Virginia Astley

Virginia Astley (born 26 September 1959) is an English singer-songwriter most active during the 1980s and 1990s. Her songwriting career started in 1980, with her classical training significantly influencing her music. Although most popular in Asia, notably in Japan, she remains a cult artist in her native England.

Early life Virginia Astley was born in Garston, Hertfordshire, England, alongside her twin, Alison, in 1959, the second daughter of composer Edwin Astley, noted for television themes such as The Saint, and his wife Hazel Balbirnie, who married in 1945. Virginia Astley's family was from the Warrington area and lived in Grappenhall, where her elder sister Karen was born in 1947. The family relocated to Stanmore, Middlesex, because of Edwin's work as a film and TV writer. In the early 1960s, he was musical director at ITC Entertainment in Borehamwood, the company responsible for TV series such as The Saint and Danger Man.

In 1968, her sister Karen married Pete Townshend of The Who. In the 1970s, Virginia's elder brother, Jon Astley, became a tape operator for Eric Clapton, and worked his way up to becoming a re-masterer and record producer.

Music career Virginia began learning piano at the age of six and flute at 14. After leaving school, she studied at the Guildhall School Of Music. Her first professional appearance in public was as a busker outside South Kensington tube station. In 1980, she auditioned for a new band from Clapham, the Victims of Pleasure. Astley, playing keyboards, worked with them for a short while playing in clubs and pubs around London. The band released three singles between 1980 and 1982 before splitting up. The trio joined The Teardrops in Liverpool during the winter of 1981 for a series of dates at a small clubs and a UK tour in early 1982. They also recorded with Echo & the Bunnymen, Skids, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The Ravishing Beauties first played at Club Zoo in Liverpool and followed this with the support tour with The Teardrop Explodes. Astley wrote most of the band's songs, some of which appeared on her first solo project with Why-Fi. The band was short lived, with St. John first becoming a model, and then eventually a member of The Dream Academy, while Holland did session work and joined Tears for Fears. This was produced by Jon Astley and Phil Chapman. Using a demo studio in Wapping called Elephant Studios, Astley recorded the song that was to place her in the indie top 10 (No. 8) in 1983: "Love's a Lonely Place to Be", Hope in a Darkened Heart (1986), WEA All Shall Be Well (1992), Nippon Columbia Had I the Heavens (1996), Nippon Columbia The Words Between Our Words (2006) – online release credited to Virginia and her daughter Florence Astley Maiden Newton Ecliptic (2007), Artension The Singing Places (2023)

Singles and EPs A Bao A Qu (1982), Why-Fi – 10-inch EP "Love's a Lonely Place to Be" (1983), Why-Fi — UK Indie No. 8 "Melt the Snow" (1985), Rough Trade — UK Indie No. 27 "Tender" (1985), Elektra "Darkness Has Reached Its End" (1985), WEA "Le Song" (1986) "Charm" (1986), WEA Japan "Some Small Hope" (1987), WEA — with David Sylvian