1981: Who are the NEW ROMANTICS? | Newsnight | Fashion | BBC Archive

[@johndonaldson3619]

RIP Steve Strange. First remeber him in Bowie's 1980 vid 'Ashes to Ashes' - a year before this film

[@alexbowman7582]

He eventually faded away to grey.

[@wemissedyouhissed]

I hope the BBC uploads more videos on Goths, Punks, New Wave and New Romantics

[@rain3rr]

i love your compilations!

[@analogueman123456787]

Now THIS was my era. Those of my parents' generation would forever wax lyrical about the '60s at the time, but for me, the period between '79 to '84 will live with me till they stick me in a box. RIP Steve Strange.

[@dman7619]

It was an amazing time. Fun, fun ,fun and more fun. No guns, minimal violence. Where's my time machine?

[@kumachan9311]

Born in '71 I was about 10 years too young for it, I got lumbered with Sigue Sigue Sputnik in '86

[@mbrady2329]

@@dman7619 there was certainly plenty of casual violence in the suburbs and small towns, especially on a Friday or Saturday night!

[@Stiffd1]

Is that Mr. X? Bet you're still a liquid. I'm just a click track reminding you your here AJB greetings from Me, CEC x

[@grahamjay4155]

Memories of yesteryear, Thomas Dolby, Gary Numan ect, it was all so new and fresh, cherished memories.

[@analogueman123456787]

Indeed, though in fairness, neither of the two you mention were anything to do with the Blitz Kid scene. Unfortunately, tabloid journalism both then and now lumped every artist and band who ever picked up a synthesizer into this culture, which is quite wrong.

[@Custardpoint948]

Gary Numan was not a New Romantic

[@analogueman123456787]

@@Custardpoint948 - Why repeat what I said above?

[@Custardpoint948]

@@analogueman123456787 why say indeed?

[@analogueman123456787]

@@Custardpoint948 - Try answering the question, assuming you understand words of more than one syllable of course... 😄

[@JasmineSurrealVideos]

Steve Strange apparently when he was the bouncer at the Blitz refused to let Mick Jagger in who had rudely pushed his way to the front, do you know who I am nonsense, and Steve said he didnt care who he was. Top bloke, for that alone lol. I was only a tiny kid at the time, but I certainly liked the music, and had q fetching ruffled shirt, navy blue velvet knickerbockers and waistcoat! As a 49 year old I still love the romantic sound, the creativity, electronicness, suave and angular music from then, like Thomas Dolby, Visage, Numan, Gang of Four, Magazine, Echo and the Bunnymen, Julian Cope, Japan etc. New Romantic definitely influenced a lot of musicians, not just pure New Romantic, but post punk and synth as well. After the rather aggressive and gobby punk it was a breath of fresh air to see art, style and intriguing music again.

[@spookybaba]

Steve was great. They were fantastic imaginative and creative times. I'm still a walking advertisement of the early 80s. I don't care what others think.

[@donnawaldron3261]

George O'Dowed was a punk for a while it's in his books all worth a read.

[@spookybaba]

@@donnawaldron3261 Dowd

[@glamnesianouveaux2039]

I have seen this BBC footage many years ago and endless times on You Tube and it is so dear to me. The scenes at Le Kilt Route are stunning - I so want to be in that club NOW *!*! THE CULT WITH NO NAME LATER DUBBED AS THE BLITZ KIDS AND NEW ROMANTICS CAN NEVER BE MATCHED FOR ME. THE GREATEST SUB CULTURE EVER! xoxoxo Steve Strange FOREVER xoxo And I noticed Goerge (Boy George) for the first time in this special because this is a clearer version - YES!!!!!! - I just died and went to heaven! ... Spandau Ballet were totally unique and fabulous on their first 2 albums until they sold out to True.Time Machine now on a loop of the era of The Cult With No Name. It is so SAD what London has now become! .

[@petermcmillan3446]

For me it was all about being able to go into the Oxfam shop and not be stuck with the boring stuff on the men's racks. Pixie boots, jingly belts and scarves baby, not to mention puffy blouses worn as pirate shirts. 😉

[@mbrady2329]

I was still in secondary school when the New Romantic thing was happening, but what strikes me from looking back on it is just how many of these young people (5-10 years older than I was) were carving out careers for themselves which had nothing to do with mainstream society at the time, and just how articulate and ambitious many of them were.

