80s Empire

Adam Ant - Punk or New Romantic?

2012-02-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

A long interview with Adam Ant in today's Guardian. Apparently, Adam gets annoyed when anyone muddles him up with the early 80s new romantic scene.

"Cos new romantic was nothing to do with Adam and the Ants. The Ants was a punk band, or a post-punk band if anything, and so historically it's inaccurate. New romantic was basically, in my mind, clubbers with too much makeup on with stupid clothes. I never set foot in any of their clubs, so I find it quite distressing to be nobbled into new romantic, cos it was just a load of guys who looked like they'd had a row with their girlfriends' makeup. There was nothing tough about it, nothing dangerous about it, it was soft electro stuff and it just looked a bit wet. And I didn't like being associated with it."

The fact of the matter is that nobody at the time identified themselves as 'New Romantics'. I remember interviewing Duran Duran once and they got quite tetchy when I suggested they might be New Romantics. The same with Spandau Ballet. Which begs the question - if Adam, Spandau and Duran weren't New Romantics, who was...?

Anyway, you can read The Guardian interview here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/feb/19/adam-ant-sex-style-humour and they also have this new video of Adam performing Stand And Deliver.

Howard Jones, radio star

2012-02-17T05:45:00.001-08:00

Howard Jones will be hosting a four-part radio series entitled Electronic 80s with Howard Jones for the UK 80s music radio station Absolute 80s. The hour-long show starts Sunday 4th March at 8pm, with subsequent shows airing on 11th March, 18th March and 25th March.

More info on Absolute 80s.

See also, my recent interview with Howard.

Sigue Sigue Sputnik - 26 years on...

2012-02-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

At the time, it was very fashionable to hate Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Serious music journos everywhere dismissed them as manufactured, over-hyped and under-talented. They played the part of a futuristic rock group in a world where image is everything. Maybe they played it too well?

Looking back on them now, it seems to me that they were rather wonderful. They had the music, the image, the attitude. They presented themselves as a pre-packaged product for the modern world - a world in which TV, advertising and instant gratification is the norm. I think they had the misfortune to burst onto the music scene at exactly the wrong time. It was post-punk, post-New Romantic. In 1986 you were either into "serious" bands like The Smiths and U2 or the polished pop of Madonna and Diana Ross. Sigue Sigue Sputnik just didn't fit in.A great shame, really.

Watch this video of their biggest hit - released this month (February) in 1986 and making UK Number 3 in early March. Looking it it now, I keep asking myself: what is there not to like?

I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan - book review

2012-01-29T05:47:00.000-08:00

I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan £9.99/$15.46 (paperback) or $3.08/£2.01 (Kindle)
ISBN: 978-1-4478-8721-8
(Book Review)

If you were ever a teenager (and I presume you must have been!), you’ve probably been through this. For you, maybe it was Kim Wilde or Kylie or Boy George or Freddie Mercury. If you still are a teenager, maybe it’s Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber. But for Chris Limb, it was Toyah. It was 1980, Chris was fifteen, his friends were fans of Debbie Harry and Kate Bush but somehow Debbie and Kate just didn’t do it for him – “Not odd looking enough,” he says, “Not punky enough.” And then he discovered a girl called Toyah. At the time, she was not a huge star. Chris first noticed her in an episode of the TV detective drama, Shoestring. And it was infatuation at first sight.

I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan is a very unusual musical memoire. Even though it has a lot to say about Toyah herself, mainly in the early 80s, it is not a rock star ‘biography’. It is, in fact, a reconstruction of a fleeting but crucial period in the author’s life. It is about a teenager growing up in the 80s. Many teenagers both then and now, have a tendency to feel dissatisfied with the day-to-day dullness of their lives. For some of us, a glimpse of the possibilities of a ‘world beyond’ become focussed through a specific person. In the 70s, Bowie and Bolan with their androgynous ‘glam’ certainly gave me a view of a life that I had yet to experience. For Chris, in the 80s, Toyah had a similar effect.

In essence, Chris Limb’s book is a grown up’s attempt to rediscover his teenage self. “This,” he says, in the book’s introduction, “is primarily a story about two individuals who no longer exist. The versions of Toyah and myself from thirty years ago probably bear little resemblance to the people walking around now with their names…”

If you are, of were, a Toyah fan, this book will obviously have a special appeal for you. But you don’t have to be fixated on Toyah to enjoy it. In many respects, Chris Limb’s book is a description of a common experience: the vague yearning dissatisfaction of a teenager looking for something, just something to take him (or her) beyond the mundane – and finding that 'something' crystalized in a rock star. For 80s enthusiasts, the book has the added appeal of recalling so many of the defining elements of that decade in the UK. There are recollections of the magazines (Number One, Flexipop, Zig Zag), the TV shows (The Tube, The Russell Harty Show, not forgetting Top Of The Pops) and all kinds of other evocative details.

