“Unplug the jukebox, and do us all a favor…
that music’s lost its taste so try another flavor…”
Band: A Flock of Seagulls (Mike Score in the centre).
Bad eighties hair hairstyle
Time To Rock Your Hair Off!
Time to return to a time when music had synthesizers, wild wild hair and a distinctly British beat!
It was a time of rebellion in music, with angry rock from “The Clash” running headlong into a new “hairstyle” of music!
Seagulls! Ant Music! Bow Wow Wow! Welcome To 80’s “Animal” Brit-Pop!
They had ridiculous hair styles, face paint and wild band names, but they made some great “Brit pop!” Let’s take a look that three bands with great hair!
Taking Flight With A Flock Of Seagulls!
A Flock of Seagulls were what wikipedia called an “English new wave and synth pop band” – and that fits their bill exactly! The band was formed in Liverpool by brothers Michael “Mike” Score (keyboards, vocals) and Alister “Ali” James Score (drums), along with Francis Lee “Frank” Maudsley (bass) and Paul Reynolds (guitar).
Mike’s colorful hair got the band a lot of attention. A number of colorful albums ensued, including the smash hit “I Ran!” The band’s look and musical style was very reminiscent of the 80’s “new wave” trend…
Their songs were catchy, pure british power pop with a ton of synthesizers. Here is the great music video for “I Ran!”
My favorite “Seagulls” tune is “Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)” – here is that great music video as well!
Band: A Flock of Seagulls (Mike Score in the centre).
Bad eighties hair hairstyle
The song “D.N.A.” won a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
“I Ran” and “Wishing” were huge hits, but even with the unique hair, the Seagulls weren’t destined to stay in the air for long…speaking of unique 80’s hair, imagine how much more unique it becomes when you add face paint:
“Unplug the jukebox, and do us all a favor…
that music’s lost its taste so try another flavor…”
Time For The Flavor Of “Ant Music”!
One of the 80’s most colorful front men was Adam Ant! Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard) played bass in a pub rock group called Bazooka Joe – and here’s a great bit of trivia – they were the band that headlined when Sex Pistols played their first concert in 1975!
Soon after, Adam And The Ants were formed! I love how brash they were: “that music’s lost its taste” indeed, so they announced a new flavor!
Here’s the “very 80’s” music video for their breakthrough hit “Ant Music!”
Adam And The Ants also had a big hit with “Stand & Deliver” – here is that music video!
The band didn’t last long, but Adam Ant has staged a number of comebacks over the years, and I will always love to listen to “Ant Music!” Now here is a great transition: let’s meet the band who went from Adam Ant to this young singer!
Meet Annabella Lwin!
Annabella Lwin’s story is a fascinating one which begins with a mass defection from Adam Ant’s band!
Bow Wow Wow was created by legendary Music Promoter Malcolm McLaren to promote his and then girlfriend/business partner Vivienne Westwood’s New Romantic fashion lines.
In 1980, McLaren persuaded guitarist Matthew Ashman, drummer David Barbarossa and bassist Leigh Gorman to leave Adam and the Ants and form a new group.
The band spent six months looking for a lead singer before discovering 14-year-old Annabella Lwin working at her local dry cleaners!
The “Bow Wow Wow” Controversy!
As you can see from the photo above, the very young singer was featured partially nude. For the cover to a 1982 EP, the band parodied Manet’s masterpiece ‘The Luncheon In The Grass’, with singer Lwin completely naked…
Lwin’s mother alleged exploitation of a minor for immoral purposes, which resulted in a Scotland Yard investigation! As a result, the band was only allowed to leave the UK after McLaren promised not to promote Lwin as a “sex kitten”!
Bow Wow Wow Wants “Candy!”
The band had a smash hit called “I Want Candy!”
Here is the music video!
The controversy over Lwin’s age faded, as did the band’s success…still, they crashed the stage with style and a distinct beat…what makes British music my favorite!
Elbow! Doves! Athlete And More!
Here are some of the best British bands of the decade – from the critically-acclaimed Elbow to the band I say is “for people who think Coldplay is too hard-edged”:
Read all about these great new British bands by clicking on my story here:
Let me know what you think of Ant Music!
