New Romantics 1981: Crucial TV report that meant lift-off
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- Spandau Ballet's first single had been in the UK chart for 11 weeks and their second was launching January 1981. They were the house band for a London clubland cult variously called the Blitz Kids and the New Romantics. Few journalists had paid much attention to this massive underground following, but Robin Denselow, a savvy music writer for The Guardian, had also been recruited by the BBC's new nightly current affairs strand, Newsnight. He recognised a Pop Moment if ever there was one and took his camera crew to Le Kilt, the coolest club-night of the month. We see him given the full New Romantic manifesto by half a dozen of its 21-year-old exponents who were all on the brink of showbiz and media careers! This package triggered the tabloids to flock into clubland and make stars of the most stylish kids - the story of the 80s Pose Age was in lift-off.
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For a kaleidoscopic cult history of the Blitz Kids who led British street fashion visit
shapersofthe80s...
Video © BBC Newsnight Archives
TAGS
"New Romantics", "Blitz Kids", "Steve Strange", "Gary Kemp", "Spandau Ballet", "Le Kilt", "Blitz Club" "Graham Smith", "Chris Sullivan" , Swinging 80s, UK, "youth culture", "Swinging 80s", "Perry Haines", "Jon Mole Baker", electronic music, nightclubbing, "Robin Denselow",
These guys really laid the foundations for the London club scene that exploded into 90s and beyond. All due respect to them. London was an amazing place to go back then. I was lucky enough to get to know Philip Salon ..Mudd club ..and met boy George. Crazy days
Me too, used to love going to the Mudd club at busby's, great times.
I envy you😊
I was a New Romantic lol now l am an old neurotic!
I'm sure you can be both.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
th-cam.com/video/5aS-T3ARTe0/w-d-xo.html.
Boy George can be spotted twice. Between heads on the right @4'02, and as a nun on the magazine picture @11'05.
A excellent piece of film from that period. Credit to the makers. Even more credit to the people who were filmed and interviewed. "Axiom" what a great little shop and hive of originality. I went to the tiny one on the kings road, I'm not sure if this was the one that they featured in this film?
So, this is the John Baker guy who made my shoes! 😳
jon baker!
Steve Strange (R.I.Peace) & Rusty Egan are legends. I want to jump on a time machine back to 1980 and experience the BLITZ on a Tuesday night! Who's coming with me?
Me for sure, I'm 22 only and want to have a good time and get away from covid, masks, and lockdowns haha. I just wanna party and be me without being "canceled" haha
I wish, I'm 22 now as well
Me ❤
We’re having reunions in Philly of whoever’s still alive! Art gallery shows, too!
why don't we all organise a thing like that, why do we have to copy the glorious past? All these guys did everything for themselves, no one had financed them....
The creativity of the 80s was incredible, and I'm so pleased I got to experience it. One way ticket back to the 80s please!
I'm only 22, take me back with you please and get me out of this covid crap I just want to have fun "girls just wanna have fun" haha
"What can the movement achieve apart from dressing up and fun?" Both sound really worthwhile to me!
I was 13 years old back then when the New Romantics fashion movement exploited. Their fashion, sense of style, the music, the attitude, it was such an amazing moment and such an inspiration for me. I was obsessed and tried to copy the clothes, makeup. Begin to listen to bands like Human League, Soft Cell, Ultravox, Visage. Then Culture Club with the one and only Boy George came for me, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode... I discovered David Bowie, the legend...All of the above defined my youth, my teen years and more...I loved Electro music to the fullest...Thank you New Romantics, thank you 80s...thank you thank you thank you....🙏💕💖
40 year
puff
The movement didn't really catch on here in the US, but some of us did follow it from a distance. We bought the records on import and read the UK music weeklies, which arrived in our stores up to a month after the publication date. The movement was very inspirational!
True statements. Same here!!!
We in 🇬🇧 always are forward in fashion and music x especially the working class eg punk New Romantics original skinheads etc mods & rockers 60 s xx
Media coverage of new youth movements is always so hilarious. Britain underscores it with jaded, prim stuffiness, America frames it in concerned PTA member moralising. The kids may come off looking like they’re going through the latest fad, but the adults always make the most pathetic impression.
