The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in February 1977.
Led by lead vocalist
Richard Butler and his brother
Tim Butler on
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
scene.
The band had several hits in their early career. In 1986, filmmaker
John Hughes used their song "
Pretty in Pink" for his film ''
Pretty in Pink''. They went on hiatus after they finished touring in 1992, but resumed in 2000 and continue to perform live. The band released ''
Made of Rain'', their first studio album in nearly three decades, on 31 July 2020.
Career
Early days (1977–1980)
Richard Butler stated that the Psychedelic Furs began rehearsing in his family's front room but were soon banished because of the noise. The band was initially called RKO, then Radio. They later vacillated between calling themselves the Europeans and the Psychedelic Furs, playing gigs under both names before permanently settling on the latter.
The word psychedelic was chosen to separate the band from
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
ers who ostentatiously scorned the legacy of 1960s rock music.
The band initially consisted of Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass guitar), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone), Paul Wilson (drums), and Roger Morris (guitars). By 1979, this line-up had expanded to a sextet with Vince Ely replacing Wilson on drums and
John Ashton joining as a second guitarist.
The Psychedelic Furs' debut, a
self-titled album released in March 1980, was produced by
Steve Lillywhite
Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...
. The album quickly established the band on radio in Europe and was a No. 18 hit in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
.
The album also found success in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Australia.
Success (1981–1991)
The Furs found success in the US with their next release, 1981's ''
Talk Talk Talk,'' which saw the band making its debut on the US
''Billboard'' 200 chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...
.
In the UK, the album yielded two charting
singles, "
Dumb Waiters" and the original version of "
Pretty in Pink". The latter song served as inspiration for the 1986
John Hughes film ''
Pretty in Pink'' and was re-recorded for the platinum-selling
''Pretty in Pink'' soundtrack – though Richard Butler was later adamant that the cinematic interpretation had very little to do with the song's original intent.
In 1982, the band was reduced to a quartet with the departures of Morris and Kilburn and moved to the U.S. in search of a producer. The band recorded their next album,
''Forever Now'', with
record producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...
in
Woodstock,
New York. Released in September 1982, this album contained "
Love My Way", which became another UK chart entry, and also their first US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 single.
Ely left the band after ''Forever Now'' (though he would later return in 1988). The next album, ''
Mirror Moves'' was produced by
Keith Forsey (who also programmed the drums and became the band's drummer) and featured the songs "
The Ghost in You" and "
Heaven
Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...
". Both charted in the UK and "Heaven" became the band's highest charting UK hit at the time, peaking at No. 29.
opted for "Here Come Cowboys" for the corresponding US release which failed to chart but "The Ghost In You" was a hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
In Canada, "The Ghost In You" also charted. ''Mirror Moves'' became a Top 20 album on the
Canadian Albums Chart
The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
and was named the No. 1 album of 1984 by
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
new wave radio station
CFNY.

By the mid-1980s, the band had become a staple on both US
college radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
and
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
...
radio stations. Simultaneously, they were experiencing consistent mainstream success placing several singles in the charts on both sides of the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
. Still, according to biographer
Dave Thompson, they would "have more impact on future musicians than they ever did in the marketplace."
In 1986, the band recorded a new version of "Pretty in Pink" for the film soundtrack. Released as a single, it became their biggest hit to date in the US and their biggest UK hit.
Butler later claimed that the success of "Pretty in Pink" caused the band to be pressured into entering the recording studio with producer
Chris Kimsey to record a follow-up release before they were ready.
The result was ''
Midnight to Midnight'', their biggest
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
success to date, but an album that Richard Butler later characterised as "hollow, vapid and weak".
A more overtly commercial effort than their prior recordings, the album also featured the single "
Heartbreak Beat", the Furs' biggest Top 40 hit in the US. The album also featured drummer Paul Garisto and saxophonist
Mars Williams, both of whom toured with the band.
In the wake of ''Midnight to Midnight'', Ely returned, and the Furs issued the single "
All That Money Wants", a track recorded for the 1988
best-of compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
''
All of This and Nothing''. 1989's ''
Book of Days'', produced by the band and
David M. Allen, featured the singles "Should God Forget" and "
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
". Produced by the band and
Stephen Street, 1991's ''
World Outside'' included the single "
Until She Comes" and was the Furs' final studio album for more than two decades.
From 1988 on, the Furs' singles had steady chart success with three No. 1 hits on the newly established US
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
chart between 1988 and 1991. "All That Money Wants" was a No. 1 hit in 1988, while "House" topped the chart in 1990 and "Until She Comes" was No. 1 in 1991.
Hiatus and reunion (2000–present)

The band took a long break in the early 1990s, with Richard and Tim Butler going on to found
Love Spit Love with
Richard Fortus and
Frank Ferrer (both of whom would later join
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
). In 2000, Richard Butler, Tim Butler, and Ashton reformed the Psychedelic Furs. The touring lineup also included Fortus and, later, Ferrer. They released a live album, ''
Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live'' , which included a new studio recording, "Alive (For Once in My Lifetime)".
