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A Brief History & Reflections on New Wave
Last Updated: 3 February, 2005
New Wave's older siblings, Punk and Power Pop, surfaced during the latter half of the 70's and helped ignite what was to become one of the biggest musical explosions of the last 25 years, certainly in terms of creativity and diversity. Disco and early electropop pioneers—namely Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk—made their mark on new wave as well. While disco revolutionized dance music, widespread backlash forced it into the underground by the dawn of the eighties, leaving new wave to keep dance music afloat and the airwaves and club scene bristling with unheard of energy.
New wave proved to be breathtaking in its scope—it was hard to perceive where it began and ended, both chronologically and musically. I would venture that new wave music occupied the era from 1978 to 1986, after which there was a notable decline offset by movements such as Industrial and Acid House (both seeds of Techno) and the great rise in college indie rock (alternative rock). Musically, new wave should not be pigeonholed or written off simply as "skinny ties," synthesizer geeks, new romantics, and pretentious, fashion-as-content bands. Certainly at the core of most new wave *was* an infectious dance beat or D.I.Y. energy, and more mainstream artists like Joe Jackson, Greg Kihn and rock veterans like David Bowie and The Kinks brushed the fringes of this musical tapestry. Movements like the more guitar-driven Power Pop often seemed to mesh virtually indistinguishably.
Movements and styles such as Synthpop (Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Human League, Soft Cell) and New Romantic (Ultravox, Visage, Classix Nouveaux, Spoons, Peter Godwin, early Talk Talk) were, to many, the defining styles of new wave. Gary Numan's "Cars," Soft Cell's stark electronic take on "Tainted Love," and The Human League's "Don't You Want Me" helped push this new futuristic synthesizer-driven sound into the US mainstream. New romanticism, on the other hand, never managed much of an impression in the US—it remained very much a European (and Canadian) movement. Despite the general inadequacy of pigeonholing, there were the other requisite, defining styles from the era: Goth (Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, Specimen, Bauhaus), Postpunk (The Chills, Gang of Four, The Sound, Joy Division, Comsat Angels), Ska (Madness, The Specials, The English Beat, The Untouchables, Bad Manners), Rockabilly (Dave Edmunds, Stray Cats, Polecats, The Cramps), and Power Pop (The Vapors, The Producers, 20/20, The Records). And still that's only scratching the surface. It was only a matter of time before this underground explosion of musical creativity overflowed into Top 40 radio. Between '81 and '83, new wave hit the mainstream and the airwaves were buzzing with this new style.
The video revolution changed everything as well. Coinciding with—more likely fueled by—the new wave movement, music video added a whole new dimension to music as an artform. MTV can certainly be attributed to the exposure and subsequent rise and fall of many fleeting new wave artists. Without the exposure that music video provided, America could well have slept through the entire movement, perhaps stagnating on AOR/arena rock instead. The visuals these bands presented to their audiences was intoxicating and added to their mystery, rather than dispelling it. The fashion, the make-up, the narrative of videos made even the most insignificant of bands look larger-than-life. I spent my formative years, before even MTV, absorbing the wild, cutting edge of this new medium, courtesy of some daring and pioneering public access video programs which showed much of what MTV wouldn't even bother with or simply didn't have. Despite a propensity for crudeness, over-the-top pretentiousness or camp, these early music videos are testaments to the pioneering days of the medium. I say: Bring 'em back! Where did they all go? Collecting dust in the MTV archives is a bit of a tragedy, although M2 and VH-1 Classics are helping to keep them alive. The new wave CD compilation market has become oversaturated, and now it's time to revive music video classics on DVD. Revisit those vintage days, see the Music Videos List.
New Wave from around the world
Australia enjoyed a brief and lively renaissance (at least from an American perspective) ushered in by Men At Work in '82, who made it clear to the world in their homeland homage "Down Under." INXS broke through this very same year and maintained a huge following worldwide until the unfortunate death of Michael Hutchence. By 1984 the Oz scene tapered off (but by no means are Australian and New Zealand artists absent from US college radio in recent years: Silverchair, Powderfinger, Frente!, etc.). It is gravely unfortunate that all the other amazing Australian and New Zealand talent from this period of creativity never seemed to catch fire despite a flurry of recording contracts and distribution deals in the early 80's. Still, there are many of us who recall those gems from Eurogliders, Swingers, Australian Crawl, Goanna, The Expression, Real Life, Flash and The Pan, Machinations, Mental As Anything, The Models, etc. Many of my all-time favorite artists hail(ed) from down under: Icehouse, The Church, Split Enz and The Go-Betweens. Perseverence paid off for Midnight Oil, Icehouse, Divinyls, and Neil Finn's (formerly of Split Enz) Crowded House with much deserved chart recognition in the US later on.