[@zeddeka]

Very much a product of the era. That period in the late 70s and early 80s was totally bleak in so many ways. A grey, unpleasant and often quite violent time. Escapism was appealing.

[@clarsach29]

New Romantics really had a lot in common with flappers and Dadaists of the 20s and 30s, the Weimar republic of Germany between the wars and Les années folles in France....a great time for self-expression, creativity and experimentation.

[@01Sharondun]

As a teen in the 80s, I was into Rockabilly/Psychobilly. My best friend was a Goth and we’d all mix together. Everything was about individuality, but at the same time finding your tribe. And that meant being around different fashion, music and people. How I miss those days!

[@klsecond5755]

lovely

[@dennisbuckley]

Ah takes me back - the music, the clothes, the dancing… how I didn’t get my head kicked in I’ll never know 😂

[@SamUrtonDesign]

I was slightly too young to be a real New Romantic, but in '85 finally old enough for the Mud Club & Taboo. Met Boy George & Leigh Bowery there. Then Acid House - and that was the 80's basically.

[@RolandoRatas]

Not quite, in the 1980s there was a big goth and Indie music scene following, also a very large heavy metal / metal following - (now both movements diminished in numbers but still around or have evolved into something similar but different). Also in the 80s there were still the remnants of punk and the usual mainstream teeny boppers (Bros, Curiosity Killed the Cat etc) and 20s something 'normie' musical followers (Rick Astley, Whitney Houston etc). Also I noticed in the 80s there were pockets of hip hop and rap followers here and there.

[@analogueman123456787]

@@RolandoRatas - Yeah, you're right. The '80s as a whole was still very 'tribal'. Not so much today. People understandably remember a particular decade from their own experiences, rather than deliberately attempting to erase the other facets of the time.

[@SamUrtonDesign]

@@RolandoRatas Everything you mention here (with the exception of hip-hop) bored the pants off of me, if I'm being totally honest. LOL! I always viewed goth & metal as holdovers from the 70's, as was the punk & post punk stuff (plenty of it was going on in the 80's, but even then seemed dated, somehow). And yes, there was always the terrible pop music of the time. It was the rave/house/techno revolution in the later 80's that was really interesting (to me), and has had the biggest/longest lasting legacy of 80's music. And of course, Hip-Hop.

[@kumachan9311]

Born in '71 I was about 10 years too young for it, I got lumbered with Sigue Sigue Sputnik in '86

[@SamUrtonDesign]

@@kumachan9311 Haha! Yes I remember the year of Sputnik in '86!. I actually would run into them them hanging out in various London clubs at the time (the lead singer, Martin Degville (sp?) was part of the original New Romantic clan). For about 6 months in 1986 they were The Next Big thing (because everyone was waiting for something new). My best friend bought their album, which had adverts in between the songs (part of the "concept" of ultra violence/capitalism they were lampooning). Unfortunately most of the ads were for London based hipster "insider" business, like The Face magazine. I remember them on Top of the Pops (Shoot Em Up?) in 86 being touted as the "new punk"! LOL! Thank god for house music (acid) the next year...

[@openyourheart5745]

Nice of them to upload the full report!! 👍👍

[@zippy963]

Steve strange going through his dificult Worzel Gummige phase. Aunt Sally had some new romantic vibes too.

[@Kunard144]

Still listening to lots of New Romantic / new wave, indie from the 80s.still buying CDs and vinyl, my latest CDs this week Japan Quiet life, and The cure triple CD disintergration 💖

[@DavidPaulMorgan]

brillant -just brilliant! This is why the 80s were "the best" 🙂(me, 18 in 1979, Newport, Gwent)

[@gracemastrogiacomo393]

Was in London at time as an au pair. I loved it !! Had and will stay the greatest time of my life. Greetings from Switzerland 😍

[@brianprice5152]

I worked in retail, sold clothes, went to Camden Palace and the rum runner, went down Kings Road saw world end and antony price's shop, what great creative period created your own culture, clothes dance and music 🎶 I'm now a fashion designer and bespoke tailor thanks to the 80s Most culture is corporate Nike, addis and phone 📱

[@dukedepommefrite]

Very cool. I wish young people had something to cling to these days.

