The English band
Peach Union acquired a U.S. hit when Brit-pop had already vanished from American radio. However, the U.K. act's pop style had little in common with the guitar-driven retro-rock of their compatriots. Featuring producers
Pascal Gabriel and
Paul Statham and vocalist Lisa Lamb,
Peach Union combined their love for songwriters such as
Burt Bacharach,
Cole Porter, and
Serge Gainsbourg with a nostalgic ear for '80s synthesizer groups like
Soft Cell,
the Human League, and the
Pet Shop Boys. Often compared to
Saint Etienne,
Peach Union formed in the mid-'90s after
Gabriel produced
Peter Murphy's
Cascade album.
Statham was
Murphy's keyboardist, programmer, and co-writer; burned out on
Murphy's gloom and doom,
Statham decided to collaborate with
Gabriel, renowned for his work with
S'Express,
Bomb the Bass, and
EMF. In London, they met Lamb, a former Las Vegas dancer who was previously involved with
Band of Gypsies and
Trouble Funk. In 1997,
Peach Union released their debut full-length, Audiopeach, and "On My Own" reached the U.S. charts. ~ Michael Sutton