Chris Limb’s obsession with Toyah was not just a passing phase, however. First he wrote to his idol, then he met his idol; in fact he got to know Toyah very well and eventually ran her official fan club, Tellurian. If you want to know how Chris made the transition from fan to friend, read the book!

For more on I Was A Teenage Toyah Fan go to: http://www.toyah.org/

New Romantic Murders - part three

2012-01-27T04:48:00.000-08:00

The latest in my series of 1980s New Romantic Murder Mystery novels is now available for Kindle. Death Wears Sequins is a tale of adventure, murder and international espionage set in the world of early 80s music and clubland. You can get your copy from Amazon UK or US now...

Rewind 80s Festival, this August

2012-01-25T04:26:00.000-08:00

Yup, yet another 80s bash. This time in Henley-on-Thames between Friday 17th August and Sunday 19th August 2012.

Rewind The 80s Festival includes performances from OMD, Rick Astley, Right Said Fred, Marc Almond and many more. Tickets go on sale Friday 27th January. For ticket information and prices, see the official festival website: www.rewindfestival.com.

Saturday 18th August will feature Kool and The Gang, as well as appearances from The Bangles, Grandmaster Flash, Rick Astley, Soul II Soul, Five Star, Starship, Heather Small, Jimmy Somerville, Sinitta, Right Said Fred, and Doctor and The Medics.

Sunday 19th August will feature OMD, as well as appearances from Lightning Seeds, Roland Gift, Tony Hadley, The Straits, Wang Chung, Marc Almond, John Parr, Midge Ure, The Christians, T'Pau and a special guest (TBA).

All of which is as good an excuse as any to play this...

Gary Numan: I had so much cash, all I wanted to do was spend

2012-01-23T03:20:00.000-08:00

Interesting interview with Gary Numan in the financial pages of today's Telegraph. He remembers his biggest money mistakes - running a record company and a restaurant, and paying for extravagant light shows that made him lose money from a sell-out tour...

Our debts levelled out at around £600,000 and perhaps the biggest cause of this was my desire for elaborate light shows long after my career could justify it. But even during the early Eighties I spent too much: on one sell-out tour I lost £150,000 due to expensive lighting and production – pure stupidity.

He also reveals his plans for the future. Hollywood soundtracks...?

Rewind Festival - back to the 80s this July!

2012-01-18T05:53:00.000-08:00

Rewind Scotland, the 80s music festival, will take place from Friday 20th July until Sunday 22nd July at Scone Palace, Perthshire, Scotland (www.scone-palace.co.uk). Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday 20th January. Details of ticket outlets and prices are available from the official website www.rewindfestival.com.

Saturday 21st July will be headlined by Ali Campbell’s UB40 with support from Average White Band, Jimmy Somerville, Midge Ure, Five Star, Go West, Sinitta, Chesney Hawkes, Katrina (ex-Katrina and the Waves), Limahl, Right Said Fred, and Les McKeown’s Legendary Bay City Rollers.

Sunday 22nd July will be headlined by Holly Johnson, supporting line-up includes Village People, Squeeze, Lightning Seeds, Marc Almond, ABC, Roland Gift, The Straits, Wang Chung, John Parr, Altered Images, and The Christians.

Just to get you in the mood, here's a song from one of Sunday's acts...

Howard Jones Interview

2012-01-15T05:46:00.000-08:00

If you are a fan of Howard Jones’s hits from the ’80s, his tour this April, will be an experience you won’t want to miss - because Howard will be performing his first two albums, ‘Human’s Lib’ and ‘Dream Into Action’, in their entirety.

Photo © Simon Fowler

On the tour, Howard be singing all his big hits including ‘New Song’, ‘What Is Love?’, ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’ and ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. While this has obvious attractions, I wondered why he’s decided not to play any new material…

“Simple,” he says, “It’s because the fans have always asked me to do this. There are a lot of those songs that I’ve never performed live before. They were studio creations and the technology wasn’t available to do it. But when we managed to license back the first five albums from Warner Brothers we were able to re-master them. And that gave us access to the original multi-tracks so we were able to sample the keyboards and do everything we needed to recreate those two albums in a way that we wouldn’t have been able to do at the time. That meant we could really reproduce the stuff properly.”

The technology must have changed a lot since you first recorded those albums. Do you do everything with a computer these days?

