Editing Marc and the Mambas (section)

==History==
Marc and the Mambas marked the start of Marc Almond's career outside of Soft Cell. In 1983, Almond and Soft Cell were very close to the avant-garde scene around [[Foetus (band)|Foetus]], [[Psychic TV]] and [[Einstürzende Neubauten]]. Almond also took part as one of four members of [[The Immaculate Consumptive]], a group initiated by [[Lydia Lunch]]; they never released any album but did a few shows in [[New York City|New York]] and [[Washington D.C.]] at the end of 1983. Further members were [[J. G. Thirlwell|Jim Foetus]] and [[Nick Cave]]. Marc and the Mambas belonged to that scene, and continued the dark themes explored within Soft Cell, but musically used different instruments and more complex rhythms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fromthearchives.com/ll/chronology12.html|title=From The Archives -The Immaculate Consumptive- Concert Chronology / Gigography|website=Fromthearchives.com|access-date=25 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://plex.page/The_Immaculate_Consumptive|title=The Immaculate Consumptive - Summarized by Plex.page &#124; Content &#124; Summarization|website=Plex.page|access-date=25 April 2022}}</ref>

The group's lineup was fluid, with members changing with each recording or performance; the only consistent members were Almond, Annie Hogan and [[Steve James Sherlock]].<ref name="Larkin"/> Further members included Billy McGee and [[Martin McCarrick]], who also later joined Almond when he formed Marc Almond and the Willing Sinners. Almond's Soft Cell partner [[David Ball (electronic musician)|David Ball]] was an associated member for the Mambas' first single "Sleaze", and Matt Johnson from {{Not a typo|The The}} was a member for the first and second album, but did not join for the last concerts in 1983 (put to vinyl and later to CD as ''Black, Bite & Blues''). Jim Foetus was an associated member, and did guest vocals and percussion on "A Million Manias" and "Love Amongst the Ruined."<ref name="discogs.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1131366-Marc-And-Mambas-Torment-And-Toreros|title=Marc And Mambas - Torment And Toreros|access-date=25 April 2022|website=Discogs.com}}</ref>

The Mambas' second Some Bizzare released album, ''[[Torment and Toreros]]'',<ref name="Larkin"/> contained a mix of ballads, both with and without dance beats, and is a mix of vaudeville, French chanson, and goth sensibility, using guitar noise, piano, and string sections.<ref name="discogs.com"/> Almond later described this recording as an "attempted suicide put on vinyl."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/soundtrack_for_a_suicide_marc_almonds_musical_masterpiece_torment_and_torer|title=Soundtrack for a Suicide: Marc Almond's musical masterpiece, 'Torment and Toreros'|date=29 January 2013|website=DangerousMinds.net|access-date=25 April 2022}}</ref>

===Post Mambas===
Almond has had a long career as a solo artist, and Mambas musicians have worked with him under the names The Willing Sinners and La Magia. Martin McCarrick left La Magia for [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]] in 1987, and the rest of that band dissolved in 1988. Lee Jenkinson (guitar) recorded a single with producer [[Flood (producer)|Flood]] under the band name The Poppyfields, and is currently in the band Jellynail. Almond always kept in touch with some of the Mambas' core members like Anne Stephenson and Gini Ball (David Ball's ex-wife), who performed with him during his ''Sin, Songs And Romance'' gigs at the Almeida in 2004. He frequently includes Mambas songs in his live repertoire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/marc-almond/2004/almeida-theatre-london-england-63f452f7.html|title=Marc Almond Setlist at Almeida Theatre, London|website=Setlist.fm|access-date=25 April 2022}}</ref>

When [[Anohni]] from [[Antony and the Johnsons]] curated the [[Meltdown Festival]] in London in August 2012, one of the acts on the bill was Almond, who performed the album ''Torment and Toreros'' in its entirety. A few months prior to the performance, Almond stated on his webpage that ''Torment and Toreros'' "wasn't a great success at the time of release, it was mostly critically panned. It was called a 'florid musical mess', a description I quite liked", but added that "In recent years it has been re-evaluated and re-appreciated as a (flawed) masterpiece, as I always hoped it would be. It is a dark album with themes of madness, depression, isolation, alienation, innocence lost and destructive love, all seen through a prism of fame. A nervous breakdown committed to vinyl".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/09690-meltdown-festival-2012-review-antony-hegarty-lou-reed-laurie-anderson|title=The Quietus &#124; Features &#124; Three Songs No Flash &#124; Stellar Systems: Antony Hegarty's Meltdown Festival Reviewed|website=The Quietus|access-date=25 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/aug/12/antony-meltdown-review-festival-2012|title=Antony's Meltdown – review|date=11 August 2012|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=25 April 2022}}</ref>