Formed in Leighton Buzzard in 1978, the band were originally known as Art Nouveau, a four-piece avant-garde group, with Nick Beggs on bass guitar, Steve Askew on lead guitar, Stuart Croxford Neale on keyboards, and Jeremy "Jez" Strode on drums.

 

Art Nouveau released a track called "The Fear Machine". The single sold a few hundred copies, and was played on the John Peelshow, but the band was unable to get a record deal.

 

In 1981, they advertised for a new lead singer, ultimately auditioning and choosing Christopher Hamill, who then went under the stage name Limahl (an anagram of his surname).

 

The name of the group was then changed to Kajagoogoo, coined phoneticallyfrom a baby's first sounds, 'Ga Ga Goo Goo.