Erasure is an English synth pop duo formed by songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell in 1985. It was the third successful pop group co-formed by Clarke (Depeche Mode and Yazoo being the first two). Erasure released twenty-four consecutive Top 20 hits in the United Kingdom and sold 25 million albums worldwide The band also enjoys popularity within the LGBT community, with openly homosexual Andy Bell being regarded a gay icon.