“Actually I started working with a Mac and sequencing software in 1985. But in the early days those weren’t available. So I had to use much more primitive technology. In fact , the reason that ‘New Song’ has that short sequence is because the Pro 1 synthesizer only had an eight note sequencer in it.

“These days, when I write songs I usually start with the piano. But it’s different if I’m doing an electronic album. Now you have access to any sound you want from your computer, so you really need to define clearly what you want to do. You have to limit yourself to a set of rules so you don’t get carried away. The next album I’m thinking of doing will be very electronic with no pianos in it at all. It will all be all synthesized sounds. And some of it will be quite analogue.”

Recently there’s been a bit of a resurgence of interest in the sounds of older type analogue synthesizers. In fact, John Foxx - another great innovator in the 80s - has even done some concerts using analogue synths. I asked Howard if that’s what he plans to do too?

He laughed. “No,” he said, “Definitely not! I’m fed up of going out with old gear and having it break down every night. I can’t be doing with that any more. I need good, modern, reliable keyboards. But even so, I can still get analogue sounds. A lot of the sounds will have been sampled from my old analogue stuff. But the old gear’s too precious now so you don’t want it to be trashed by taking it on the road. Also we’ve tried to make it so we can carry our gear on a plane and set up in any part of the world without an articulated lorry to carry everything. And we need to be able to deliver a huge sound.”

Photo © Simon Fowler

In the 80s I was a pop music journalist. In fact, I first interviewed Howard back in 1985. With the resurgence of interest in 80s music, I’m now seeing that many of the people I interviewed almost thirty years ago are back on tour again: Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Adam Ant. In fact, just last week Limahl released a single called ‘1983’ all about 80s music. I asked Howard why he thought there was suddenly so much interest in the 80s? Is it just nostalgia or are people really rediscovering the music afresh?

“A bit of both, I think. People want to hear the music they grew up with. It’s all well and good to spend a couple of years making new records, but honestly, nobody is interested in new material. What people are interested in is going out to gigs and listening to music they know, but played live. On this tour I’ve commissioned videos for each song. I want to present everything with really high quality sound and great visuals.”

These days, when you want to listen to music you can just sit down at your computer and log onto a service like Spotify or Grooveshark. In the 80s the closest we had was the radio but then you had to hope that the DJ would play music you really wanted to hear. Now you can listen to whatever you want…

“You are absolutely right. There used to be a time when everyone knew what Number One was and everyone had an idea of what was in the Top Ten. Now nobody can be really bothered about that. You can get whatever music you want any time you want, and that makes it devalued. As a result, live performances become more valuable.”

Inevitably some people must be downloading your material illegally these days – they’re getting it for free instead of buying your albums. How do you feel about that?

“My view is that if people are making money out of it – web sites that charge people for illegal downloads of music, then I’d like to see that stopped. And I’d support any legislation to prevent it. But if people download tracks because they like you as an artist, I have no problem. Young people do not see it as stealing. They see it as just being fans of the music. So really it’s for artists to adapt to that new cultural shift. Young people think music is free the way that air is free. That’s not going to change. The thing is, people have to buy a ticket to go to a gig and you can make your living from that. You can’t digitise the experience of a live show.”

I was glancing through an interview I did with you in 1985. I asked you this: “Looking ahead to the future, what do you intend to do when your music is no longer popular? In more basic terms, what are you going to do when your fans start to go off you?” And you replied: “I’ve thought about that, and I realise that sooner or later it’s bound to happen. It happens with everyone, so I’ve set myself a time limit. At a certain stage, I’m going to give up, whatever happens.” Well, you haven’t! Did you change your mind?

“I didn’t follow up on that promise, did I? You see, when my deal with Warner Brothers ran out I started my own label and began producing and manufacturing my own records. And that became very exciting. Obviously you don’t have the same high profile – with millions of people following your every move. But you develop a relationship with the people who want to be associated with you and you cater for them. They’re still excited about what you do. Yes, it’s on a smaller scale – but it’s still great to do."

Over all those years since the 80s, how much time would you say you’ve spent producing and performing music and how much time have you spent doing other things?

“I’ve been doing music pretty much continuously. I’m always either touring or in the studio. Of course, I’ve done other things too. I started a vegetarian restaurant in New York at one time. I’m working with a Buddhist choir at the moment. I’m writing a lot of choral music. I love choral music and I’ve been practising Buddhist for about eighteen years. These days, probably about half my time is involved with Buddhism and the rest of it is spent with my work. Buddhism may not have a high profile in Britain but Buddhist philosophy is gradually seeping into the way people think: the idea of taking responsibility for your life and the idea that everything is connected.”

