The Pop Group Y Live

Mute is happy to announce the LP release of the live version of The Pop Group’s Y, which was previously only available as part of a box set. The individual LP will be released March 20th. Y is the highly influential and innovative debut album by The Pop Group, released in 1979. In the same year The Pop Group released their single She is Beyond Good & Evil / 3:38. The Y Live album is an essential addendum to the original release, one that captures all the fierce urgency of The Pop Group’s live performances at the time. Comprised of Y era recordings captured at a variety of locations including New York, Manchester, and Brussels – the latter on a bill with William Burroughs and Joy Division – Y Live exemplifies what had proved so thrilling about The Pop Group. The Pop Group went on to release two further singles, “We Are All Prostitutes” and “Where There Is A Will” (Split single with the Slits), and one further studio album, For How Much Do We Tolerate Mass Murder, before splitting up in 1981. Frontman, Mark Stewart, embarked on a solo career releasing his pioneering album Learning To Live With Cowardice in 1983. Gareth Sager and Bruce Smith went on to form Rip Rig & Panic alongside Neneh Cherry. The Pop Group reformed in 2010 to tour and have since released two new studio albums. The band will be touring throughout 2020 in support of the album release.