Living in a Box

Living in a Box

Living in a Box is a British pop and sophisti-pop group from Sheffield, active from 1985 to 1991, with a later reunion in 2016. The line-up consists of Richard Darbyshire on vocals and guitar, Marcus Vere on synths, and Anthony Critchlow on drums. The band forms in 1985 around the song that gives them their name: Vere and Critchlow are recording a demo of the track in a studio where Darbyshire is present, and he joins them on vocals, making the three of them the group’s first line-up.

Early releases and chart success

The band’s self-titled song, Living in a Box, is their most successful single. It reaches number 5 on the UK Singles Chart and is their only single to enter the Top 40 of the US Billboard Hot 100. It appears on their debut album, also titled Living in a Box, alongside the follow-up singles “Love Is the Art,” “So the Story Goes,” and “Scales of Justice.” Of these, “So the Story Goes” is the only one also to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, while all three chart in the UK.

Gatecrashing and split

Their second album, Gatecrashing, is released in 1989 and performs better in the UK than the debut. It produces two Top Ten singles: “Blow the House Down,” which features Brian May of Queen on guitar, and “Room in Your Heart.” The album reaches number 21. The group splits in 1990, before a third album is released, following artistic differences and changes to their label Chrysalis.

After the split

After the band’s break-up, Richard Darbyshire continues as a songwriter and solo artist, including writing songs for Lisa Stansfield. His solo album How Many Angels appears in 1994 and is later reissued under the title Love Will Provide with extra and unreleased tracks. Anthony “Tich” Critchlow leaves the music industry for a period and runs a company that provides bespoke illumination and lighting installations. Marcus Charles Vere also steps away from music for a time, then works on the award-winning pre-school DVD series Here Comes A...!, covering subjects such as tractors, diggers, trains and fire engines. The project later moves online as Kids Trucks TV and becomes successful on YouTube. In 2016, Vere is credited as a writer on several songs from ABC’s album Lexicon of Love II, including “Viva Love,” “Flames of Desire,” “Kiss Me Goodbye,” and “Ten Below Zero.”

Reformation and later appearances

Living in a Box reform in 2016 with British soul singer Kenny Thomas replacing Darbyshire. The group appears at UK festival events including Let’s Rock, Rewind and Flashback through 2016 and 2017.

Legacy

The title track “Living in a Box” is later covered by Bobby Womack, who also works with the group on “So the Story Goes.”