Gentlemen Afterdark were an American rock band from Tucson, Arizona. Formed as a successor to the punk group The Pills, Gentlemen Afterdark played new wave music until their breakup in 1989. They saw a revival in the 2010s, particularly after a song of theirs was prominently featured in Season 3 of the show Stranger Things.
History The Pills formed in 1979 in Tucson and played locally in venues on Tucson's North Fourth Avenue bar strip.Gentlemen back together for night. Tucson.com, August 28, 2008. They released a four-track, self-titled EP soon after, and the song "DC-10" received airplay on local station KWFM. At this time, the band's members were Brian Smith, Robin Johnson, Mark Smythe, Rex Estell, and Fred Cross. Smythe departed around 1981 and was replaced by Brian Smith's brother Barry Smith. In 1982, the members decided to move to Phoenix and change their name to Gentlemen Afterdark, which was the name of a song the Pills had written. There, they opened for groups such as X, Wall of Voodoo, Culture Club, and New Order. In 1983, Alice Cooper saw them perform and co-produced (with Dick Wagner) their debut EP, which they released shortly after moving once again to Los Angeles. They then were featured in People as a "star of the future" in the magazine's tenth anniversary special issue, alongside Tom Cruise and Glenn Close. They opened for Billy Preston and Midge Ure on tours in 1984.Almost Famous. Tucson Weekly, September 3, 2015.
Keyboardist and violinist Barry Smith left the group in 1984 to start a solo career,Electric Violinist Barry Smith Returns After Taking a Slightly Different Path. Phoenix New Times, December 2, 2016. shortly after the release of the Gentlemen Afterdark EP. The group's constitution at this time was Brian Smith, Winston Watson, Fred Cross, and Robin Johnson.
The group took a hiatus in 1985, and Brian Smith returned to Los Angeles to write songs with Doug Hopkins, later of the Gin Blossoms, though the partnership did not last long. Smith then reconstituted the band with Johnson and Watson, but Watson eventually left to play in Bob Dylan's Band, and the group solidified again with the addition of Jon Norwood on drums and Kevin Pate on bass. They signed with A&M Records in 1989 and recorded a demo with Rob Jacobs, but were unable to release any material with the label. They broke up for good shortly after.
In 2008, the group reunited for a single performance at the HoCo Festival. They reunited again for two shows in Arizona in 2010,Gentlemen Afterdark. Phoenix New Times, September 2, 2010. and then for HoCo again in 2015.Heritage Hump Day: Gentlemen Afterdark - "Promises". Phoenix New Times, September 2, 2015.
Arizona musician Cait Brennan covered "DC-10" in 2017.How 'Stranger Things' revived the career of an '80s band from Phoenix, Gentlemen Afterdark. Arizona Republic, July 26, 2019. In 2019, the third season of the Netflix show Stranger Things prominently featured the song "Open the Door", which appeared on their self-titled 1983 EP.Gentlemen Afterdark Land On Stranger Things Soundtrack. Tucson Weekly, July 10, 2019. The placement happened due to Gentlemen Afterdark's partnership with Fervor Records, which also licensed a Pills track for an episode of GLOW. "Open the Door" appears in the first episode of the third season of Stranger Things, during a scene at breakfast.'Stranger Things' Music Supervisor Nora Felder Talks 'Retroactive A&R' on Season 3. Billboard, July 26, 2019. Stranger Things musical supervisor Nora Felder used "Open the Door" to illustrate what she called "retroactive A&R" - providing a wider platform for overlooked artists and songs from past eras.
Members Robin Johnson - vocals, guitar Kevin Pate - bass Jon Norwood - drums Brian Smith - vocals Stuart Smith - keyboards, guitar, vocals Winston Watson - drums Barry Smith - violin, keyboards, saxophone Mark Smythe - guitar, vocals Rex Estell - drums Fred Cross - bass
Discography Title Details Gentlemen Afterdark Released: November 20, 2015 Label: Fervor Records Formats: Digital download, streaming, EP, CD, vinyl record Open the Door Released: February 3, 2017 Label: Fervor Records Formats: Digital download, streaming, EP, CD, vinyl record The Pills (as The Pills) Released: September 14, 2018 Label: Fervor Records Formats: Digital download, streaming, LP, CD, vinyl record Calling Out Released: September 25, 2020 Label: Fervor Records Formats: Digital download, streaming, EP, CD, vinyl record
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