Canada offered up a number of new wave artists in the early eighties and was a huge export of AOR rock in the early 80s (Saga, Harlequin, Loverboy, Prism, Red Rider, Rush, Chilliwack, April Wine, etc.). Write it off to US-UK domination or what not, but not much new wave north of the 49th parallel seemed to stick here in America. From Vancouver's Payola$ to Toronto's Spoons, so many only managed one brief showing and they were gone as far as the U.S. airwaves were concerned. There were great contributions though from The Kings, Martha & The Muffins, Strange Advance, Nash the Slash, Men Without Hats and Rough Trade. Others such as Blue Peter, Images in Vogue and Rational Youth certainly deserved more recognition abroad.
Germany and mainland Europe certainly had plenty to offer as well, though significant airplay was few and far between by the time it journeyed across the Atlantic. There were the brief but memorable US chart successes from Alphaville, Nena, Peter Schilling, Yello and the late Falco, but discerning new wave listeners here in the States were discovering Telex, Trio, Gruppo Sportivo, The Nits, The Thought, Einstürzende Neubauten, Indochine, Nina Hagen, Propaganda, Rheingold, Camouflage and D.A.F. The New Wave Club Class-X CD series is a testament to the flourishing continental euro-scene that America never heard.
To justly round out the international scope of new wave, one mustn't overlook Japan's pioneering Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Though they only managed one initial chart showing both in the US and UK with "Computer Games" back in 1980 (much like Kraftwerk's fluke smash "Autobahn" here in the US), they were very influential. For example, just one listen to Technodelic (1981) and you will be amazed at how they, too, along with Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, experimented with an industrial sound long before it was popular (although YMO was primarily a techno-pop outfit). The three members—Haruomi "Harry" Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi—are busy with prolific solo careers, countless collaborations and production work. Six degrees of Kevin Bacon? Try 'Six degrees of YMO'!
How about you living in the 20th Century?
While so many artists were swiftly relegated to obscurity, numerous new wave and punk veterans like The Cure, Duran Duran, New Order, The Stranglers and Depeche Mode continue even to this day, in one guise or another. Both Depeche Mode and The Cure demonstrated that they could maintain their unique style with its roots in new wave and still thrive. Veterans of the original UK punk explosion like The Damned, Wire and The Stranglers displayed amazing maturity in the 80's as they evolved away from punk into (perhaps) more accessible forms of music but with the cutting edge intact. Other new wave artists like Talk Talk took their style in an entirely new direction by casting off their synthesizers and exploring a fascinating fusion of rock, blues, freeform jazz and classical, that proved to be one of the most unusual but rewarding metamorphoses away from the genre. Recently, punk legends Wire and the Buzzcocks both have resurfaced with new albums and EPs, and Killing Joke are still flexing their nihilistic muscle.
The 90's ambient-techno & electronica scenes attracted some veterans as well: Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie, formerly of The Thompson Twins, formed Babble; Richard Kirk and Cabaret Voltaire proved themselves in the 90's alongside the new generation of electronic heavyweights such as Aphex Twin, Banco de Gaia, The Black Dog, Moby, etc. ; Rolo McGinty, former lead-vocalist for The Woodentops, re-emerged as Pluto; and one of the most significant and critically-acclaimed bands in the current electronica scene today is Underworld, whom founding members Karl Hyde and Rick Smith created out of the ashes of their glam new wave band, Freur (remember "Doot Doot"?)
As the early years of the new century unfold, a new resurgence of new wave-influenced electro-pop is emerging in the form of Electroclash with artists such as Ladytron, Fischerspooner, Peaches, I Am the World Trade Center, Felix da Housecat, and The Epoxies. Garage rock and postpunk are making a comeback too—bands like Hot Hot Heat, The Briefs, The Hives, The Dirtbombs, Von Bondies, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Simian, Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, The Killers, and on and on. Very cool to see the energetic and eminently danceable sound of early 80's new wave making a comeback! That old 20-30 year cycle of nostalgia is kicking in, so put the emo-core and rap-metal on the back-burner!
