Where are Living in a Box now?

2 April 2020, 18:21

Living in a Box were one of the biggest pop-funk bands of the mid-1980s, and scored a couple of big hits. But where are they now?

Here's all you need to know about the brilliantly-named group and what they're up to today:

1. Who are Living in a Box and why are they called that?

   

   Living in a Box - Room In Your Heart (Official Music Video)

   Living in a Box were formed in 1985 in Manchester.

   They named themselves after the first song they had recorded together in the studio, 'Living in a Box'.

   Marcus Vere and Anthony Critchlow were recording the demo version of the song in a studio, which was also being visited by singer Richard Darbyshire, an independent artist at the time.

   Richard was then invited to join his two future bandmates in the studio to record vocals for the song, and the three became a band.

2. What were their biggest hits?

   

   Living In A Box - Living In A Box (Official Video)

   Released two years later, 'Living in a Box' was their biggest hit, peaking at number five in the UK in 1987.

   It was also the band's only single to chart in the Top 40 in the US.

   Their self-titled debut album also included follow-up singles 'Love is the Art', 'So the Story Goes', and 'Scales of Justice'.

   Their second album, Gatecrashing in 1989, was even more successful in the UK, producing two top 10 hits: 'Blow the House Down' (featuring Queen's Brian May on guitar) and 'Room in Your Heart'.

3. When did they break up?

   Due to artistic differences, as well as a switch at their record label Chrysalis, the band decided to break up in 1990 before a third album could be released.

4. What did they do next?

   Frontman Richard Darbyshire has continued to perform, writing songs for artists such as Lisa Stansfield and having a brief solo career.

   His solo album How Many Angels in 1994 has also been re-released a number of times since.

   Anthony 'Tich' Critchlow and Marcus Vere temporarily retired from the music industry after the band split. Tich has also run his own company providing bespoke illumination and lighting installations.

   After a brief time away, Vere later produced an award-winning series of educational DVDs called Here Comes A...! for pre-school children. Kids Trucks TV has also become a big success on YouTube.

   In 2016, Vere was credited with writing several songs on ABC's album Lexicon of Love II.

5. Are they together now?

   

   Living a Box ft Kenny Thomas - Room in Your Heart Live.

   In 2016, Living in a Box reformed with British soul singer Kenny Thomas replacing Darbyshire.

   Since then, the band has appeared at various festivals in the UK such as Let's Rock, Rewind and Flashback.