New Romantic

Characteristics#

The New Romantic movement is sometimes characterized as a reaction to the direction in which the punk rock movement was evolving, and was heavily influenced by former glam rock stars of the 1970s such as David Bowie and Roxy Music. In terms of style, it rejected the austerity and anti-fashion stance which was becoming increasingly predominant in punk. Both sexes often dressed in androgynous clothing and wore cosmetics such as eyeliner and lipstick, partly derived from earlier punk fashions. Russian constructivism, Bonnie Prince Charlie, French Incroyables and 1930s’ Cabaret, Hollywood starlets, Puritans and the Pierrot clown, with any look being possible if it was adapted to be unusual and striking. Common hairstyles included quiffs, and Helen Robinson’s Covent Garden shop PX, Unlike some other bands of the early 1980s, particularly those of the predominantly Midlands-based 2 tone ska revival (the Specials, the Selecter, the Beat) who wrote lyrics addressing social issues such as unemployment and urban decay, the New Romantics adopted an escapist and aspirational stance. With its interest in design, marketing and image, the movement has been seen by some as an acceptance of Thatcherism; style commentator Peter York even suggested that it was aligned with the New Right. Alan Bissett also made the connection, opining “Where New Wave and Ska still represented something of a challenge to the emerging Thatcherite creed, the New Romantics embraced it,” whilst Spandau Ballet were labelled “The sound of Thatcherism” by Guardian writer Michael Hann.

Terminology#

In its early stages, the movement was known by many names, including “new dandies”, “new guys”, “romantic rebels”, “peacock punk”, “the now crowd”, “the futurists”, “the cult with no name”

Rejection#

Adam Ant always denied being a New Romantic, and reiterated this in 2001 and again in 2012. The band Japan also denied any connection with the New Romantic movement, having adopted an androgynous look incorporating make-up ever since their inception in the mid-1970s at the tail-end of the glam rock era (and were then heavily influenced by glam-punk band New York Dolls), some years before the New Romantic movement began. In an October 1981 interview, vocalist David Sylvian commented, “There’s a period going past at the moment that may make us look as though we’re in fashion.” In another interview, he stated “I don’t like to be associated with them (New Romantics). The attitudes are so very different.” Of Japan’s fashion sense, Sylvian said, “For them (New Romantics), fancy dress is a costume. But ours is a way of life. We look and dress this way every day.” Similarly, the electronic duo Soft Cell also denied any connection to the New Romantic scene. In an interview published in January 1984, keyboardist Dave Ball reflected back on their first year of success (1981) and stated, “At this time we were linked to the whole New Romantics thing, but we were never a part of that. It was just a trendy London club thing with Steve Strange.” OMD frontman Andy McCluskey ridiculed the movement in a 2010 interview, saying, “Completely separate from electronic music or the future there was all the fucking Southern New Romantic bollocks. I mean, if we were ever called New Romantics there’d be a fight… ‘Am I wearing a kilt? Am I wearing enough eyeliner? Is my shirt frilly enough?’ Oh, fuck off!” OMD have nevertheless been categorised as New Romantics; a designation that keyboardist Paul Humphreys likens to “calling a Scotsman ‘English’.”

Origins#

The New Romantic movement developed almost simultaneously in London and Birmingham. In London, it grew out of David Bowie and Roxy Music themed nights, run during 1978 in the nightclub Billy’s in Dean Street, London. In 1979, the growing popularity of the club forced organisers Steve Strange and Rusty Egan to relocate to a larger venue in the Blitz, a wine bar in Great Queen Street, Covent Garden, where they ran a Tuesday night “Club for Heroes”. The club spawned several spin-offs and there were soon clubs elsewhere in the capital and in other major British cities, including Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. The video for David Bowie’s 1980 UK number one single “Ashes to Ashes” included appearances by Strange with three other Blitz Kids and propelled the New Romantic movement into the mainstream. whose elaborate and theatrical designs brought together futuristic visual elements and influences as diverse as Egyptian, African and Far Eastern art, and would largely define the movement’s look. By 1977, a small scene featuring Jane Kahn and Patti Bell themselves, Martin Degville, Boy George and Patrick Lilley had emerged in pubs such as The Crown and clubs such as Romulus and Barbarella’s. Leeds also developed an early New Romantic scene around 1979, with clubs including the Warehouse, Primos and Le Phonographique. This scene’s most notable exponent was Soft Cell, whose vocalist was the Warehouse’s DJ and cloakroom worker Marc Almond.