Duty Now For the Future
As the 80's slip further into the past and into our distant memories, long live the music from this era that mattered! Don't let corporate radio undermine and manipulate the opinions of younger generations when it comes to 80's music and "new wave." Hopefully the energy of the Nu New Wave and Electroclash will encourage new generations of listeners to re-discover the era. I'm here to tell you that it was much more than a handful of songs dished out time and time again on kitschy flashback shows (even "World Famous" KROQ isn't immune here!). As a parting shot to anyone who thinks the 80's should have found adequate coverage on CD by now (one would think, right?), some friends and I have already recorded over 500 vinyl albums from the 1978-87 period, that aren't yet available on CD (see the Obscure80's/MFV page). There's still work to be done preserving this era of music. Look for more MP3's in the future, and as always, don't miss out on the Song of the Week.
Cheers,
Mike Paulsen
Back to The New Wave Outpost
© 1996-2003 The New Wave Outpost
What Was 1980's New Romanticism?
New Romanticism was a manufactured scene within London nightclubs in the early 1980s. The posers within the group, often the more creative people who had always been more interested in the sartorial aspects of dressing up than the anarchic statement of punk anti fashion, looked for new ideas to draw attention to themselves.
Adapted factual or fictional themes and Hollywood glamour were chosen by the New Romantics to make a personal look. The flamboyant, colourful dramatic look used frills and luscious fabrics associated with historical periods. In contrast to punks the wearers made an effort to look flamboyant in an attractive, luxuriant, beautiful, narcissistic way.
Adam Ant a new romantic pop star who epitomised the more beautiful aspects of New Romantiscm.
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Clubs
London night clubs started to change their format from Friday and Saturday nights as being the only important music nights. The club 'Gossips' in Soho began to do Bowie nights on Tuesdays and then more one night specials for niche tastes. That set the scene for special one night club evenings throughout London. Narrow tastes could be catered for.
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The former punk posers had taken to glamour and romance in clothing and the club venues offered them a chance to show off that glamour at dedicated evenings. Theatrical ensembles were worn to selected clubs in London such as Blitz and St. Moritz. These were the recognised venues where the romantic movement started.
Designers of New Romantic Clothing
The early designers of the romantic look were Vivienne Westwood, Colin Swift, Stevie Stewart and David Holah. Westwood began her romantic ideas with adaptations of dandified Regency designs which later she developed into a Pirate look. She designed especially for Adam and The Ants.
A Vivienne Westwood pirate design.
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Picture of a model wearing a pirate outfit. New romantics fashion history 1980s.
New Romantic Pop Groups
The look rapidly dubbed New Romantics by the media, moved quickly into mainstream fashion and was reinforced by hot chart topping pop groups of the time such as Adam And The Ants, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Visage. David Bowie, Bryan Ferry and Boy George were all influential singers of the era.
The Swashbuckling Pirate Look
Typical romantic glamour had the swashbuckling style of pirates and buccaneers. Full sleeved frilled pirate shirts were made from luxury fabrics. Theatrical brocade or hussar style jackets of velvet or silk complete with braiding were copied and appeared on many jackets. The New Romantic look was intended to be individual, unlike punk which tended to have uniformity. New Romantics longed for the fantasy of the nineteen thirties and fifties glamour of Hollywood.
Picture of a model wearing a pirate outfit. New romantics fashion history 1980s.
The Pirate Look.
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Mass Market Effects
Glamour became a 1980's norm and occasion wear was influenced by the romantic idea of dressing up. Dressing up was in again and filtered every avenue of fashion eventually influencing the world, through media uptake via television soap operas like Dynasty.
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Princess of Wales Opts for Romantic Glamour
Romantic dressing put a stamp on early 80's clothing especially for occasion wear. The die was cast for the mainstream of mass fashion in the culmination of the wedding clothes of Diana, Princess Of Wales with Charles, Prince of Wales. Photographs of her romantic evening dresses and her wedding dress set the romantic style for full ball gowns for almost a decade.
The flamboyant romantic wedding gown of The Princess of Wales Diana - 1981.
