The Invisible Girls

British rock band

The Invisible Girls were a British rock band, formed in Salford, Greater Manchester in 1978, to provide a musical backdrop to the recorded output of Salford punk poet John Cooper Clarke. The band's nucleus was Joy Division and New Order producer Martin Hannett and keyboardist Steve Hopkins, with contributions from, amongst others, Pete Shelley of Buzzcocks and Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe. The band also played on the first solo album by Pauline Murray (lead singer of Penetration), the eponymous Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls and some singles, and later with Nico for the single "Procession".

The band was formed to provide backing music for punk poet John Cooper Clarke. It initially featured Factory Records producer Martin Hannett on bass guitar, Steve Hopkins on keyboards, 10cc drummer Paul Burgess and guitarist Lyn Oakey. This line up played on Cooper Clarke's debut album Où est la maison de fromage?, before they named themselves the Invisible Girls. Disguise in Love (billed as being by "John Cooper Clarke with the Invisible Girls") was produced by Hannett and released in 1978, and featured collaborations with Be Bop Deluxe's Bill Nelson and Buzzcock Pete Shelley. A second album, Snap, Crackle & Bop, followed in 1980.

In 1980, the band began to work with Pauline Murray, who in the same year dissolved her punk band Penetration. They released an eponymous album in September, followed by a second single, "Mr X", in November 1980. Shortly afterwards, Nico and Toby went to work with Blue Orchids.