The Danse Society

Gothic rock / post-punk band The Danse Society was formed in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England in 1980. Featuring vocalist Steve Rawlings, guitarist Paul Nash, bassist Tim Wright, keyboardist Lyndon Scarfe, and drummer Paul Gilmartin, the goth quintet originally formed as Y? before changing their name to Danse Crazy. By the time they released their debut single, “Clock” in September 1980, they had changed their name to The Danse Society. The group issued two more singles in 1981 – “There Is No Shame in Death” and “Woman’s Own” – before releasing their debut album, Seduction (1982), which climbed to number 3 on the UK Indie Albums chart. In December 1982, they released their most successful single, ‘Somewhere,” and reached number 2 on the chart. Signing with Arista Records, The Danse Society released their second album, Heaven Is Waiting, in 1983. Although the band’s danceable sound was geared towards a goth rock audience, their label (Arista) encouraged them to work with pop / dance producers Stock, Aitken, and Waterman on a new single, ‘Say It Again,” which was released in July 1985. While the non-album single only reached number 83 in the UK, it became an underground hit in the US, gaining plenty of airplay on ‘new wave’ radio stations and bringing the band’s music to the attention of more American new wave and goth music lovers. They released their third album, Looking Through (1986), under the name The Danse Society International before the musicians in the group left to form a new band, leaving vocalist Steve Rawlings as the only remaining member. Changing the group’s name again to The Society, Rawlings released two singles before bringing an end to band and moving on to different musical projects. In 2011, most of the band members reunited as The Danse Society with new vocalist Maethelyiah. The Danse Society released their fourth album, Change of Skin, in 2011 and followed it with Scarey Tales (2013), VI (2015), Sailing Mirrors (2020), and The Loop (2024). Original drummer Paul Gilmartin, who had left the reunited line-up in 2014, died on August 6, 2024,