Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode: The Electronic Music Legends Who Changed New Wave Forever Depeche Mode: The Band That Defined Modern Electronic Music Few bands have had a greater impact on electronic music, new wave, synth-pop, and alternative rock than Depeche Mode. Formed in Basildon, Essex, England, in March 1980, the band transformed from a rising new wave […]
The Cure
How does a band famous for gloom end up with some of the most joyful pop songs of the ’80s? Ask the Cure. Robert Smith’s band has spent more than four decades swinging between the two, with haunting melodies, shimmering guitars and atmospheric keyboards, and that swing is what makes them one of the most […]
Kids in the Kitchen
Ask an Australian of a certain age about Kids in the Kitchen and you’ll probably get a chorus of “Change in Mood”. Outside Australia they’re a secret worth knowing. Melbourne’s synth-pop stars Kids in the Kitchen formed in Melbourne in the early ’80s, fronted by Scott Carne. They’d been together just eight months when Mushroom’s […]
Lords of the New Church
What happens when a member of the Dead Boys, the Damned and Sham 69 walk into the same rehearsal room? You get Lords of the New Church, a punk supergroup that went darker, moodier and more melodic just as new wave was taking over. Their run was short. Their shadow is long. A punk supergroup, […]
Clan of Xymox
Clan of Xymox is a pioneering force in dark wave and new wave music. Formed in the Netherlands in 1981, the band blends moody synths, gothic textures, and hypnotic rhythms. Their sound is atmospheric, emotional, and unmistakably retro. Led by Ronny Moorings, Clan of Xymox gained early attention with their debut EP Subsequent Pleasures. After […]
The Human League
“You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.” Five seconds in, and you’re singing along. The Human League made the definitive synth-pop duet, and the story of how they got there is almost as good as the song. Sheffield, 1977: all synths, no guitars The Human League formed in Sheffield in 1977, in […]
