Men Without Hats are a Canadian new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing. The band achieved their greatest popularity in the 1980s with "The Safety Dance", a worldwide top ten hit (No. 3 in the United States), and "Pop Goes the World".

After a hiatus for most of the 1990s and 2000s, Doroschuk reformed the band in 2010, and released Love in the Age of War (2012). The group, based in Vancouver, has continued to perform, including tour dates in support of their Again (Part 1) EP and Again (Part 2) LP, in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

History

Early days

Men Without Hats was founded in Montreal in 1977, initially as a punk rock band featuring Ivan Doroschuk (vocals), Pete Seabrooke (guitar), Dave Hill (bass), and John Gurrin (drums). In 1980, Doroschuk restarted Men Without Hats, giving the name to a new synthesizer-based group that he formed with Jérémie Arrobas (vocals, keyboards) and his brothers Stefan Doroschuk (bass) and Colin Doroschuk (guitar). Years earlier, while in high school, Arrobas and the Doroschuk brothers had played together in a short-lived band called Wave 21, Under the name MacKenzie-Parker Gang, Stefan and Mack MacKenzie (of the Canadian alt-country band Three O'Clock Train) released Ride for Glory (1999), a post-modern Western-themed album.

After a 10-year hiatus, No Hats Beyond This Point was released in November 2003, returning the band to their early new wave style. In interviews around the time of the release, the band had mentioned a tour to support the release and a box set dedicated to the band's early years, which included the Folk of the 80's and Freeways EPs, the band's first two albums, a concert that was televised in 1985, unreleased demos and remixes of "The Safety Dance". None of this came to fruition, though, and the band split up once again in early 2004. This was the end of Stefan's involvement with Men Without Hats.

Colin released two albums with his side solo project "Centrifugal Force" ["Matter", "Excerpts from Matter"], then focued on opera and classical music, first serving as Artistic Director of Montreal's Northern Opera Theatre (85-91) and later as composer-in-residence at British Columbia's Ballet Victoria. as well as the Totally Tubular Festival with Tom Bailey, Thomas Dolby, and others.

On November 14, 2025, Men Without Hats released a new album called On The Moon. The album included "I Love The 80s", released in June as a single, and a cover of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy".

Former bass guitarist Al Gunn died on April 8, 2026, aged 65.

Band members

Current

  • Ivan Doroschuk – vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, synths, drum programming (1977–1993, 2002–2003, 2010–present)
  • Sho Murray – guitar (2016–present)
  • Adrian White – drums (2018–present)
  • Sahara Sloan – vocals, keyboards (2023–present)

Former

This listing may include a number of touring and session musicians for whom actual membership in the band cannot be confirmed.

  • Lazlo's Discography Machine: Men Without Hats
  • Jérémie Arrobas official site
  • 2012 interview for Innerviews
  • Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
  • Article at canadianbands.com