Article about 80s music becoming "cool" again

[gokartmozart]

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 315358.ece

"Never gonna give them up"

The Eighties are back – and somehow so much cooler than they were first time round

(excerpt from article linked above... see if you can spot the DS reference!)

They may have been acceptable in the Eighties, but do the likes of Bananarama, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Howard Jones and the Human League pass muster with the pop pickers of today? The organisers of Retrofest certainly hope so. Described as “Europe’s largest Eighties music festival”, the two-day event takes place next weekend and is expected to draw 10,000 people to Culzean Castle in Ayrshire.

“Basically I wanted to see a bunch of bands who were big in my youth, but who I never got the chance to see,” explains Brad Snelling, the festival’s director. “I left school in 1983, so for me there’s a warm, cozy, nostalgic feeling about this. The Eighties was a great time for music. You had colourful characters like Boy George, MTV poster boys like Duran Duran, and doom and gloom merchants like the Cure and Depeche Mode. It was very diverse.”

Alas, none of the aforementioned is on the bill, but to make up for it we have Hazel O’Connor, Kim Wilde, ABC and “the legendary Kajagoogoo”. Were the others too busy, or just too proud? “Most of the bands we couldn’t get were already booked,” Snelling insists. It’s easy to knock the idea of an Eighties music festival – so let’s start with those “legendary” one-hit wonders Kajagoogoo, as well as the prospect of people in their forties desperately trying to relive their youth. Not true, says Snelling. “We have an Eighties ‘school disco’ called the Reflex in the festival. They have about 40 clubs in the UK, and the average age is 22 to 24. A lot of these kids grew up up with this music. Their parents played it, so they have an affinity with it.”

(excerpt from article)

[godisinthesilences]

oh wow i would SO be up for an 80s music festival full of pop bands!!!! God what a great way to reminisce!

[New Romantik]

My dreams are coming true! Bye bye, stupid 2000s trends. I'm a really dated kid, aren't I?

[Lady Arcadia]

This has been talked about alot in recent years... the 80s were not all that bad.

I knew they had to be due for a revisit when a nephew of mine said " Aunty your music is cool, you are sooo Retro!"

[Xx_Vanity_xX]

i wanted to go to retrofest but nooooooooooooooo i have college

[krausy]

How cool is that? Which weekend would they be talking about, this one coming or a week from now?

You remember Big Country? They are actually playing in Dudley this weekend, so I guess they would be in the "already booked" category!!!

It is so great to hear that these fabulous bands from the 80's are still out there rocking it---I think that is soo cool!!!

Thanks for that article!!!

[New Romantik]

This might sound stupid, but when was the 80s ever "NOT" cool? The 70s were extremely dorky, yet it seems every self-respecting person says that it's the best decade musically and fashion-wise. Yeah, if you like disco and Donny Osmond...And bell-bottoms...and afros...

It's good to see the world has finally embraced the genius and uniqueness of 80s style...good for them. Now hopefully when I go out into town in my funky New Wave jacket I won't get called "gay" anymore...

[Sylvian's Beard]

D**n, I knew I was ahead of my time back in the 8th grade.

[godisinthesilences]

I know I got totally picked on allll the time for dressing how i did in high school. I had a black and white jacket very much like the houndstooth coat david wore in the early 80s. I got picked on soooo much for that jacket, but i loved it! Now i sooooo wish I put it in storage, but noooooo i threw it away. (of course it did have photo chemistry stains on it but still) LOL

[New Romantik]

I know I got totally picked on allll the time for dressing how i did in high school. I had a black and white jacket very much like the houndstooth coat david wore in the early 80s. I got picked on soooo much for that jacket, but i loved it! Now i sooooo wish I put it in storage, but noooooo i threw it away. (of course it did have photo chemistry stains on it but still) LOL

Most people just can't except or understand the genius behind uniqueness and being eccentric. But really, if anyone knows about the 80s, it's my mom. She succame to about every 80s fad, and she still loves 80s music...which is why she's so cool.

She was one of those New Wave/Goth girls in high school and college, very eccentric makeup, Pat Benetar hair...I saw pictures! Too bad my dad was the polar opposite, he made her tone it down when they got married!!!

DAMN YOU, DAD!

[godisinthesilences]

sweetie i grew up in the 80s just like your mom... trust me I know all about the groovy clothes and wild hair fashions. I saw nick rhodes with firehouse red hair and AWAY i went and coloured mine the same. Oh gosh i look back on the 80s as the best and worst of times. But, the fashion and music were THE best!

[krausy]

The best dang music came out in the 80's ---twas a fun time indeed.

Remember the store called Merry Go Round that sold all the cool clothing? Man, that was a great store!!!!

And there were actually record stores too back then, not drying up like they are now. And they had not only music but memoribilia too. Very few stores do that now.

[heartofdavid]

Remember the store called Merry Go Round that sold all the cool clothing? Man, that was a great store!!!!

OMG! Yes! One of late 80s favorite outfits for work came from there; black silk pencil skirt, pink man's styled shirt (buttoned the opposite way), black suspenders (really! lol!) and a thin black leather tie. I used to buy a lot of stuff from there, had this opalescent pantsuit - the top looked like an oversized men's dress shirt in front, but it was backless (from the neck to the waist), with long tails. Can't believe some of the stuff I used to wear.

Got my Sylvian style mockup coat from there too, similar to the one he wears in Fin Costello's "Sons of Pioneers" photo book. On the other hand, I also liked the Laura Ashley stuff, a bit fashion schizophrenic.

[godisinthesilences]

Remember the store called Merry Go Round that sold all the cool clothing? Man, that was a great store!!!!

OMG! Yes! One of late 80s favorite outfits for work came from there; black silk pencil skirt, pink man's styled shirt (buttoned the opposite way), black suspenders (really! lol!) and a thin black leather tie. I used to buy a lot of stuff from there, had this opalescent pantsuit - the top looked like an oversized men's dress shirt in front, but it was backless (from the neck to the waist), with long tails. Can't believe some of the stuff I used to wear.

Got my Sylvian style mockup coat from there too, similar to the one he wears in Fin Costello's "Sons of Pioneers" photo book. On the other hand, I also liked the Laura Ashley stuff, a bit fashion schizophrenic.

Ok that outfit sounds HOT!!!

[heartofdavid]

Got me thinking about all the mall shops in the 80s that carried very cool clothing, like Contempo Casuals and Gantos which was more dressy.

Before Victoria's Secret became popular, Frederick's of Hollywood ruled, great trashy type stuff (the Betty Page look), lots of corsets, wigs, garters, seamed stockings - loved that place. Are they still around?