A Flock of Seagulls

Rock · UK

Few bands have ever sounded quite so thrillingly alien as A Flock of Seagulls. Born in Liverpool in 1979, the band came together when hairdresser Mike Score bought a synthesizer and invited his brother Ali and friend Frank Maudsley to join him. With teenage guitarist Paul Reynolds completing the lineup, they combined synths with guitar to create a sound that felt both nostalgic and futuristic, unlike anything else on the planet. In 1982, everything changed. "I Ran (So Far Away)" reached number nine on the US charts, propelled by an icily beautiful MTV video that made the band, and Mike Score's gravity-defying hair; instantly iconic. They became synonymous with the MTV generation, part of the Second British Invasion alongside Duran Duran and The Human League. More hits followed: "Space Age Love Song," "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)," and in 1983 a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "D.N.A." Referenced in Pulp Fiction, Friends, and cemented forever when "I Ran" featured on Grand Theft Auto, their cultural footprint only grew. In 2024, Mike Score released Some Dreams, the band's first album of original material in nearly 30 years. A Flock of Seagulls never really went away. They just kept flying.