formed The Happy Family with Nick Currie (aka Momus). Haig embarked on a long solo career, releasing a string of albums on his own Rhythm of Life label between 1984 and 2008, while Malcolm Ross joined Orange Juice and then played with Aztec Camera and Blancmange before embarking on a solo career. Ross and Weddell later reunited in Magic Clan. Musical style Musically, they resembled their label mates Orange Juice in fusing post-punk guitars with funk and disco rhythms. They were influenced by American bands such as Pere Ubu, Television, Talking Heads, and The Voidoids, and British bands such as Subway Sect. However, in terms of their lyrics and image Josef K were always far more downbeat and austere than Orange Juice, and were never to match Orange Juice's commercial success. They were also described as sounding similar to Joy Division but "less doomy". Haig was a fan of Joy Division and "It's Kinda Funny" was inspired by the death of Ian Curtis. Haig's lyrics were also inspired by the works of Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Knut Hamsun. The band adopted what was described as an "anti-rock stance", most members eschewing drink and (most) drugs, and the band never doing encores, which Ross considered "patronizing". Influence Josef K would prove to be a major influence on several later 1980s bands, including The June Brides and The Wedding Present (who also never do encores). They also influenced later bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, and The Rapture, and they were described in 2006 as "one of the most influential bands in Britain". "Sorry for Laughing" was covered by German synth pop group Propaganda on their 1985 album A Secret Wish (and the remix album Wishful Thinking), and again in 2004 by French New Wave/bossa nova band Nouvelle Vague. In an interview with Nardwuar, British musician King Krule stated that Josef K created, "intelligent music and it's coming from a pure place, I think. Any music like, which is real, should get a listen to." Several notable labels have reissued Josef K albums and compilations, including Creation, Domino and LTM Recordings. In 2014 Les Disques du Crépuscule issued remastered vinyl and CD editions of The Only Fun in Town. The history of Josef K is covered in 2015 documentary film Big Gold Dream, with Malcolm Ross featuring prominently as an interviewee. Band members Paul Haig –