Opposition

Post-punk and new wave band The Opposition formed in London, England in 1979. The group – founded by core members Mark Long (guitar, vocals), Marcus Bell (bass, vocals) and Ralph Hall (drums) – combined elements of punk energy, new wave smarts, and reggae rhythms into their sound. Their first single, “Very Little Glory,” was released in 1980 and was followed later that year by their debut album Breaking the Silence. While they didn’t achieve massive worldwide success, the band certainly built a following and continued to release albums such as Intimacy (1983), Promises (1984), and Empire Days (1985), which was produced by Kenny Jones. During a five-year break, Mark Long and Marcus Bell formed the more commercial pop duo So and achieved some press and airplay in the US with their 1988 album Horseshoe in the Glove. The Opposition returned in 1990 with the album Blue Alice Blue before founding their own label, Mr. Jones Records, and releasing the album War Begins at Home (1993). After a 10-year break, The Opposition returned in 2003 with the album Blinder. Several archive and live releases followed – including New York, Paris, Peckham (2004), Lost Album (2005), and The Playground Tapes (2009) – before the band returned with the studio album Love and Betrayal in 2011. Bassist Marcus Bell died in 2014 and the group took time off before returning in 2017 with the Kenny Jones-produced album Somewhere in Between (2016). After the release of the concert album Live at Radio Łódź (2019) and the acoustic Alchemy Unplugged (2021), The Opposition returned with the studio album Hope (2021). Mark Long died on September 22, 2022.