwork Orange’ image, it was sci-fi glam all the way, especially from frontman ‘peacock’ Martin Degville. The band were designed with success in mind, and took all the best bits of Ramones and rock’n’roll repetitive beats and gave them a refreshing new 21st century synth slant with the cutting digital edge at the time. They even managed to get Giorgio Moroder on board as he produced ‘Flaunt It’, and he brought us Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’.
Sputnik ran through to the end of the 80’s, but by 1990 the members had sadly called it a day. There were a number of reunions and get-togethers after this, but by 2004 that was their lot. But, as stated above, Degville occasional brings out Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronic for a few select live dates, and the heady Sputnik days are somewhat recreated for the punk, glam and sci-fi faithful to attend, as well as enticing the curious, and those now wishing for a hit of glam nostalgia – Let’s face it “Everybody Wants What Sputnik Wants!”.
