Just googled Living in a Box to remind myself how awful they were, and I see they are considered part of the "sophisti-pop" genre.
I Wiki-ed sophisti-pop and my worst fears were confirmed: ABC, Level 42, Curiosity, Matt Bianco, Johnny Hates Jazz, Scritti Politti, The Christians, Simply Red, Joe Jackson, Hue and Cry. Fuck, the 80s WERE as bad as I remember. Oooh, Deacon Blue too, THE worst band of the 1980s, possibly