[@leea2112]

I was a new romantic best years of my life it was fresh and new no one followed like sheep nowadays wearing all the same clothes we had our own style brilliant times!! ❤❤❤❤

[@analogueman123456787]

@@Anna-iq4yq - Most of those from that era didn't actually have two ha'pennies to rub together. All the outfits and subsequent styles were cobbled together from charity shops and jumble sales. You can still do it to this day if you exercise a bit of imagination.

[@leea2112]

@@analogueman123456787 exactly ! You can make your own that's what we did style and imagination something much lacking in the clones of this generation!!

[@leea2112]

@@analogueman123456787 exactly ! You can make your own that's what we did style and imagination something much lacking in the clones of this generation!!

[@analogueman123456787]

@@leea2112 - It's amazing to think now, that the outfits put together back then, usually from second-hand sources, ended up actually influencing the designers and high street chains who were keen to jump onto the bandwagon. Street fashion, but with style.

[@75YBA]

Dorks.

[@nickwalter9630]

That was great. Very familiar old faces.

[@jakecavendish3470]

I remember Bazzy Bumster, Cynthia de Haviland Gunt, Wally the Wazzok and Gropey Gavin

[@annehebert510]

43 years ago! And just 36 years after WW2

[@edwardspencer3906]

That was an amazing observation!

[@mci6830]

Steve was, indeed, strange . Bless him.

[@MrItsme73]

It's wonderfully preposterous and situationist. And ignoring a recession and nuclear war

[@MrItsme73]

It's whimsical flipflamery but weirdly meaningful to so many people still

[@rabit818]

“People take pictures of themselves” - looking fabulous. Fast forward to 2024, same thing sans fabulous. Just a few, maybe.

[@sarahlouise7163]

aw, i was a bit young at 15, pretty sure i bought a few copies of I-D 😆 but they cannot possibly insist that their style wasn't a fashion. they absolutely did dress like a tribe, even in the early clubland. pretty soon every shop on the high street was full of fru-fru new romanic stuff. what i didn't appreciate though, was that some of them, like the first bloke, were more fashioned on 30s and 40s styles. far cry from Spandau Ballet's get-up. and the fashion petered out - just like every other style before the new romantics. now of course, the fashion/music tribe is dead, essentially. although "narcissistic... forever taking pictures of themselves", no. that's definitely more prevalent than ever 😁 i note that the journalist seems desperate to make it about politics and "greyness" and "desperation" and "gloom" and you just know he is gagging to say "Thatcher", and these kids are nonchalantly refusing to play that game 🤣

[@robertguildford]

Briefly, roughly a year earlier than the shooting of this film. I pulled a punkette in a club on a Friday night. Went back to her gaff, a mews house in West Kensington. In the morning mouth as dry as a camels armpit. Need a cup of tea, passed through the lounge to kitchen. Two fellas at ease in the lounge,extravagant hair and clothes . Made tea went back into the lounge. Introduced themselves as Steve & Billy. Conversation led round to where they we at. New Romantics ?? I said, What's that then?? They tuned me into their scene. Good Luck I said as their taxi called and they departed. Me? I went back to my warm punkette. Much later I realised the two guys were Steve Strange and Billy Idol. Strange what can happen on a Friday night out in London.

[@emmabrooker166]

Loved my electric blue corduroy knickerbockers! 😆

[@TinaLouise73]

the new romantics were like the 80s version of the renaissance era!

[@louminati4318]

Those clothes are now worth some serious bread.

[@sharronsmith-vc5lg]

I loved the 80s it was a amazing time

[@heyabusa1]

Is the building/venue, 60 Greek Street, still there? Before my time but curious to know.

[@pobstrel]

The entrance is still there but the rest of the building has changed a lot. 60 Greek street on Google Maps.

[@shaunigothictv1003]

Steve Strange looked the most unique out of all of them..

