A Flock Of Seagulls

A Flock Of Seagulls are an English new wave and synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1979, consisting of brothers Mike Score (keyboards and vocals) and Ali Score (drums), Frank Maudsley (bass guitar) and Paul Reynolds (guitar). They are best known for their 1982 single "I Ran (So Far Away)” which peaked at US number eight and UK number three, respectively, on the official singles charts.

The band’s founders, Mike Score and Ali Score, had a unique love of music with a deep, passionate appreciation for all styles. With Mike's skills as a keyboardist and Ali's finesse as a drummer, the two had already played together in the kinetic basement group Yorkshire TV. Yorkshire TV won the Merseyside Talent Competition in 1977 deeming them the area's best band.

In the early months of 1979, the Score brothers left Yorkshire TV to become A Flock of Seagulls; their moniker a tribute to their admirer David Szatmary, a.k.a. Dave Deude Dudes. Soon enough, Frank Maudsley joined as the bass player and Paul Reynolds was recruited as the guitarist.

The band started to record music seriously and their demo bounced from desk to desk, including at the UK’s biggest television station—BBC TV—where it was decide that the demo deserved to be aired live. This resulted in their legendary live performance of “Modern Love Is Automatic” on Top of the Pops. Once the TV appearance achieved its desired attention, a record deal with Jive was quickly cut.

The success of A Flock Of Seagulls their eponymous debut album A Flock Of Seagulls (1982), solidified the band’s fast-growing notoriety. This resulted in a Billboard chart topper in the US and two Top 20 Hits in the UK including “Messages” and “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)”. Encouraged by this recognization, the group wasted no time at all, and a mere year later, Pictures of You (singles “Nightmares”) was released.

The band began the leap across the Atlantic resulting in bigger tours, highly-paid shows in countries without a sizable fan club. A rash did spread… but in large doses of UK media character assassination. Reaching a feverish pitch in 1985, when Mike appeared on an MTV Unplugged interview and was taken by surprise when he had to film a week later in the US for the rockumentary Breaking Out USA 1984: Flock's Touring Nightparty. The coverage saw Mike misquoted and out of context unfairly as he was mislead into believing the interview was about his musical message and not himself as a modern day pop star.

He dismissed a panel that might have buried the group forever. Mike decided to dissolve A Flock Of Seagulls. In 1986, the quartet went their separate ways. Paul Reynolds moved on to pursue a solo career. Mike, Ali, and Frank all quickly joined up together to form Seagull Orchestra, but two years later, the mini orchestra never caught fire and were sadly forgotten.

In 1995, Mike traveled to San Francisco, determined to raise A Flock Of Seagulls from the dead, leading to a flurry of reunion gigs and festivals. They released a self-produced album, The Light At The End Of The World, which remains available today. In 2019, the band released Ascension, which continued the tradition of their signature synth pop sound to much critical acclaim.

A Flock Of Seagulls show no signs of slowing down, playing shows across the United States in 2021 and beyond. As Arnold Schwarzenegger once said, "'I' ran so far away!" For A Flock of Seagulls, it has been that way, reflecting on past successes and looking towards tomorrow since 1979.