Biography
Elvis Costello & The Attractions were a seminal English new wave and power‑pop band formed in 1977 as the primary backing group for singer‑songwriter Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus in London and raised in Liverpool). Costello had just enjoyed critical success with his debut album My Aim Is True (1977), recorded largely with the American band Clover, when he assembled a permanent, sharper‑edged touring and recording unit: keyboardist Steve Nieve (born Steve Nason), bassist Bruce Thomas, and drummer Pete Thomas.[1][2][3][4][6] Working out of the UK but quickly finding an international audience, the quartet became known for tightly wound performances that fused punk energy with literate, acerbic songwriting, helping to define the late‑1970s new wave movement.[2][3][4][7]
With Costello as frontman and principal songwriter, The Attractions powered a remarkable run of albums including This Year’s Model (1978), Armed Forces (1979), Get Happy!! (1980), Trust (1981), Almost Blue (1981), Imperial Bedroom (1982), Punch the Clock (1983), and Goodbye Cruel World (1984).[2][3][4][5][6] Their sound combined Nieve’s distinctive organ and piano lines, Bruce Thomas’s melodic bass, and Pete Thomas’s crisp, driving drums with Costello’s biting vocals and densely packed lyrics.[2][3][5][6][7] The band scored enduring hits such as “Pump It Up” and “Oliver’s Army,” and their albums were fixtures in critics’ polls, praised for sharp social commentary, stylistic range (from frenetic new wave to country covers and baroque pop), and studio ambition.[2][3][4][5][7]
Costello disbanded The Attractions in 1984 to pursue other projects, though they continued to record together intermittently: they reunited for Blood & Chocolate (1986), again for several tracks on Brutal Youth (1994), and for the full‑band album All This Useless Beauty (1996), after which the group split permanently.[2][4][5][6] Despite periodic personal and professional tensions—particularly between Costello and Bruce Thomas—the quartet’s body of work came to be regarded as one of rock’s great band‑and‑songwriter partnerships. In 2003, Elvis Costello & The Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, cementing their legacy as one of the most acclaimed backing bands in rock history and key architects of the new wave era.[3][6][7]
Fun Facts
- Steve Nieve was only about 19 years old and had classical training when he joined The Attractions; he had never played in a rock band before, and Ian Dury gave him the stage name “Steve Nieve” after the keyboardist innocently asked what a “groupie” was.[5][6]
- Elvis Costello & The Attractions gained notoriety in the United States when Costello, backed by the band, abruptly stopped “Less Than Zero” on live television and launched into the then‑unreleased song “Radio Radio” during a 1977 appearance on Saturday Night Live, angering the show’s producers.[4]
- The Attractions briefly released music without Costello, issuing their own album (with associated singles) as an independent entity in 1980, even though they were best known as Costello’s backing band.[6]
- Despite their reputation as one of rock’s greatest backing bands, internal tensions—particularly between Elvis Costello and bassist Bruce Thomas—contributed to the final split of The Attractions after the 1996 tour supporting All This Useless Beauty.[4][6]
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Ross McManus - Elvis Costello’s father, a professional bandleader and singer, exposed him to popular music and the life of a working musician, shaping the musical instincts that he later brought into Elvis Costello & The Attractions. (Early exposure rather than specific collaborative works; Ross McManus recorded with dance bands and as a vocalist, influencing Costello’s sense of melody and phrasing.) [1950s–1970s (Costello’s upbringing and early career)[1][4]]
- 1960s pop, soul, and country songwriters (e.g., The Beatles, Motown writers, classic country artists) - Costello has cited 1960s pop, soul, and country songwriting as major inspirations, which fed directly into the Attractions’ hybrid of sharp pop hooks, soul‑influenced rhythms, and stylistic detours like the country covers album Almost Blue. (Get Happy!! (strongly soul‑influenced), Almost Blue (country covers), and the classic pop craft evident on Imperial Bedroom and Armed Forces.[3][4][5]) [Influence rooted in 1960s music, strongly evident in Attractions albums from 1978–1983]
Key Collaborators
