Department S - Is Vic There (Remastered)

[@tilerman]

My plasterer is called Vic and he's always late for work. When i call my workmates to ask is Vic there i hold my mobile phone like this dude holds the mike. Makes me giggle anyway.

[@londonroulette]

Keep taking the tablets 👀 lol (sorry couldn’t resist). You should play him this

[@daveribbons3050]

😂😂😂👍

[@gracegomez1060]

😂😂

[@Corky341]

One of the companies I worked for had a Vic in another department. They got inundated with phone calls every time this was on the radio :-)

[@BoudicaJ]

Made me giggle too :)

[@deanramoth549]

The clip at the beginning is from The Xclusiv goth nightclub in Batley, my mum and dad met there back in '81

[@OLDGOLDDREAMER]

If they ever went into Leeds & The Warehouse at The Same Time show em this !!!! open.spotify.com/playlist/6A4OLpkxSgC6A87YIlWcFg?si=SUVajb2ZQRm-692x1d4zIg

[@Cpy-z1i]

Aww how sweet 🥰

[@mattbates6887]

A pure masterpiece, forever remembered from a forgotten time!

[@ajs41]

Not forgotten by music fans. 1981 was a classic year for British music.

[@londonroulette]

The 80s can never be forgotten 🥇

[@dizzy56]

@@ajs41it really was 😍❤️💪🏻

[@garethwilliams5809]

First time I've heard this this century and yet I still remember all the lyrics. What I did last month I have no idea

[@johnjames4681]

I keep a A4 sized diary fr that purpose going back to 2000 or so. Iwll be going in to town to get a new one for 2023 shortly.

[@rooman66]

You rang and asked the question? 😉

[@themScreamS]

One of the greatest songs of all time. Post punk while punk was there

[@ajs41]

The Americans would probably put this in the "New Wave" category.

[@billcobaugh4234]

Old Wave

[@antonioInMi]

But it’s Iggy Pop or Stooges riff… “I wanna be your dog”

[@imjustvicx_x9724]

Vic just got here and he's enjoying every second of this

[@jodibrooklyn1033]

Heard this for the 1st time tonight on Darkwave. Instantly loved it.

[@grosbec1698]

why does this song sound even better now than when it was released ? simply because standards are down down down. back to the 80s, we had great new tunes every week or so. Cult bands were teeming. New styles would emerge every now and then. We all had style and attitude, belief and dreams. Now, it seems everything has sunk into a sea of mediocrity

[@ajs41]

True. 1981 was one of the best years ever for pop music.

[@Satansclawps3]

People from the 70's say in the 80's standards in music are shit now every gen throw's a hero up the pop charts.

[@IuriiPlevako]

Seems like old man yelling at a cloud. Every decade has great music. You just need to keep an open mind and put some effort into finding what you will like. Talking crap about other decades is not a way to appreciate a certain period of culture/subculture.

[@andrewhatton8900]

It's because society is indoctrinated to do as it is told to do,and not to think for itself!

[@desbain914]

The Punk attitude was still prevalent me thinks.....

[@vortex63]

Brilliant song. It always reminded me of Blue Oyster Cults 'Don't Fear The Reaper.' They've both got that same spacey echoey sound and tone.Very ethereal.

[@_misterben]

@vortex63 I would never have made that connection between the two songs, both of which I like. I've now listened more carefully and DO see what you mean 👍🏼

[@-joe90]

Iggy and killing

[@Oligodendrocyte139]

Same key and same first 3 notes in the riff.

[@christophercooper6731]

The drumming is as tight as fuck.

[@shadowalfie11]

My 4 year old son loves this

[@garyburgess8686]

I remember buying the single of this … brilliant!

[@garethwilliams5809]

Me too. Still here, somewhere

[@the14thearlofgurney84]

Just looked this up after it being used on the Tour De France end credits after Victor Campenaerts stage win. I expected it to be The Damned tbh. Heard the groups name before but not the song. Passed me by until now in my 50's

[@patrickholt2270]

It Was Cold by The Ruts has a similar feeling, I reckon.

