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…

One of this UK band's principal assets is the androgynous persona of Pete Burns (b. 5 August 1959, Port Sunlight, England; vocals) who had fronted Liverpool's Mystery Girls in 1977, then Nightmares In Wax, in which he was accompanied by Mick Reid (gu…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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…

Formed in the mid-1980s, the British electropop dance duo Pet Shop Boys neatly summed up the age of WALL STREET player Gordon Gecko's greed-is-good dictum and Ronald Reagan's trickle-down economics policy in one of their early singles, "Opportunities…

This durable UK new wave band originally comprised Cy Curnin (13 December 1957; vocals/guitar), Adam Woods (b. 8 April 1953; drums), Rupert Greenall (keyboards), Jamie West-Oram (guitar) and Charlie Barret (bass). They formed at the turn of the 80s w…

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,…

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 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…

This US band from Los Angeles was formed in 1977 as a new wave/electro pop group. The original band included main songwriter John Crawford (b. 17 January 1960; bass, synthesizer, ex-Videos), Terri Nunn (b. 26 June 1961; vocals), Jo Julian (b. 22 Janu…

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…

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…

Born in the early 1980s out of the ashes of U.K. post-punk pioneers Joy Division, New Order became one of the first electro-pop bands to find mainstream success in the US. Their single "Blue Monday" was a landmark in dance music, and subsequent recor…

Led by the flamboyant, gender-bending Boy George, the U.K.'s Culture Club mixed poppy new wave with soul and reggae. In the early 1980s they produced several hit singles that made them one of the decade's biggest success stories on both sides of the …

Like many groups that achieved mainstream success in the 1980s, Australia's INXS was kinetically inspired by the British punk scene. Led by charismatic singer Michael Hutchence and the musically gifted Farriss brothers, INXS began as a new-wave rock …

This UK duo, comprising Peter Byrne (vocals) and Rob Fisher (b. 5 November 1959, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, d. 25 August 1999, Surrey, England; keyboards), enjoyed considerable US success with a simple but effective version of Burt Bachara…

This London, England-based new wave pop band was formed from the ashes of the Intellektuals and 57 Men. Originally called Huang Chung, they comprised Jack Hues (vocals/guitar), Nick Feldman (bass) and Darren Costin (drums). After four tracks featured…