Once you’ve finished this tour, you’ll have performed all your most popular music from the 80s. What is there left for you to do next?

“My next new work, after this tour, will be based on a large show. The show will come first. The recorded version will follow on later. My thinking these days is to create live events that people will remember.”

Sounds good to me!

Photo © Fredrik Svensson

Howard Jones performs the entirety of his albums “Human’s Lib and “Dream Into Action” in the UK during April 2012. Ticket Hotline: 0844 477 2000, www.ticketweb.co.uk. Dates include O2 Academy Bristol (April 11), O2 Academy Sheffield (April 12), O2 Academy Liverpool (April 13), O2 Academy Birmingham (April 14), O2 Academy Newcastle (April 17), O2 ABC Glasgow (April 18), O2 Academy Bournemouth (April 20), O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (April 21). More info: www.howardjones.com.

Howard Jones interview (coming soon)

2012-01-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

I last interviewed him in 1985. Suffice to say that when we talked again this afternoon, there were a few things I had to catch up on! I'll get the interview online next week. In the meantime, here's a little something to help you get in the mood for Howard's forthcoming tour....

Limahl Goes Back to 1983

2012-01-03T05:35:00.000-08:00

We're Limahl crazy on the 80s Empire. If you don't believe me, go and read the interview I did with Limahl a couple of years ago. Not to mention the interviews I did with him back in the 80s.

And, speaking of the 80s, that's where Limahl is going soon. Get a quick look at what I mean here: Coming out on Jan. 10th: Limahl "1983" (Teaser by Pat Sharp) - YouTube

1983. Sounds good to me...

Heaven 17 Radio

2011-09-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Heaven 17 have launched their own weekly radio series on Absolute 80s entitled “Electronic 80s with Heaven 17.” Click here for more info about the series - http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/artists/Heaven-17/article/3975-Electronic+80s+with+Heaven+17

The hour long radio show will see Heaven 17 play the best of electronic 80s music from Kraftwerk, Human League to Scritti Politti and Blancmange. Each week the show will include a special guest. This week’s guest on the Sunday September 11th show is Kim Wilde, who, along with a number of other guest vocalists, will also participate in the “B.E.F. presents “Music of Quality & Distinction” concerts at the London Roundhouse on October 15th.

The Return of Twiggy!

2011-08-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Twiggy is back on the music scene - says the BBC News...

Twiggy was, of course, one of the faces (and figures!) of the '60s. She also featured in Ken Russell's film, The Boyfriend and was on the cover of Bowie's Pinups album.

And in the '70s she had a hit with this...

Welcome back Twiggy!

Green Door – What’s That Secret You’re Keeping?

2011-08-06T03:10:00.000-07:00

Thirty years ago this week, Shakin' Stevens had a Number One UK hit with a song from the '50s. But there's more to the Green Door than may, at first, appear. I wrote an article about it a few years ago on the previous version of The 80s Empire Blog. I thought it might be worth repeating. So here it is...

The Green Door was more than just an invented song lyric – the door really did exist. The song is an extended tease, constantly asking what is behind it but never quite answering the question:

“Midnight, one more night without sleepin'
Watchin' till the mornin' comes creepin'
Green door, what's that secret you're keepin'”

The song tells us there’s a piano playing behind the door and people laughing; but knock as much as he might, they just won’t let ol’ Shaky join the fun…

“Saw an eyeball peepin'
Through a smoky cloud behind the green door
When I said Joe sent me
Someone laughed out loud behind the green door
All I want to do is join the happy crowd behind the green door
Wish they'd let me in
So I could find out what's behind the green door”

It’s really not surprising that they laughed when he said Joe sent him. Joe Meek was the record producer who worked on the original recording of Green Door which was first a hit (Number 2 in the charts) for Frankie Vaughan way back in November of 1956. Joe is best known for his 1962 hit, Telstar (under the name, The Tornados). I’m not certain if the Joe in the song was meant to refer to Joe Meek. If it was then it was done with a certain irony as Joe was gay. Which brings me back to that Green Door…

In real life, the door belonged to The Gateways Club in the Kings Road, Chelsea. This, it turns out, was one of the most famous lesbian meeting places in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. I don’t think either Frankie Vaughan or Shaky would quite have blended in, somehow. The club itself featured in the 1968 film, The Killing Of Sister George, which was one of the first British mainstream films to feature lesbian characters in central roles. The Gateways finally shut its Green Door in 1985. And thus closed a little slice of pop trivia history…

There is even a book all about the club :: From the Closet to the Screen

And here, by way of comparison is the recording by Frankie Vaughan which got to Number Two in the UK charts in 1956...

Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley: 'I earn more today than in the Eighties'

2011-07-24T03:03:00.000-07:00

Tony Hadley is interviewed in the 'personal finance' pages of today's Telegraph.

This is the bit I liked...

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR WORST BUY?
Earlier in my career I bought some ridiculous clothes for thousands of pounds. In the Eighties, bands were so competitive and always trying to outdo each other. One way was to spend silly money on clothes that you could only wear once on telly because they were so identifiable.

Spending £2,000 on just one outfit was crazy. At the time I thought I looked great and even now occasionally think it's pretty cool, despite looking like something out of Robin Hood.

Actually, back in the '80s I bought some suits from one of the same tailors Spandau Ballet used. But I never paid £2000 for one!!!!

Read on... Spandau Ballet's Tony Hadley: 'I earn more today than in the Eighties' - Telegraph

The Glam Assassin - murder, mayhem and Glam Rock

2011-06-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

My new novel is now available on Kindle...

This is the second in the 'New Romantic Murder Mysteries' series set in early eighties London. Available from Amazon US and UK...

New Romantics and Blitz Kids (again)

2011-06-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

At the time I have to admit that I thought the Blitz was a pretty pokey little place. Fun to go to for a night out in your most outrageous clothes but not something that anyone would remember 30 years later. How wrong I was! The more time passes, the more the glitzy glamour of Blitz nostalgia increases. Yeah, it was a fun time, I guess. We just didn't realise how transient it would be. Anyway, I just came across this vid on YouTube. It gives you a flavour of the Blitz and its clientèle in its heyday. See if you can spot Steve Strange, Boy George and Marilyn. I don't think I'm in it though... or if I am, I'm not admitting to it! ;-)

Boy George opens Isle Of Wight Festival

2011-06-10T04:22:00.000-07:00

Boy George launched the Isle Of Wight Festival with a concert in the Big Top last night.

The former lead singer of Culture Club perfomed Everything I Own and Do You Really Want To Hurt Me. Also appearing last night were 1980s act ABC...

Clare Grogan to present 80s Rewind Festival

2011-06-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

Clare Grogan, lead singer of 80s pop band Altered Images, has been confirmed as the Main Stage presenter at Rewind Scotland – The 80s Music Festival, featuring twenty-five iconic 80s bands and artists at Scone Palace in Perthshire, Scotland from July 29 – 31st.

Grogan will present both days at Rewind Scotland on Saturday July 30th and Sunday July 31st, by introducing artists including Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, Rick Astley, the Human League, Howard Jones, Bananarama, Toyah, The Real Thing, Cutting Crew, Kim Wilde, T’Pau, Heaven 17, Kid Creole and the Coconuts and many more.

For further details, visit the official festival website: www.rewindfestival.com

Gender Benders and New Romantics - a bluffer's guide

2011-06-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

Just watch my latest video!

Duran Duran cancel UK tour dates

2011-05-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Simon has voice problems, apparently, and has been told to take a rest.
See: BBC News

New Romantics, a Bluffer's Guide

2011-05-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Everything you need to know in two and a half minutes...

Heaven 17 - 30th Anniversary Tour

2011-05-11T06:31:00.000-07:00

Just got this press release...

Following the success of Heaven 17’s ‘Penthouse and Pavement 30th Anniversary Tour’ in 2010, Martyn Ware’s production project, ‘British Electric Foundation’ (B.E.F.) is proud to present ‘Music of Quality and Distinction Live’, a 2-day festival at London’s prestigious Roundhouse from October 14-15th, celebrating 30 years of seminal electronic music and unique collaborations.

Heaven 17 will perform the world premiere of their 1983 album ‘The Luxury Gap’ on Friday October 14th, followed by B.E.F.’s first ever live performance featuring tracks from the albums ‘Music of Quality & Distinction Vol. 1 & 2’ on Saturday October 15th.

Tickets go on sale Thursday April 12th at 10am. Ticket hotline: 0844 844 0444. Book online: www.ticketmaster.co.uk. Day tickets: £23.50. Weekend tickets: £42.50.

And here's a nice video to go with it....

Depeche Mode or Depech-ey? How's it pronounced?

2011-05-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

You say Depeche, I say Depech-ey. So who's right? I think the little video should settle the matter....

Flexipop!, Depeche Mode and Fad Gadget

2011-05-08T13:37:00.000-07:00

I just discovered this fab recording from an old Flexipop! cover disc dating from 1981. I was a writer for Flexipop! back in those days and each month the magazine carried exclusive tracks on its cover disc. You can read my Flexipop! interview with Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan in Neon 80s - a collection of some of my old interviews - available for Kindle or in paperback.