- Steve Nieve (Steve Nason) - Primary keyboardist of The Attractions, whose organ and piano work became central to the band’s sound; classically trained, he joined at age 19 and remained a key collaborator with Costello even after the Attractions ended. (Core member on This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!!, Trust, Almost Blue, Imperial Bedroom, Punch the Clock, Goodbye Cruel World, Blood & Chocolate, Brutal Youth (selected tracks), All This Useless Beauty.[2][3][4][5][6]) [1977–1986; 1994–1996 (Attractions period), continuing with Costello later in The Imposters[4][5][6]]
- Pete Thomas - Drummer for The Attractions, recruited in 1977; his tight, aggressive yet flexible drumming underpinned the band’s live shows and studio recordings and he later followed Costello into other backing configurations. (Same core Attractions albums, plus reunion work on Blood & Chocolate, Brutal Youth (selected tracks), All This Useless Beauty; later part of Costello’s band The Imposters.[2][3][4][5][6]) [1977–1986; 1994–1996 (Attractions), later 2000s in The Imposters[4][5][6]]
- Bruce Thomas - Bassist whose melodic, inventive playing was crucial to the band’s rhythmic and harmonic character; despite later personal tensions with Costello, he was a core part of the Attractions’ classic recordings. (All principal Attractions albums from This Year’s Model through Goodbye Cruel World, plus Blood & Chocolate and All This Useless Beauty and tracks on Brutal Youth.[2][3][4][5][6]) [1977–1986; 1994–1996[2][4][6]]
- Nick Lowe - Producer and sometime collaborator who shaped the early recorded sound of Elvis Costello & The Attractions with a punchy, economical production style that highlighted the band’s energy and Costello’s songwriting. (Produced My Aim Is True (pre‑Attractions) and the first four Attractions‑era albums: This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!!, and Trust.[4][5]) [Late 1970s–early 1980s[4][5]]
Artists Influenced
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognition (broad influence on new wave and alternative rock) - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame credits Elvis Costello & The Attractions with fusing the literacy of folk songwriting with punk’s edge, influencing subsequent generations of new wave, post‑punk, and alternative rock artists in their blend of sharp lyrics and taut band arrangements. (Influential albums include This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, and Imperial Bedroom, frequently cited in critical histories of new wave and alternative rock.[3][4][7]) [Influence emerging from late 1970s–1980s, extending through later alternative rock eras[3][7]]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| This Year's Model (2021 Remaster) | 1978-03-17 | Album |
| Armed Forces (Super Deluxe Edition) | 1979-01-05 | Album |
| Punch The Clock | 1983 | Album |
| Armed Forces (Remastered 2020) | 2020-11-06 | Album |
| Imperial Bedroom | 1982 | Album |
| Almost Blue | 1981 | Album |
| Get Happy | 1980 | Album |
| Blood And Chocolate | 1986 | Album |
| Trust | 1981-01-01 | Album |
| Goodbye Cruel World | 1984 | Album |
| This Year's Model (2021 Remaster / Deluxe) | 1978-03-17 | Album |
| Spanish Model | 2021-09-10 | Album |
| Live At The El Mocambo | 2009-01-01 | Album |
| Live At The El Mocambo | 2008-01-01 | Album |
| The Winterland '78 (live) | 1978-06-07 | Album |
Top Tracks
- Pump It Up - 2021 Remaster (This Year's Model (2021 Remaster))
- Oliver's Army (Armed Forces (Super Deluxe Edition))
- Everyday I Write The Book (Punch The Clock)
- Good Year For The Roses (Almost Blue)
- Radio, Radio - 2021 Remaster (This Year's Model (2021 Remaster))
- Oliver's Army (Armed Forces (Remastered 2020))
- (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea - 2021 Remaster (This Year's Model (2021 Remaster))
- I Want You (Blood And Chocolate)
- (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding (Armed Forces (Super Deluxe Edition))
- Shipbuilding (Punch The Clock)
External Links
References
Heard on WWOZ
Elvis Costello and the Attractions has been played 8 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 8, 2026 | 19:18 | don't think twice it's all right | R&Bw/ Your Cousin Dimitri | |
| Jan 2, 2026 | 13:56 | The River in Reversefrom The River in Reverse | New Orleans Music Showw/ Black Mold or Bill DeTurk | |
| Jan 1, 2026 | 21:37 | old macdonald | R&Bw/ Your Cousin Dimitri | |
| Jan 1, 2026 | 21:08 | song of the shrimp | R&Bw/ Your Cousin Dimitri | |
| Dec 10, 2025 | 22:17 | Party Partyfrom Party Party - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Kitchen Sinkw/ A.J. Rodrigue and A.A. | |
| Nov 26, 2025 | 22:36 | Seven Day Weekendfrom Club Paradise - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Kitchen Sinkw/ A.J. Rodrigue and A.A. | |
| Sep 22, 2025 | 21:30 | sally sue brown | Blues and R&Bw/ Gentilly Jr. | |
| Sep 17, 2025 | 23:08 | Radio Sweetheartfrom Taking Liberties | Kitchen Sinkw/ A.J. Rodrigue and A.A. |