Show Notes
Some artists become part of the soundtrack of a generation. Clare Grogan managed to do that before she was twenty.
As the singer of Altered Images, she helped create some of the most distinctive and joyful pop music of the early 1980s. Songs such as Happy Birthday, I Could Be Happy, See Those Eyes and Don't Talk to Me About Love combined infectious melodies with a sense of individuality that set the band apart from their contemporaries. At the same time, Clare became one of the defining faces of her generation through her starring role in the classic film Gregory's Girl.
More than four decades later, those songs continue to resonate. New audiences continue to discover Altered Images, while those who were there the first time around have never forgotten them. Now Clare is preparing for a special UK tour celebrating Altered Images' landmark debut album Happy Birthday. Marking the album's 45th anniversary, the tour will see Clare and her band perform the record in its entirety for the first time, before returning for a second set featuring many of the group's biggest hits. The tour shines a spotlight on the album that launched one of Britain's most distinctive pop careers and remains one of the defining records of the post-punk era.
In this conversation, Clare looks back on growing up in Glasgow, discovering punk, forming Altered Images with fellow members of the Siouxsie and the Banshees fan club, the whirlwind years of chart success, working with producers Martin Rushent, Mike Chapman and Tony Visconti, balancing life as both a pop star and actress, and why these songs continue to connect with audiences more than forty years after they were first recorded.
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From Glasgow schoolgirl to pop icon, from Gregory's Girl to Happy Birthday, this is the story of an artist whose work remains as fresh, vibrant and relevant as ever.
Tour Dates 11 September 2026 Picturedome Holmfirth, UK 12 September 2026 Town Hall Birmingham, UK 13 September 2026 Lowther Pavillion Lytham, UK 15 September 2026 Band On The Wall Manchester, UK 16 September 2026 The Grove Newcastle, UK 18 September 2026 The Factory Live Worthing, UK 19 September 2026 Phoenix Exeter, UK 23 September 2026 St Lukes Glasgow, UK 24 September 2026 Old Fire Station Carlisle, UK 25 September 2026 Liquid Rooms Edinburgh, UK Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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