The Bangles rode the wave of American jangly guitar bands that characterised so much of the 1980s with the likes of REM and Lone Justice, but the all-girl quartet had a greater pop sensibility that enabled them to do great business in the singles charts as well as in concert and on album. Hit records such as a version of Prince’s ‘Manic Monday’, “Walk Like An Egyptian’ and ‘Eternal Flame’ put the band of Susanna Hoffs, Michael Steele and sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson on heavy rotation on MTV all over the world. Like so many groups, they found that such success was a double edge sword and they disbanded in 1989 before reforming a decade later. The collection of photos at Backstage Pass captures that first imperial phase of The Bangles, on stage and off.
