It has been announced that Boy George will replace Tom Jones on The Voice on BBC1.

It will be good to see Boy George doing what he does best, immersing himself in music, because the recent BBC4 documentary “Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity” suggested Culture Club don’t have a  long term future. Riveting and fascinating, it also made for uncomfortable viewing.

The documentary followed Culture Club’s attempts to reform, which in itself from the start looked like a triumph of hope over adversity – or should that be adversaries?!! Right from the start with Culture Club’s initial meeting at Boy George’s home in Hampstead Heath and on through their album recording sessions in Spain to live performances including a show at the Heaven night club in London, the tension and rancour between the band members simmered ominously.

The biggest area of tension and bitterness was reserved for the relationship between former lovers Boy George and drummer John Moss. Bass guitarist Mikey Craig and lead guitarist Roy Hay were the diplomatic glue that just about countered the friction between the cantankerous, domineering Boy George and the slightly irritating John Moss.

It was the breakdown of Boy George and John Moss’ relationship that caused Culture Club to originally split up in 1986 and although a polyp on Boy George’s vocal chords was given as the official reason for the termination of Culture Club’s world tour in November of last year, it felt like despite the best efforts Mikey Craig and Roy Hay, there was too much tension and mistrust for the tour to go ahead.

And that’s a great pity. The Record Press author is lucky and privileged to have attended a Culture Club concert in 1999, in one of those small windows when the band members were able to get on well enough to gig. When they get it together, Culture Club are a fantastic live band. That night in December 1999 they more than held their own in the company of 1980s New Romantic luminaries Duran Duran, Human League and ABC.

A certain amount of tension between band members is the fuel for creativity, but there has to be a fundamental unity as well. Undoubtedly Boy George is a huge talent and a great character, but I suspect he simply is not cut out to be in a band anymore. His singularity, ego and selfishness stifles and totally aggravates the other Culture Club band members.

Whether we see Culture Club re-form again remains to be seen , but on the evidence of “Boy George and Culture Club: Karma to Calamity”, it seems a very distant possibility. So let’s console ourselves  and remember the band at their very best with this Record Press Top 5 Best Culture Club Songs –

Top 5 Best Culture Club Songs

1) Victims ( No3 1983 )

2) Time ( Clock of the Heart ) ( No3 1982 )

3) Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? ( No1 1982 )

4) Church of the Poison Mind ( No2 1983 )

5)  Karma Chameleon ( No1 1983 )

Which are your favourite Culture Club songs? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

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