That 80s politics blog!
Record Mirror had some really amazing art work on the magazine front covers at the end of the 70s – I own some framed covers of Siouxsie Sioux and The Clash. Here’s another one in my collection promoting a feature inside the magazine on The Motors. Just superb.
1981 saw Siouxsie Sioux on tour with Sheffield post-punk combo The Comsat Angels. Here’s the venue listing from a small ad in the NME that year and just in case you’ve forgotten the sound of the Comsats – shame on you – here they are.
I’ve just decorated my bedroom as a shrine to the coolest 80s pop stars and here’s a budget idea to do the same to yours. Basically, I got some of the best Record Mirror front covers off e-bay and then had them framed. Around 1978 to 1981, the magazine had some very stylised front covers with artistic images of stars instead of photos. I don’t know what the reason was – cost, whatever. But framed – they look amazing – here they are!
…back in 1982.
I’m afraid the death of pop has been predicted for longer than some people realise. Back in 1982, in the tour programme for that year, Siouxsie Sioux stuck her stiletto heel in to the face of bubblegum pop.
“Current pop music is depressingly safe and shallow and complete disposable.”
Well, that certainly sounds familiar. She went on to say that it was shallow, boring, lacking in aggression or sex. It was all too “calculated”.
…”It lacks the emotion and the lunacy of the pop of the sixties.”
The glory years of punk were well and truly over and the political pop of the late 70s was giving way to Thatcher-era throwaway hits. In a few short years, Stock Aitken and Waterman would start manufacturing pop stars with saccharine hits that punks would have despised.
Here is Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees appearing on the 1978 pop programme Revolver. It was presented by Peter Cook, a well known comedian, who seemed to struggle in his role as master of ceremonies. Although his delivery was like a middle aged Johnny Rotten.