[@jam1087]

I could always dig dressing that way but never could I agree with listening to Spandau Ballet

[@RolandoRatas]

I was around as a kid during the New Romantics movement and I just got to know about it second hand from mainstream TV and the music press newspapers but 'up North' it wasn't much of a thing for the youth culture there, I never knew or saw anyone who was into dressing in this way and going out; I think there may have been small pockets of people who were into it up North (the clubbing and dressing up) but I dunno where they went to meet up etc. (any venues in Leeds / Manchester etc anyone knows about ?). I've looked into it before but The New Romantics was very much a smaller scene down in London around Covent Garden and Soho (Central London) as this video stated in clubs such as Billy's and The Blitz.

[@analogueman123456787]

Yeah, you're right, it began as a kind of London-thing. However, there were also some remarkably talented groups of people at the time from the likes of Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Brum who fed into the rising culture and ended up culturally influencing the rest of the world at that time.

[@richardmacleod5253]

Liverpool had Cagneys which was a New Romantic nightclub in the early 1980s. There are photos on the Liverpool Echo. Leeds had Bar Phono.

[@RolandoRatas]

@@richardmacleod5253 thanks for the info, never heard of those clubs before. Let me Google them now.

[@loiteringwithintent461]

​​@@RolandoRatas Leeds had their New Romantic Club 'The Warehouse'. Birmingham had 'Barbarellas' and 'Holy City Zoo'. Liverpool had 'Erics'. Romford had 'Crocs'. Each of these clubs spawned their own stars and bands. Soft Cell, Vicious Pink, Duran Duran, Dead Or Alive, Depeche Mode etc.

[@RolandoRatas]

@@loiteringwithintent461 Do you know if Siouxsie Sioux had anything to do with the Romford 'Crocs' club ? I haven't read her biography but should do.

[@pit_stop77]

I wanted to be a new romantic, but lived in very Conservative rural Ireland, and was too scared to break the norm. Not so shy 40 years on 😂

[@HistoryonYouTube]

I was 19 when this was on Newsnight and of course I remember the music but cannot remember the clothes - or maybe it did not get to where I was then. I find the comments section just as interesting as the report, reflections from people the same age as me, people who seem to have been more involved than I was!

[@nigelcarren]

Bloody hell, I wish my hair and I hadn't got divorced! 🇬🇧

[@danmayberry1185]

Martin Kemp looked about 15

[@natasabobinec9413]

@3:10 young Boy George ❤❤❤

[@PollyDayDream]

Steve Strange was right - it all evolves. I made most of my clothes then. My daughters make evening dress and costume for comic con, my son loved his Peaky Blinders phase.

[@GriefTourist]

When you live in Engjand especially London of course you need escapism.

[@RolandoRatas]

btw 2:51 was that singer Marilyn from the New Romantics era ?

[@analogueman123456787]

@SubtraxionStudio - My mistake.

[@loiteringwithintent461]

That's Pinkietessa - Theresa Thurmer. She's on youtube. She later famously made a cameo in Holly Johnsons video 'Love Train'.

[@MrItsme73]

It's massively inclusive, back then you'd be beaten up looking a bit bent. It took balls

[@KC-gy5xw]

I was one too!!

[@bardo0007]

What happened to John Baker? Can't find any more info on him.

[@geezerbutler4582]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Baker_(producer)

[@kanalhopper9125]

2:40 WOW

[@bougeac]

This seems like a thousand years ago, how has the world got so sh@t?

[@desianwar]

I lived through this era 😊

[@richalderson6069]

I've never seen Steve Strange look so rough!

[@kumachan9311]

Yeah, it's like he's hung his head in shame

[@vandolmatzis8146]

We usedto nick our older sisters shirts

[@DIETRICHCICCONE]

i-D ❤

[@aidenwhelan2560]

What is the chance the first gentleman we see is a rich man. Making themselves a spot in the lime light. And then dragging the poor plebs behind for more.

[@hazza5999]

Can i be first to post "Things aren't what they used to be"? No? Doh!

[@NoirL.A.]

i'm american and so never saw this before youtube came along but people have to remember that at this time even though we had all the mod cons (electricity, running water, etc.) unless yer fam could or would put up the money fer a vcr (mine wouldn't) something like this was on ONCE never to be seen again.

[@kaymanuel7256]

Steve Strange looks like he needs a good shower, or a new romantic shower! I remember it being way more flamboyant than this! I loved those times, the makeup the buying something new every week, it was fabulous

[@robbflynn4325]

They all eventually grow up.