[@cvorovic1968]

Fantastic song, with a great atmosphere of early 80's. Sounds a little bit like Bauhaus and Siouxsie and the Banshees from that period, which is good. It's undoubtedly a masterpiece.

[@skylinenumber9]

The early 80's - what a time be alive

[@ajay999999]

Yeah the Falklands

[@rampageclover9788]

We should never forget what a massively underrated talent Vaughn Toulouse was and how he left us way too early. I see a band at right about the half-way mark between punk and new romantic. Department S not have looked out of place next to Spandau, Duran Duran or Ultravox. Vaughn's voice reminds me a lot of Bowie and his dark brooding looks certainly didn't work against him either. Tons of potential

[@mastercylinder1939]

Great punk name Vaughn Toulouse..

[@apathyintheuk265]

That (indie) club scene at beginning and end - I'm sure I've seen that elsewhere on youtube. It's a good one and half hours long. Filmed somewhere in West Yorkshire @ 1984.

[@deanramoth549]

The Xclusiv in Batley, where my mum and dad met on the dancefloor back in '81

[@MrCovSid]

Saw these at the Alternative Festival a few years back. Absolutely out-standing. Once this virus cobblers is done with, if they're playing near you, go see them!

[@i.b.shulessjoe7504]

The only band in living history that could do an hours set in 20mins as the drummer Stu,never had any other tempo than fast!! Funny as fuck!!

[@ellismeah5127]

Havnt heard this since the early 80s ,sounds amazing even now ,is Vic there

[@chrisdarling5004]

Best lip sinc you will ever see, top top track, dedicated to my mate Vic who has left us we wound his family up with crank calls for Vic bless him RIP.

[@themScreamS]

Sorry to hear that, condolences,Vic

[@scotttracy9333]

I miss the 80s so much ❤️

[@davidoran123]

Listened to this on an old late night radio show, miss those daze.

[@billytruth6444]

I always wondered what Gripper Stebson did when he left Grange Hill.

[@andrewblatherwick8758]

Too smooth to be Gripper mate!!

[@TheMercury-13]

If anything, Shane Ritchie.

[@CIMAmotor]

He was Dagenham Dave in the Smiths video.

[@billytruth6444]

@@CIMAmotor Haha yes he is. Just looked it up, never seen it before.

[@stephensmith5118]

Great song from1981,exciting guitars video ,pre Smith's.

[@WolfeTone66]

Haven’t heard it for soo long, but it brought a big smile to my face. Absolutely brilliant tune...😀😀

[@FadGadget1]

I Hope Department S come back to the Rebellion music festival in Blackpool. Every time I have seen them they have been amazing

[@stephenpowell5912]

Great tune from the Early 1980s 🎉🎈

[@Kwales66]

Brilliant !!!! Cheers for posting..

[@gerardhennessy3586]

Fabulous track. And a wonderful reminder of the talent and class of Vaughn Toulouse. God bless you mate. For me, this is one of the eeriest, creepiest, most unsettling - and BRILLIANT - songs ever. Who on earth is/was Vic? Is he alive? Was he ever alive? Did he even exist? Who is the girl answering the phone? Why does the phone go to answering machine? Who is the guy asking for Vic? Why the banshee crying sounds at 70 secs? I have often thought if I had the money, or the talent, or the capability, (and I have NONE of those) I'd love to make - or to commission - one of those wonderful scary videos to go with the song. Full of dark shadows, ghostly moonlight, and the sinister ring of a dusty, forgotten phone echoing through the deserted corridors of an abandoned hospital for the criminally insane...

[@vic3026]

i'm right here dude

[@paulf6855]

an ever classic from the early eighties!

[@julieatkin3188]

Just been reminded of this song , but also been reminded there is no fountain of youth and all those wild ones dancing have probably got their bus passes by now lol 😆 😅

[@jackgrover3788]

I only read comment sections on 80s songs because, this generation seems so much smarter than gen z, people seem expressive yet composed and real, not just generated by ppl

[@theoriginalbluey]

One of the most perfect tunes ever made.