Styles of music#

Many bands that emerged from the New Romantic movement became closely associated with the use of synthesizers to create rock and pop music, which has led to the widespread misconception that synth-pop and the New Romantic movement were synonymous. Synth-pop was prefigured in the 1960s and 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco, the “Kraut rock” of bands like Kraftwerk, the three albums made by Bowie with Brian Eno in his “Berlin period”, and Yellow Magic Orchestra’s early albums. After the breakthrough of Tubeway Army and Gary Numan in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, large numbers of artists began to enjoy success with a synthesizer-based sound and they came to dominate the pop music of the early 1980s. Bands that emerged from the New Romantic scene and adopted synth-pop included Duran Duran, Visage, and Spandau Ballet. According to authors Stuart Borthwick and Ron Moy, “After the monochrome blacks and greys of punk/new wave, synthpop was promoted by a youth media interested in people who wanted to be pop stars, such as Boy George and Adam Ant”. Duran Duran, who emerged from the Birmingham scene, have been credited with incorporating a dance-orientated rhythm section into synth-pop to produce a catchier and warmer sound, which provided them with a series of hit singles. Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow used the African-influenced rhythms of the “Burundi beat”.

The second British invasion#

In the US, the cable music channel MTV reached the media capitals of New York City and Los Angeles in 1982. Style-conscious New Romantic synthpop acts became a major staple of MTV programming. They would be followed by many acts over the next three years, with many of them employing synthpop sounds; in fact, Duran Duran’s glossy videos symbolised the power of MTV and this Second British Invasion. The switch to a “new music” format in US radio stations was also significant in the success of British bands. came by invitation of Jim Fouratt who hosted the event at the Underground club. During 1983, 30% of the US record sales were from British acts. On 18 July 1983, 18 singles in the top 40, and six in the top 10, were by British artists.

Decline and revivals#

Music journalist Dave Rimmer considered the Live Aid concert of July 1985 as the peak for the various acts that rose from the New Romantic scene of the early ’80s, commenting that after which “everyone seemed to take hubristic tumbles”. Simon Reynolds also notes the “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” single in late 1984 and Live Aid in 1985 as turning points, with the acts that the movement spawned as having become decadent, with “overripe arrangements and bloated videos” for songs like Duran Duran’s “The Wild Boys” and Culture Club’s “The War Song”. The proliferation of acts using synthesisers had led to an anti-synth backlash, with groups including Spandau Ballet, Soft Cell, and ABC incorporating more conventional influences and instruments into their sounds by 1983. An American reaction against European synthpop and “haircut bands” has been seen as beginning in the mid-1980s with the rise of heartland rock and roots rock. In the UK, the appearance of indie music, epitomized by the Smiths, was portrayed by the music press as a reaction to New Romantic synthpop and the decline of New Pop. By the end of the 1980s, many New Romantic acts had been dropped by their labels and the solo careers of many artists who had been associated with the New Romantic scene would gradually fade over time. In the mid-1990s, the New Romantic era was the subject of nostalgia-oriented club nights — such as the Human League-inspired “Don’t You Want Me”, and “Planet Earth”, a Duran Duran-themed night club whose promoter told The Sunday Times, “It’s more of a celebration than a revival”. In the same period it was also an inspiration for the Romo musical movement. It was championed by Melody Maker, who featured the scene - proclaiming that it was a “future pop explosion” - on its front cover in 1995 and inside claiming that Britpop had been “executed” to make way for it, and including bands Orlando, Plastic Fantastic, Minty, Viva, Sexus, Hollywood and DexDexTer. None of the Romo acts made the British top 75 in their own right, although Orlando charted at number 65 with “How Can We Hang on to a Dream” as part of the Fever Pitch soundtrack EP. After an unsuccessful Melody Maker-organised tour, most of the bands soon broke up.

Documentaries and films#

In March 2021, Bruce Ashley’s documentary Blitzed: The 80’s Blitz Kids’ Story, was shown on Sky Arts. Boy George, Rusty Egan and Marilyn all appeared in the film discussing their time at the club and about the early 1980s-era, whilst La Roux was interviewed about the cultural effects of the New Romantic movement on younger performers like herself. Although it received less media coverage than London, the Birmingham scene, featuring the likes of Khan and Bell, is covered (to an extent) in the 2018 novel Blonde Boy, Red Lipstick. Some of the main characters from the New Romantic movement feature in the book, albeit under different names. Tramps!, directed by Kevin Hegge, premiered in 2022.

See also#

• List of New Romantics

Further reading#

• • • Walker, John (1992). “New Romantics”. Glossary of Art, Architecture & Design since 1945, 3rd. ed.

External links#

• Romantic revival REVIEWS—BBC News
• YouTube playlist featuring New Romantic music