The 1980s
Coverage of 1980s British music from New Romantics through indie and metal movements. Articles detail key bands, independent labels, music press influence and groundbreaking TV shows.
C86 and the Indie Movement
How C86 became a defining snapshot of 1980s indie music, though its real significance only became clear years later.
Charity Records
How Bob Geldof and Band Aid revolutionized charity records with a Christmas single that broke all the sales records.
Dance Music, DJs and Nightclubs
How dance music rose from underground raves to reshape the entire music industry and make DJs into household names.
Indie and the New Musical Express
How indie rock emerged from post-punk in the 1980s and became a thriving guitar-based movement tracked by the NME.
New Romantics
How the New Romantics flipped the script on punk with synthesisers, bold fashion, and unapologetic glamour in the late 1970s.
New Wave of British Metal
How British metal bands rejected stadium rock glamour in the late 1970s to create a raw, working-class movement that dominated the 1980s.
Raves, Techno, Hardcore and Trance
How warehouse parties evolved into massive raves and sparked the rise of techno, hardcore, and trance music in the 1990s.
The Beginning of MTV
MTV launched in 1981 with round-the-clock music videos and became a cultural powerhouse that shaped which artists succeeded.
The Cure- Rock Music to Pop
The Cure shaped rock music by blending post-punk, goth, and pop across decades of influential albums and devoted fans.
The Gothic Music Movement
How a dark music movement born from punk became a lasting cultural force that's still growing today.
The Rise and Fall of Electro Music
How electronic keyboards and synth-driven bands shaped the sound of 1980s music before electro faded from the mainstream.
The Second Summer of Love
How acid house and ecstasy created Britain's underground dance scene in 1988 and 1989.
The Smiths Were the Idols of Indie
How the Smiths became indie rock's most influential band with Morrissey's witty lyrics and Johnny Marr's guitar work.
The Story of Rough Trade
How a small record shop in Notting Hill became an influential independent label that shaped music history.
The Tube, TV Music Programme
How The Tube became the defining music show of 1980s Britain with live sessions, videos and the presenters who made it matter.
What Is Ambient Music?
Ambient music is gentle, rhythmless background sound that evolved from chill-out rooms into its own genre with multiple styles.