[@kevinprior3549]

Underrated tho... which is criminal

[@martinwood744]

A tribute to a Monty Python sketch from the ancestor of "Jason King"!

[@macewr955]

Great song and video 👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻

[@raymondelder7735]

Brilliant this is memories love it ❤

[@TherealAG11]

Such a great song but so many questions Who is Vic Why is he late Did the Russians get him ?

[@poisoner]

pure quality, thanks for the share

[@lucifersixsixsix4225]

Love it, awesome tunes.

[@thierrygrandin5531]

Que de souvenir a Londres en 1982 , when i iworked in Ealing broadway W5

[@davidcampbell1734]

Bob Mortimer; "No."

[@angusog5227]

You wouldn't let it lie..

[@_misterben]

@@angusog5227 He _wouldnt_ let it lie!

[@_misterben]

@@angusog5227 He _wouldnt_ let it lie!

[@joaoguimaraes4993]

The cover of clan of xymox is fantastic.....kindred spirits is the name of the album..only covers , very good.

[@johnnycrawford1584]

S. for superb.

[@marcussquires6336]

Fantastic

[@londonroulette]

Memories of my school (longfield secondary school in Kent)

[@Kwales66]

Wow! Just got a notify of a comment. And re-visited. Brilliant!!!!!!

[@kevinshaw1387]

Still sounds great

[@kobalt77]

This is better now than it was back then, amazing ! X

[@shadowalfie11]

Certainly stands out

[@Pete_Delfina]

I heard that song in every club I entered in the 80s❣

[@paulmccluskey6862]

Legendary classic. Should have been number for a month. 😄

[@alexduper2018]

Discovered that band via SongPop. Awesome! Never seen anyone holding a mic like that, I guess the intention of the singer was to hold it like the phone handset. P.S.: do you have to be that posh to dress like those goths in the audience are dressed?

[@vegetableman5062]

Check out My Coocachoo by Alvin Stardust for mic holding influence.

[@_misterben]

@@vegetableman5062 Excellent spot! And didnt Billy Idol sometimes do something funny with his in his heyday?

[@db-ex2yq]

This was a classic

[@whiteknight4396]

Just great, luv it

[@TheShamblingUnknown]

A minimalist masterpiece.

[@TheShamblingUnknown]

What a great track !

[@gazsmash]

1000 of the views are probably mine. Epic track

[@keithfrance6191]

Were they discovered by Paul Weller ? Vaughn Toulouse what a great name for a singer.

[@vegetableman5062]

They certainly were not discovered by Paul Weller, though he was a strong supporter.

[@keithfrance6191]

@@vegetableman5062 thanks for the response!

[@vegetableman5062]

@@keithfrance6191 I only know because that's me on guitar. 😉

[@michaelhall596]

Born to lose?

[@mattcapital]

He was on the cover of The Bitterest Pill single

[@michaelwendt3714]

Oh yeah! Vic is here in 2024!

[@zaztah_opros5902]

Yeah, I’m here.

[@spongerobb1894]

Underrated New Wave/Goth track.

[@stevegee3171]

Hi, it's Vic here, what do you want?

[@Synthetrix]

Yes. Yes he is!

[@charleysays2753]

Who is Vic...?

[@alastairwest5200]

Vic's out...

[@teamblitz1990]

Timeless classic

[@G.D.Traveller]

One time he decided to answer "yes". Just for fun. The other side ominously hung up the phone. The next day he was gone. He was never heard from again, nor did they ever find his body.

[@paulcountyfazzer]

I remember the song as my Dad is called Vic and his mate used to ring and ask ‘is Vic there’ before this song came out 😂 The song sounds even better Thani recall as a kid. I just added it on iTunes 👏 I had no idea the lead singer died in 1991 from AIDS aged just 32 😮

[@grahamwebster8179]

No , " he's not the Messiah , he's a very naughty boy ! " The clue is in the title guys and gals !