I was a part of the 90 NYC club scene when I was 18 well into my 20s. Back in the 90's I went Limelight in NYC, Palladium, The Tunnel...to name a few... Very very similar style ....you couldn't get into most clubs if you weren't in some of self made costume. Yea, looks like we copied the Blitz Kids. LOL! It was a great time. The music was amazing. It was always judgement free..... America pretty much copies another generations style and revamps it. The problem with my club scene is most of the clubs closed by 2000 or before because the drugs got a tad bit out of hand. If anyone wants a taste of it you should read James St James book Disco Bloodbath.....its a great read.
Who is watching in 2022? ME .. saying hello from Toronto , Canada 🇨🇦.. I’ve was a New Romantic , started very young .. the 80’s were the best!! I wish I could go back in time !! Take care everyone .. luv LA ♥️👗👛🕶
The Kemp brothers looking fresh faced and keen there lol
Thank God for these people now in their 60s.
I saw Spandau at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh in 1981. They were really good. Very tight. Great night!
Like some new romantic looking for the TV sound
You'll see I'm right some other time…
Steve Strange RIP such a beautiful man
"The New Romantics are forever taking pictures of themselves." That'll never catch on.
I remember watching this 36 years ago. Like most viewers, I had not not heard of Blitz Kids or New Romantics until then.
I never saw this...but then again I was clubbing in my old town when it was probably shown...ah, the good old days.
Why should a youth movement be anything more than dressing up and having fun?! Like these individuals don’t have a life and ideals besides going out and dancing in the weekends.
Yeah nowadays everything is so mainstream and cookie cutter in my generation Z generation i hate it! The news has to get involved with one side and you're not allowed to stray away or else you'll be shut up, I like being a rebel and my own person I probably would've done well back then haha
Thank You SOOOOOO much for this upload! To see Le Kilt is phenomenal! And the Blitz Kids dancing to Nina Hagen, just fab!!!!!!
Guys looked soooooo hot back then. People in general looked much better
interesting how people nowadays like it. Back then men who dressed that way were usually made fun of for being "queer" and also wearing make up and looking flamboyant and pretty wasn't accepted for men. People want to go back to that time because of rosa tinted glasses, truth is your average guys back then weren't new romantics or pretty boys, lmao.
I agree!!! Men with make up and style, were all gorgeous and no, not all were gay. And some became some of the biggest musical influences of our time! ❤️
We made an effort everyday to look our best. didn't matter what day it was
We were all thin.
@@2degucitas i think thats from the food chemicals in our food now.
thank you for this I was a new romantic in the 80s it was one of the best eras ever. wish I was back there!!
Me too
And me
I guess you weren’t thrown on the dole by Thatcher or effected by those dying of AIDS
Me too!
@@CashelOConnolly whats that have to do with anything. people that were on the sole or who were dying of AIDS. for a lot of them that was still the best times of their life, poverty or not they were young and free and full of energy and passion. because AIDS came along soon after doesnt mean they shouldnt/couldnt have been having a great time.
"Esto no es un escape,es una realidad"
4:00 Boy George in the background before he was famous
Excellent ! saw a couple of people I know, brings back memories..
chris sullivan and Gary Kemp... what a big boys!
Steve strange English s so clean
One thing I am VERY GLAD about is that they have banned Smoking in all clubs all over the world!
As a Musician and Non-Smoker I always HATED that! My cloths would STINK when I got home! And I had to take a shower EVERY time I went to a club!
If I went to a club just to dance or listen to music with friends, I would often get burned by stupid drunk people with their cigarettes in their hands or mouths ON the dance floor while they danced! I guess they thought it made them look "COOL" Or "TRENDY" or "GLAMOROUS" but to me they just looked stupid!
And it also started to make my entire drum kit look dull and dingy so I would have to clean my whole drum kit, Drums, Cymbals, Stands... Everything, EVERY week after I played somewhere!
How I so love this clip. It's absolutely extraordinary and I do love that as much as I BOW DOWN to Steve Strange that they show other pioneers like Chris Sullivan of the Blitz Kids/New Romantic club scene. TIme machine, pleasssssssse. I just love seeing the punters coming in and paying their small fee to enter the best world that there ever was and ever will be xxxxx
this was filmed in November 1980
Broadcast on BBC Newsnight 23 Jan 1981.
How do you know it was filmed in November 1980? (I'm not disputing it, just curious).
I was there.
