Mobiles (band)

Mobiles were an English new wave and synth-pop band, formed in 1981 in Eastbourne, East Sussex. They enjoyed a brief period of chart success when their song "Drowning in Berlin" reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in early 1982.

Career
Formed in 1981, Mobiles were based in Eastbourne, though some band members hailed from nearby Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings. Fronted by vocalist Anna Maria, other members included David Blundell (bass), Chris Downton (guitars), Russ Madge (lead guitars), and brothers Eddie Smithson (drums) and John Smithson (keyboards/synthesizers). Shortly after their formation, they were signed by the Rialto Records label, owned by Nick Heath and Tim Heath, sons of British bandleader Ted Heath.

Their best-known release is their debut single, "Drowning in Berlin", which was initially issued in December 1981. With lyrics concerning contemporary topics like the then-ongoing Cold War and the Berlin Wall set against a dark electronic synth-pop backing, the song also contains a section which features an interpolation of "The Loveliest Night of the Year", the popular 1950 Irving Aaronson song adapted from the 1888 waltz "Sobre las olas" by Juventino Rosas. The song received radio airplay in the UK, eventually spending two months in the UK top 40, peaking at number 9 in early February 1982.

The band were never able to reach the top 40 again, although the follow-up single, "Amour, Amour", came close when it stalled at number 45 in early April 1982. Despite critical acclaim, their debut album, Mobiles, did not chart, nor did any of their four subsequent singles (including a 1983 cover version of the Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup"), after which the Heath brothers shut down the Rialto label.

After a brief hiatus, Mobiles returned in 1984, now a duo, comprising just Russ Madge and Anna Maria, and backed by members of Sad Café, Bucks Fizz, and Swans Way. MCA Records released the single "Lost Without Your Love" on its Panther Records sublabel, but it also failed to chart, and plans for a proposed second album were discontinued.

Mobiles finally disbanded in 1984. Madge and Maria continued to work together in another short-lived band called the Avengers, releasing one more single on the Panther label in late 1984. The Smithson brothers later worked with Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, in the 1990s.

In 2006, a compilation album entitled The Best of Mobiles: Drowning in Berlin was issued by Cherry Red Records, featuring all seven singles and all tracks from their eponymous debut album, as well as several B-sides, remixes and extended versions as bonus tracks.

Band members

 * David Blundell – electric bass guitar
 * Chris Downton – electric guitar
 * Russ Madge – electric guitar
 * Anna Maria – lead vocals
 * Eddie Smithson – drum kit
 * John Smithson – electronic keyboards

Additional personnel

 * Paul Lynton – producer
 * Tony Norman – manager

Albums

 * Mobiles (1982, Rialto Records)
 * The Best of Mobiles: Drowning in Berlin (2006, Cherry Red)