[@LostwaveObsession]

I have this on Demon AND RCA! Can't just own one when it's this good.

[@Kenneth___6ekt]

Tune into an exclusive interview with Binance's CEO for a sneak peek into future developments

[@camofraser1336]

Vic's here.!!!

[@sometimeworld1]

That girl dancing at 30 seconds. Wow!

[@stuartcumings8026]

Back in times when i grew up and people was happy and life was good…now?…its pretty dire and dont envy the younger generation growing up in a shit show of a society like now

[@michaelscreen6921]

Well, is he?

[@thegoblinspeaks]

i want to go to there

[@petem2867]

Classic 👍😱

[@mastercylinder1939]

Vic is a librarian, you’d better return the book!

[@stevewilson8467]

I ask myself this any time i get a really bad cold.

[@RoofRack2]

The 80s peaked before it really started.

[@markrounding2731]

cool as

[@michaelwilliams7026]

karaoke

[@John__51q5]

The future revealed: exclusive interview with Binance's CEO

[@santhakeith1675]

Is that Bowie on her T shirt?

[@countlezard1546]

Dept S was sort of a New wave/post punk crossover. Maybe a little more to the punk side as you can see from the crowd. And "I Want" and "Going Left Right" were definitely more on the post punk end. All classics.

[@rampageclover9788]

I literally just commented on that. They were at the half-way point between those two genres. I get a new romantic vibe from them as well. The singer sounds very Bowie-esque.

[@countlezard1546]

@@rampageclover9788 Too funny, But yeah you can see it just from the crowd. The punk kids are dancing in the back, and the New Wave/Romantic kids are up at the stage just sort of bopping their heads. The clothes also defined each group. Other notable crossover bands that come to mind were The Buzzcocks, Gang of 4, Siouxsie and The Banshees, and my favorite band Joy Division.

[@toska6939]

Anyone here from TDF?

[@stephengomme777]

IS VIC THERE!

[@alexandremasipramos8487]

Dá hora

[@andrewblatherwick8758]

0:21 - 0:30 She's on some serious gear.

[@cahillgreg]

The innocence of adolescent pretence - it detracts from the song but it's churlish to criticise a kid's swagger

[@listenloud5300]

How can you give this a thumbs down.oh yes they weren't born...... .wankers

[@kikidee3204]

Timeless tune even timelesser jacket ?

[@tossiegough]

Timelessest comment.🙂

[@LawrenceCarlson-z4m]

Sonia Shores

[@kevinprior3549]

Yeah 80s punk!

[@stephengomme777]

Was this there best song. OR WAS THERE RECORD COMPANY FULL OF RENT BOYS.WHY DID WE ALL Sandwich.

[@1982Donohue]

I was born wrong era

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

I agree: the 1600's are where it's at.

[@ajs41]

@@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music The 1980s.

[@clivejones5880]

There is no verse only a chorus and no bridge to get you there say, is Vic there?

[@christophercooper6731]

Rockabilly goth

[@bapete5159]

Ain’t looking for Vic....lm looking for Debbie she lived in Blaby Leicestershire her last name I never new..... her Dad was Colin he was a lorry driver worked for Coates of Leicester and she also had a Brother..... My name his (Crap 💩💩) Pete from Kettering I use to ride my motorbike over to to see her in 1979 but I let her down badly and I want to say sorry and ask her if she could possibly forgive me..... believe me I am truly sorry.... so if anyone knows her please let her know Thanks.....👍🇬🇧🤓

[@scotttracy9333]

The song from Madness, Never knew your name, may give you some healing. If not, it's still a cracking Madness production and worth a listen 👌

[@bapete5159]

@@scotttracy9333 Yes a cracking Song.....listening to it now.....Thanks for letting me know......God Bless my Friend.....👍🇬🇧🤓

[@superwhitesuperbright7740]

The Stooges - I wanna be your dog. 👍