In 2006, Richard Butler released a solo album, ''
Richard Butler''. Since re-forming in 2001, the band continued to tour worldwide. The current Psychedelic Furs touring line-up includes Richard Butler, Tim Butler,
Zack Alford,
Amanda Kramer, and
Rich Good.
In 2017, the band's 1984 single "The Ghost in You" was featured in the second season of
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
hit series ''
Stranger Things
''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...
'' and was included on the
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
soundtrack companion to the season, ''
Stranger Things: Music from the Netflix Original Series'', released in October 2017. That same year, the band's 1982 single "Love My Way" was played several times in the
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
-nominated film ''
Call Me by Your Name''.
The Psychedelic Furs released their eighth studio album ''
Made of Rain'' on 31 July 2020 to positive reviews. This release marked the first full-length studio album by the band since 1991's ''
World Outside''. It became the band's second-highest charting UK Album ever and featured at the end-of-year Best Albums roundup in ''Mojo'', ''Uncut'', ''Classic Pop'', ABC's ''Good Morning America'', and ''Vive Le Rock'' among others.
"Don't Believe", the first single from the album was released on 20 January 2020. It was followed by "You'll Be Mine", "No-One" and "Come All Ye Faithful", each with an official video.
On 1 March 2021, the band released the official video for ''
Made of Rains fifth single "Wrong Train". It premiered exclusively on NME.com and was inspired by Richard Butler's paintings. He starred in the video himself.
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...
' Grammy Award-winning album ''
The New Abnormal'' (2020) featured the song "Eternal Summer" which quotes the Furs' "The Ghost in You", for which songwriters Richard and Tim Butler received songwriting credits.
On 1 September 2021, two weeks before the Made of Rain Tour kicked-off, the band released a new single "Evergreen", from the ''Made of Rain'' sessions. According to Richard Butler it is about "memory and the passing of time."
Richard Butler co-wrote songs with
Martin Gore for
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
's fifteenth studio album ''
'' (2023), including the lead single "
Ghosts Again".
Saxophonist Mars Williams died on 20 November 2023.
Members
File:Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs live in Manchester 2010.jpg, R. Butler
File:TButler.jpg, T. Butler
File:Amanda Kramer Wikipedia Picture.jpg, Kramer
File:RichGood(by Scott Dudelson).jpg, Good
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil. The specific meaning and etymology of the term and its ...
File:President Bill Clinton speaks with David Bowie and his band (cropped) B.jpg, Alford
Current
*
Richard Butler – vocals
(1977–1992, 2000–present)
*
Tim Butler – bass
(1977–1992, 2000–present)
*
Amanda Kramer – keyboards
(2002–present)
*
Rich Good – guitars
(2009–present)
*
Zack Alford – drums
(2021–present)
Former members and Touring musicians
* Duncan Kilburn – saxophone, keyboards
(1977–1982)
* Roger Morris – lead and rhythm guitar
(1977–1982)
* Paul Wilson – drums
(1977–1978)
*
John Ashton – lead and rhythm guitar
(1979–1992, 2000–2008)
* Vince Ely – drums
(1979–1982, 1988–1990)
*
Phill Calvert– drums
(1982–1983)
* Ann Sheldon – cello
(1982–1983)
*
Gary Windo – saxophone
(1982–1983)
*
Ed Buller - keyboards
(1982–1985)
*
Mars Williams – saxophone
(1983–1989, 2005–2023; his death)
* Mike Mooney – rhythm guitar
(1984–1985)
* Paul Garisto – drums
(1984–1988, 2009–2020)
* Marty Williamson – rhythm guitar
(1986–1987)
*
Roger O'Donnell – keyboards
(1986–1987)
*
Joe McGinty – keyboards
(1989–1991)
*
Knox Chandler – rhythm guitar, cello
(1990–1991)
* Don Yallech – drums
(1990–1992)
*
Richard Fortus – rhythm and lead guitar
(2000–2002, 2024-2025)
*
Earl Harvin – drums
(2000–2001)
*
Frank Ferrer – drums
(2001–2008)
Timeline
Discography
* ''
The Psychedelic Furs
The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler (singer), Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from ...
'' (1980)
* ''
Talk Talk Talk'' (1981)
* ''
Forever Now'' (1982)
* ''
Mirror Moves'' (1984)
* ''
Midnight to Midnight'' (1987)
* ''
Book of Days'' (1989)
* ''
World Outside'' (1991)
* ''
Made of Rain'' (2020)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Psychedelic Furs, The
1977 establishments in England
British musical sextets
Columbia Records artists
English alternative rock groups
English new wave musical groups
English post-punk music groups
Musical groups established in 1977
Rock music groups from London
Second British Invasion artists