Illustrated Man (Group)

Illustrated Man (circa 1984) were a funk-rock band featuring Hugo Burnham (ex-Gang of Four), Roger Mason (keyboards), Rob Dean (ex-Japan guitarist) and Australian singer/bassist Philip Foxman.

They had hits with songs such as ‘Head over Heels’ ‘Just Enough’ and ‘Fall from Grace’ and their sound was likened to UK bands such as Japan, Simple Minds and Duran Duran - they are also believed to have influenced Inxs.

Consisting of some excellent musicians with a successful track record, the band was initially hailed as a supergroup – Roger Mason had recorded and toured internationally with artists such as Gary Numan, Rob Dean had been an integral part of Japan and Hugo Burnham had been part of the highly influential Gang of Four (Jon King, Dave Allen, Hugo Burnham and Andy Gill).

Regarded as an excellent live band they were thought to be the next big thing but their success was relatively short-lived.