Heaven 17 Q & A

September 18, 2025

Heaven 17 emerged from the breakup of the original Human League. How did that transition shape your creative vision and sound?

When Heaven 17 formed from the ashes of the breakup of the original Human League, the original idea was that Martyn and Ian would sign to Virgin Records as a Production Company able to sign artists or bands under the name of The British Electric Foundation, the first of these projects was Heaven 17.

We started writing almost immediately after the split, there was palpable electricity and excitement in the studio as we started to write… I think both bands were eager to prove that they could be the dominant song writers and performers.

The first old Human League decree that we broke was to eject the thought that only synthesizers were to be used.

The first and maybe greatest exhibition of this was to add a bass guitar solo to the first song that we wrote which was “Fascist Groove Thang.” The amazing John Wilson performed that solo, it might have been luck or serendipity but finding John and having him play both guitar and bass on that track had given us a strong hint of our new direction, we very quickly incorporated this new idea into all future compositions, essentially giving us the Heaven 17 sound.

Your music often incorporates socially and politically charged lyrics. What inspires those themes, and how do you balance them with your electronic soundscapes?

Another thing that changed as we started to write our first album was the lyrical content of our songs. We had always been quite political outside of music and decided that we would incorporate some of these political thoughts and language into our song writing, blatantly exhibited by our song “Fascist Groove Thang.” It has become a topic that we have resisted many times through our career. Something quite unique can happen when you incorporate political thoughts and language with electronic music, it can be very powerful.

Albums like Penthouse and Pavement and The Luxury Gap are considered classics of the new wave era. How do you reflect on their impact and legacy?

The first two Heaven 17 albums, Penthouse and Pavement and The Luxury Gap were incredibly well received in the early 80s and although it’s been a while since then… I can honestly say that they have stood the test of time and sound as fresh today as when they were released. It gives sun such joy to see people enjoying those songs when we play live, and it’s fantastic to see that so many young people are coming to our concerts and enjoying Heaven 17.

This will be your first time on The 80s Cruise in 2026, what are you looking forward to experiencing?

The 80s Cruise in 2026 will be our first experience of Heaven 17 at sea, we are very much looking forward to joining in the fun… whatever it may be, but I’m not entering the Phil Oaky lookalike competition.

The 80s were such an amazing period of musical expansion, vibrant pop culture, the rise of MTV & music videos! What’s one thing you wish would come back and one thing you’re glad we left behind?

We had a brilliant time in the 80s I can’t say I remember it all… but I’m sure even the bits I can’t remember were fun! The one thing I wished would come back is… my hair. The one thing I’m happy to leave behind are ridiculously massive shoulder pads, I fear a disturbance in the force however and fear an imminent return, oh god, not again!