[@Satscape]

I liked the music of the period, but couldn't give a f*** about fashion. I think the hippy culture will have it's day again.. Hippy 2.0 (coining the phrase) You're an eternal being who lives forever who temporarily blocks their memory and incarnates into a physical meat-suit then dresses the meat-suit with various garments and has various experiences that you learn from. A cold description of life as a human. All of the "dead" people in this video are very much alive and well. I should probably stop now...Have a lovely day everyone! ❤&✌‍

[@paulhowarth6976]

1st bit was Blue Rondo A La Turk? Klactoveesisteen

[@hintex487]

Interesting

[@carlraja1622]

right of screen 3,09 boy george

[@Stiffd1]

Steve's been on the toot.

[@heymusiclover1]

"There's a brand new dance but I don't know its name, That people from bad homes do again and again, It's big and it's bland full of tension and fear, They do it over there but we don't do it here !" 🤣🤣 David Bowie had this lot totally sussed and the fact that he plucked a few of them to appear in one of his vids, oh the irony.

[@loiteringwithintent461]

If that was Bowie's comment on the New Romantics, the old fart didn't make much sense. Steve Strange looked incredible in the Ashes video, but Bowie looked pathetic. That 40-something junkie in a pierrot suit- a look that he in fact stole from Steve.

[@ymotechnopopfan]

To me, New Romantics are like aliens that came from another planet!

[@hopebgood]

Bob Elms urgh rent-an-opinion bloke.

[@kumachan9311]

Well, it's 'kept him in work', Channel 5 must have him on speed dial

[@alexbowman7582]

Definition of New Romantics, posers who iron creases in their clothes.

[@richguest]

Even more pretentious than I remember..... 🤣

[@Stiffd1]

First bloke was Steve Strange's jealous cousin....

[@Custardpoint948]

Steve Strange wasted

[@MrItsme73]

The personal is political in a dadaeque way , much more fun and more sex than cnd marches

[@A1Cynic70]

I had a 'movement' this morning. Wouldn't exactly call it fashionable tho. Actually rather pongy.

[@RolandoRatas]

that would be Bros and you certainly 'Dropped The Boy' there ...

[@robinscott7816]

We were in to Ska and Two Tone. New Romantics were a total joke

[@analogueman123456787]

And I'm sure they thought you were ridiculous too! The first half of the '80s were incredibly tribal. One was no better or worse than the other. Maybe better to be part of something, than be bland and homogeneous and be part of nothing.

[@glamnesianouveaux2039]

@@analogueman123456787 Perfectly said!!! * YES * !!!

[@jacktar9567]

punk not good enough for these 'alternatives'.... so empty & devoid of style...rubbish music.... self-centered pseudo camp nonsense....

[@rickykilby4672]

More to the point,who cares.

[@anomietoponymie2140]

A gathering of narcissists.

[@75YBA]

Yeah, boring narcissists.

[@zeddeka]

I suppose you also have to look at the context they were in. That period in the late 70s and early 80s was totally bleak in so many ways. A grey, unpleasant and often quite violent time. Escapism was appealing.

[@lewis7515]

​@@zeddeka Escapism is fine, but they really do come over as nothing but sickeningly narcissistic and up themselves.... Just so repugnant.

[@anomietoponymie2140]

@@zeddeka I know, I was there.

[@moonsovermiami101]

@@anomietoponymie2140 you May have been around at the time but you certainly were not there!

[@orionxtc1119]

pretentious crowd

[@RolandoRatas]

Maybe so, where they really 17th century dandies ? nope. But at least they were doing something creative and hopefully enjoying themselves at the time. Listening to say, Spandau Ballet on Spotify right now makes them seem like geniuses compared to some of the quality of music that's around right now in the charts and I didn't like them at the time in the 80s (I thought they were 'boring' back then).

[@zippy963]

Well said Duran and so many other bands were dismissed as poseurs when they were actually great musicians and songwriters.​@@RolandoRatas

[@JasmineSurrealVideos]

​@@RolandoRatasI only really like To Cut A Long Story Short, and I thought Spandau were just a boy band like Duran and was quite sniffy about them as a kid, but now compared to the mostly crap in the charts they were OK and Tony Hadley has a great voice. Same with Duran.

[@garyrigby21]

Say new be romantic 😂