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Picture of Princess Diana and Prince Charles on the balcony at Buckingham Palace as he kisses her hand on their wedding day. New romantics fashion history 1980s.
Read more about Diana - 80's Fashion Icon
Return of Occasion Wear
Occasion wear included a return of cocktail dresses and evening suits with flared basque jackets, or Chanel line brocade jackets and just above knee short straight skirts.
Dresses in slinky satins and foulard silks or polyesters were often batwing or with set in sleeves. Both styles had shoulder pads and frequently swathes of fabric were gathered and ruched onto hip bands, with falling silk, crepe de chine or chiffon asymmetric draped swirling skirts.
Lace was popular for evening, especially cream lace bound with cream satin collars. Lace collars made an appearance after being worn by the Princess of Wales. Mohair sweaters were oversized, but covered with lavish beading and satin appliqué they could be worn for evening too. Highly styled intarsia knit jumpers became fashionable.
Glamorous occasion wear was a reaction and an alternative to the dressing down that was emerging from the wearing of sport and fitness wear as casual wear. The 1980s in particular produced one of the most naff garments of the century.
The garment that still creates hoots of laughter and is often used by television producers to typify elements of the era, was the sports inspired Shell Suit, the least likely outfit you would ever find in the wardrobe of a New Romantic. However fashion oft repeats itself, bloomers and all. Skip a generation or two and a frilly new romantic inspired shell suit, jump or flying suit might appeal to someone. Already there are collectors of 1980's shell suits.
For related 1980's and 1990s fashion go to:-
o Power Dressing
o The New Romantics
o The Princess of Wales - Diana 1980's Fashion Icon
o Go to Part 1 1990s
o Go to Part 2 of The 1990s
o
New Perfumes After 2000
o Fitness Fashion
o Online Library 11- 1980-90 Books
o Online Library 11 - Diana Books
o Fashion-era Forum
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Fashion-Era.com looks at women's costume and fashion history and analyses the mood of an era. Changes in technology, leisure, work, cultural and moral values, homelife and politics have all contributed to lifestyle trends which influence the clothes we wear. These are the changes that make any era of society special in relation to the study of the costume of a period.
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80s Music Genres
New Romantics
A list of New Romantic albums can be found HERE
New romanticism emerged in the UK music scene in the early 80s as a direct backlash against the austerity of the punk movement. At various times it became a catch-all term for quite disparate bands working within the pop world, and consequently works better as a description of a specific time rather than sound or style. Where punk railed against life on England's council estates, the new romantics celebrated glamour; ostentatious clothes and hedonism.
Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Spandau Ballet
The coming of age of the video as a promotional tool was important to the development of new romanticism as were the outlandish haircuts (A Flock of Seagulls ) the frilled shirts (Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet) and the fact that men could be seen wearing mascara (practically everyone involved). Guitars, though present, were subordinate to synthesizers.
The movement's early fulcrum was Stevo (Steven Pearse), whose Some Bizzare Album compilation in 1980 introduced such artists as Classix Nouveaux, Blancmange, Depeche Mode and Soft Cell. Centred on London clubs such as Blitz, this new gaggle of groups was at first termed 'futuristic'. The Human League had been active for some time in Sheffield but in a new incarnation perfectly amalgamated simple song ideas with basic keyboard skifis to define the essential new romantic blueprint. Adam And The Ants were historically linked with punk, as were, more obliquely, Culture Club, though both found a place on the fringe of the movement as a platform for major chart success.
Human League Cover
Adam and the Ants Cover
David Sylvian
If the most obvious historical ancestor of new romanticism was David Bowie, then Japan were his closest living relatives, aping even his fascination with the Orient. The two biggest stars were undoubtedly Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. The former wrote classic pop hooks with casual ease for much of the period, though Spandau Ballet were always more visually than aurally appealing, despite the occasional winning single (the melodrama of 'True' was resonant enough for PM Dawn to make it rap's first new romantic sample).
Of less enduring fame or substance were Classix Nouveaux, Visage and A Flock Of Seagulls, despite the latter breaking through in the American market. Nevertheless, several exceptional singles were left behind that effectively defined the times, and it was to no great surprise that the movement was revisited in 1995 with the development of the 'Romo' scene.
Text taken from The Virgin Encylopedia of Eighties Music.
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