Animotion

Bill Wadhams and Astrid Plane met at a popular Los Angeles venue, Madame Wongs, in 1983. They formed Animotion that year and were signed to Mercury/Polygram in 1984. The first single from their self-titled debut album, Obsession, became a worldwide success and the band’s first US Billboard 100 Top Ten hit. The follow up single, Let Him Go also cracked the Top 40 that year. Animotion’s second album didn’t match the success of their first in the US, but it reached the Top 20 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Africa. From 1985 to 1987 Animotion toured extensively, appearing alongside such performers as Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Genesis, Howard Jones, INXS, and Simply Red. Wadhams and Plane departed after the second album, but Animotion’s third album produced the band’s second Top 10 hit in the US, Room to Move, aided by its inclusion in the movie My Stepmother Is an Alien. In 2001, Bill and Astrid reunited with Animotion and began touring again with A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, The Motels and Missing Persons. They released their fourth album, Raise, in 2017. The album cover was created by Jay Vigon, who created Animotion’s original logo and the logo for Prince’s film Purple Rain. Animotion’s current lineup includes original members Greg Smith on keyboards and Jim Blair on drums.