@@Shapersofthe80s Interesting. By the way, did you go to the Japan concert on 27th November 1980 at the London Lyceum? www.nightporter.co.uk/pages/japlive_80.html
Rare ! Thanks *:-)*
0:05 skyscraper heads were popular amongst intellectuals and academics in the 70's and first half of the 80's. They fell out of vogue and were replaced by the mullet and the goatee beard.
Was in London 88 Great Times, 2024 we are in hell
agree
Don't think I remember seeing this one before. Many thanks!
I wish there was more new romantics today
Now old romantìcs... sadly an oddity.
70's 80's music was the best
I used to work at the Kilt on greek street!! Thank's for sharing
kids these days dont go to clubs , poor things
Even now stevie nicks and new romantics influence my fashion choices
to cut a long story short ..........
What's crazy is that i ended up watching a short piece on a singer that was from Jamaica that married a man who built a hotel, and music studio there. Tonight, I saw this and wondered what happened to that 20 year old, Jon Baker. It turns out he is the man who built the hotel and had the Jamaican singer as a wife. Amazing how things come full circle.
i spent the late 80s through 90s clubbing and obsessing over the New Romantic scene and the early Death Rock scene, and hating the actual 90s goth scene i felt trapped in. so i am no expert on the New Romantic scene as i wasnt there, because i was across the world in the U.S. plus i was 9 in 81. so i admit i dont know who a lot of these guys they are interviewing are as i only know the faces of the scene. but it still feels weird to me that they seem to be mostly interviewing a bunch of reasonably normal looking guys while all these people standing behind them are done up to the nines.
Me too I was 9 in 81 in England I still got my inner goth at 49🤘🤘🎵🎵
Why is the bottom half of the video gone?
6:49..Nina Hagen!...
FANTASTIC !
🐸
The footage at Min. 6:40 ( Nina
Hagen " African Reggae " in the background ) is taken inside The Blitz or Le Kilt ? Thanks !!!! ❤❤❤❤
*Who is this person, **4:18**, could anyone tell me please?*
Christos Tolera. He was in Blue Rondo a la Turk with Chris Sullivan.
@@jeanettemac6214..... Oh, thank you so much !!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
This was the movement that gave us Boy George.
And Spandau and Duran
Adam ant was in that mix, really interesting how there were different subdivisions (in different towns) within the movement...
Hard to say. Japan was doing all this long before. The bands you mention were pretty derivative.
And Pet Shop Boys,Visage, Human League...
@@cdoc2439 Japan was amazing. DD very much lists them as an influence. But also Bowie and Kraftwerk were very big influence on the scene
Steve not so strange work off him ill play ngt train in awhile is that good for?
Happy I came across this. Thx magical algorithm!
Wonderful-had not seen this clip before,just short extracts.
th-cam.com/video/5aS-T3ARTe0/w-d-xo.html.
Duran Duran, Visage, Japan, Marilyn, ............
Does anyone know the name of the song that starts playing at 6:36?
Naira Ruiz open.spotify.com/user/1122533510/playlist/34VNy7o9DAljSV0eNwjZn9?si=hvWAXykARASt6yppqHEPkw
🙋🏻♂️ Nina Hagen : "African Reggae".
@@eugene-leveque Thanks!
DANDY'S
El ser humano celebraba su ser
who is this bloke at 4:30
I LUV what Perri Hanes was saying . . And Jon Baker . .
Christos!
11:50 words of wisdom
Looks better in levi🤣
Me neither. Interesting video
Really, really good.
That guy at the end from iD magazine though. What twaddle :)
Sorry Piggy, you're referring to the legendary Perry Haines who had his finger on the pulse better than many people in 1980, one of the true Shapers.
The Puffy Shirt!
But I don't want to be a pirate!
Thatcher s days were inspirational
was it
3.37
just like elvis being turned into a cheesy movie star, new romantic made punk and wave a fashion product without any rebellion.
I think you're missing the point, Mr S. It was all about collaboration and taking over the media industries with young fresh blood.
Miss Steve although he looks a bit out of it in the interview.
Found out ballet?
No, Spandau Ballet.
*they're all looking for the TV sound....*
Switch it off... or is it up? I was never really sure.. 😉
Only came outside to watch the night melt with the day…
I can’t believe Steve’s hair. I think I stole it, because I still have it.