Robert Howard aka Dr Robert was the main songwriter of The Blow Monkeys. After tasting success with ‘Animal Magic’ in 1986, and in particular the hit single ‘Digging Your Scene’, he felt able to express his own musical tastes more clearly. “The soul side of my writing was coming to the fore, listening to lots of Marvin. I’d read an article where Donna Summer said AIDS was God’s revenge on homosexuals and I disagreed! The song itself was a homage to those gay clubs like Taboo that I used to go to – even though I’m not gay – because the music and the vibe was so good. You would see everyone from Leigh Bowery to Mark E. Smith there.”

The follow up album ‘She Was Only a Grocer’s Daughter’ was a swipe at then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It gave them their biggest hit ‘It Doesn’t Have to be This Way’.