The early lineup of the band featured Sordinia, guitarist Marc Deprez and drummer/keyboard player Christophe Den Tandt; Robert Frankson and singer Isabelle Hanrez were briefly also members.
[1][2] After local gigs as The Passengers, they changed their name in time for their debut single, "Spectators of Life", released by WEA in 1979 to test the market for homegrown new wave music.
The Names enjoyed a long and rewarding relationship with mercurial producer Hannett, who also oversaw their next single, "Calcutta" (Factory Benelux, 1981) and debut album Swimming (Les Disques du Crepuscule, 1982).
The Names mostly played live in the Benelux countries and France, including the ambitious Les Disques du Crepuscule multimedia package Dialogue North-South in February 1982.
A final Names single, "The Astronaut", appeared in 1982 on the Les Disques du Crépuscule label,[1] again produced by Hannett, who had by then parted from Factory Records amidst some acrimony.