Bit of a guilty pleasure this. Altered Images emerged as proteges of Siouxsie and the Banshees, having supported them on tour in 1980. Think I saw that tour at Newcastle. Steve Severin from the Banshees produced their first album. By the time Marie and I saw them at Newcastle Tiffanys Happy Birthday was a massive hit, and Altered Images had transcended punkdown to become real life Top of the Pops style pop stars. The place was absolutely jam packed to the walls, the balcony was shaking, the song was in the charts that week (it reached No 2). 
They back in the North East a few months later, this time headlining and selling out the Mayfair. I could be Happy was in the charts, and a packed ballroom sang along with Clare Grogan and band. Their fame didn’t last that long, and they disbanded the following year. 
I think I have a programme upstairs somewhere, pretty sure it is a massive thing, and thus I’ve filed it away somewhere…will try to search it out, scan it in and put it up here in a few days. Note, from a few days later. I found the programme and have added to the post to the right.
13 Mar
Vintagerock's Weblog. 
Posted by Fernando on August 22, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Hi, Do you think it’s possible for you to scan the entire altered images programme. I’m a big fan and photos are rare.
Thanks a lot!
Posted by vintagerock on August 22, 2012 at 6:12 pm
I’ll try and scan the programme, but it is vert big (bigger than the scanner). Will see what I can do at the weekend Peter
Posted by John Frederick Ashburne on September 16, 2024 at 4:15 pm
I interviewed them in the early times in the bowels of the Dunelm building at Durham Uni, around the time that Depatment S were playing. I interviewed them too. Claire Grogan was hypnotically sweet. I was totally star struck. A bit later the Feelgoods came into town and we were blown away. Then came an American Blues Legends unit.