Although "Come On, Eileen" will forever be the song that people associate with Dexy's Midnight Runners, the British '80s outfit was more than a one-hit wonder. Leader Kevin Rowland combined his American soul music obsession with the DIY attitude of p…

At the dawn of the 1980s, Duran Duran was part of Britain's "futurist" or "new romantic" scene, which merged glam-rock attitude with disco beats and synthesizers to form an intensely fashion-conscious variant on new wave. With their good looks and po…

The Clash was one of the first and most important British punk bands. In the 1970s, they were the Beatles to the Sex Pistols' Stones, and went on to incorporate elements from all the roots music they loved--reggae, rockabilly, soul, blues--without ev…

With their minimalist electronic approach and lyrics preoccupied with the seedier side of sensuality, the British duo Soft Cell were unlikely pop stars. Nevertheless, that's what they became in the early '80s, boosted by their massive hit "Tainted Lo…

Led by depressive pop prince Robert Smith, the Cure have taken their legions of fans on a journey from post-punk to gothic to new wave to art rock, stopping only for refills of hairspray along the way. An amazing band both live and in the studio, the…

They'll forever be known for their infamous flowerpot hats, but more importantly, Devo was one of the architects of American new wave in the late 1970s and early '80s, whether spastically deconstructing the Stones' "Satisfaction" or churning out irre…

Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith's debut album as Tears For Fears appeared smack dab in the middle of the '80s UK synth-pop invasion, but it was no mere pop trifle. THE HURTING is full of sophisticated production and accomplished songwriting, using the …

Proving you could rock despite having attended the Rhode Island School of Design, Talking Heads' innovative brand of downtown art-pop featured David Byrne's manic yelp, pointed lyrics about mundane subjects, and R&B-meets-Velvet Underground grooves, …

The Norwegian synth-pop trio A-Ha burst onto the pop scene in 1985 with their debut single "Take On Me" reaching the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Equipped with good looks, pop hooks, and a groundbreaking video, A-Ha proved to be i…

Depeche Mode (French for "hurried fashion") was one of the first and best of the British synth-pop bands, combining breathless, melodic pop with perky electronics. With main songwriter Vince Clarke's departure for Yaz, Martin Gore took the reigns, an…

This new-wave electro-pop act from Liverpool, England, had remarkable success in the USA before finding a large following in Britain. The band comprised Mike Score (b. 5 November 1957; keyboards, vocals), Ali Score (drum machine, vocals), Paul Reynol…

The duo of Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox hit the bullseye in 1983 with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," and the Eurythmics soon became pop idols. With edgy synthesizers, crisp dance beats, and Lennox's powerhouse voice, they created a distinctive s…

The origins of this UK synthesizer pop act were much less conventional than their chart material might suggest. Their name derived from the Tin Tin cartoon books of Hergé. Formed in 1977, the line-up featured Tom Bailey (b. 18 January 1956, Halifax, …

The Beat (dubbed English Beat in the US due to conflict with an American band) began as part of Britain's early-1980s second-wave ska movement, which was also influenced by punk. Eventually, the band expanded to include pop, R&B, and other influences…

Leaders of ska music's second wave in England during the late 1970s and early '80s, the Specials founded the 2 Tone record label, and added like-minded bands such as the Selecter, the English Beat, and Madness to the roster. Combining socially consci…

Their innovative rock/reggae fusion, superb songwriting, and crossover appeal put the Police light-years ahead of many of their 1980s new-wave colleagues in terms of artistic resonance. Emerging just after the punk explosion of the late '70s, the tri…

Despite the band's name, the Love Generation touches that brought the Psychedelic Furs great acclaim came only after they'd established their initial style. Theirs was a dark, swirling sound that mixed Bowie-ish art-rock and post-punk guitars with Ri…

Debuting in 1978, the Boston-based Cars managed to acheive both massive commercial success and New Wave credibilty with their mix of power pop, Roxy Music-influenced art-rock, and melodic synth hooks. Despite his fame, leader Ric Ocasek proved to be …

After getting his start with '70s punks Generation X, singer Billy Idol left the band for a solo career in the early '80s. An early MTV darling (with his peroxide-blond spikey hair and "rough boy" looks), Idol merged his punk roots with top-40 hooks,…

Eschewing everything but the pursuit of fun, Athens, GA's B-'52s burst onto the New Wave scene in 1979. Their mix of '50s/'60s kitsch and pure pop instincts produced some classic campy tunes ("Rock Lobster," "Private Idaho"). The band's popularity hi…