Steve Strange (1959-2015)

“We are extremely saddened to announce that Steve Strange died at 11.15 local time on Thursday 12th February, in Sharm El Sheik International Hospital, Egypt. Steve died in his sleep, of Heart Failure. Steve’s family, band members and friends are all distraught at this sudden news of his untimely death. Steve’s family request privacy at this extremely difficult time.” 

 This is the official statement form Visage's Facebook page.

 It is really sad news to hear of Steve Strange's passing away. It seems the world has lost its true New Romantic. He certainly will be remembered as the pivotal figure in the New Romantic movement, The Blitz Kids spirit and the great music of Visage. Thanks for the avant-garde, the glamour and the weirdness.

"One man on a lonely platform
One case sitting by his side..."

 Rest in Peace
 Steve

And here the rare version on "Fade to Grey"...

Visage 2013- The New Line-Up

Visage are back with an new line up and big plans for 2013. Steve Strange and Steve Barnacle are joined by two new members Robin Simon (ex Ultravox) on guitars and Lauren Duvall on vocals. The new Visage quartet has also announced the release of a brand new Visage album for spring 2013. 

Stick around to find out more or follow Visage directly via Facebook or check out their new official page.  

  

http://www.visage.cc
 

Steve Strange and Samantha Fox to Get "Dirty and Flirty" in a New Song

Steve Strange who has recently made a return to the music scene with his new band project Detroit Starrzz has announced on his Twitter page that he has been working on a new song with the 80's star Samantha Fox. The new song will be entitled "Dirty and Flirty" and that is all the news we got for now. Stay tune for more info or follow Steve directly on Twitter to get the latest updates. 

Chronicles of Punk, New Romantics and Beyond in 'We Can Be Heroes' by Graham Smith

'We Can Be Heroes' is a brand new book by Graham Smith that gives the insider's perspective on London's clubland 1976-1984 and celebrates the Punk and New Romantic movement. Graham Smith designed some album covers for Spandau Ballet and Sade. He was also unofficial house photographer of the London clubs and collected over 450 previously unseen images and 500 quotes from many of the chief creative figures of the punk and New Romantics era, projecting his masterpiece above and beyond the traditional photo book realm. The book was co-written with a friend and fellow Chris Sullivan who wrote a bestselling illustrated history of Punk that the Pistols say is the best book on the subject ever penned.  

The book was fully funded and released just before Christmas on December 8, 2011. You can still buy the book exclusively from Unbound, either as a limited Special Edition hardback, or as a numbered Deluxe edition, in an elegant box with two signed prints.

Retrovision: Visage- The Damned Don't Cry

Visage released 'The Damned Don't Cry' 30 years ago and the song topped the UK charts reaching number #11 in March 1982. It was their fifth single and the first one taken from Visage's second album 'The Anvil'. 

 

(C) 1982 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.

Steve Strange Has A New Formation

New Romantic vocalist Steve Strange of 'Visage' and 'Blitz Kids' fame is back with a new project called Detroit Starrzz. The collective includes artists, producers and remixers such as Patrick Ruane from chart-topping dance duo 'The Nightstylers', amazing remixstress producer and guitar virtuoso Rachel Ellektra and the highly talented and charismatic DJ Little Andy (TOTP Star Bar). They have launched their unique brand of breaks and beats-inspired synth-pop. Their new album is expected to be released soon.

www.facebook.com/pages/Detroit-Starrzz

Retrovision: Visage- Visage

Thirty years ago Visage had a hit with "Visage", not as big as its predecessor "Fade To Grey" from 1980, but the video was a soundtrack the New Romantic generation introducing the Blitz Club.

 

Sinner's Day Festival 2011

The Belgian retro festival 'The Sinner's Day' comes with its third edition this year. It will be held on October 30, 2011 in Hasselt, Belgium and it will feature some great names from the world of New Wave and post-punk. The line-up includes Blancmange, John Foxx and the Maths, Visage, The Psychedelic Furs and Recoil and many more. To get all the details visit www.sinnersday.be.

The Blitz Club 2011

Tomorrow night will see the reopening of one of the most famous nightclubs in UK history. The Blitz Club was the focal point of the art, fashion and music scene that would go onto become known as New Romantic. It attracted some of the biggest stars of the day alongside The Blitz kids - young club-goers whose radical fashion was key in shaping look of the late 70s and early 80s.

Find out more here
http://www.theblitzclub.com/index.php

Best of 1980 - Top 50 Singles List

It was an interesting year at the crossroads, still very influenced by the 70s music and culture, but also slowly opening the doors to the new decade and adopting new trends and styles. Blondie, ABBA, The Police and The Jam still ruled the charts. David Bowie scored his second number one hit this year, while Kate Bush became the first British female artist to have a No.1 album. It was also a sad year in music as the music world lost two very influential musical artists and iconic figures. Ian Curtis of Joy Division hanged himself just days before the US Tour kick off and John Lennon was shot dead outside his apartment building in New York City, both leaving their families and thousands of fans in mourning and sorrow. The year ended with John Lennon's song "Just Like Starting Over" reaching number one in the UK charts, announcing the new decade.

01. Joy Division- Love Will Tear Us Apart 

02. Visage- Fade to Grey 

03. Orchestral Manouvers in the Dark- Enola Gay 

04. Joy Division- Atmosphere 

05. David Bowie- Ashes to Ashes

06. The Cure- A Forest 

07. Spandau Ballet- To Cut A Long Story Short

08. Blondie- Atomic 

09. The Korgis - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes 

10. Siouxsie and the Banshees- Happy House 

11. Peter Gabriel- Games Without The Frontiers 
12. Robert Palmer - Johnny and Mary

13. John Foxx- Underpass

14. Martha and The Muffins- Echo Beach

15. The Clash - Train in Vain
16. The Jam- Going Underground

17. Kate Bush- Babooska 

18. The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated

19. Bauhaus - Dark Entries

20. Ultravox- Passing Strangers 

Best of 1980- The Album List

The year 1980 marked a fascinating intersection, straddling the influences of the 1970s while gradually embracing the emerging trends of the new decade. Chart-toppers like Blondie, ABBA, The Police, and The Jam continued to dominate the music scene. Notable achievements included David Bowie securing his second number one hit, and Kate Bush becoming the first British female artist to claim a No.1 album.

However, amidst the musical successes, 1980 also witnessed tragic losses that left an indelible mark on the industry. Ian Curtis of Joy Division tragically took his own life just before the band's scheduled US Tour, while John Lennon, an iconic figure in music, was shot dead outside his New York City apartment. These losses left families and legions of fans grieving.

The year concluded with John Lennon's posthumous release, "{Just Like) Starting Over," topping the UK charts, serving as both a poignant farewell and a herald of the new decade.

The Face - The Very Best of Visage

Visage celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the bands biggest hit "Fade To Grey". The compilation album is entitled 'The Face - The Very Best of Visage' and features several different versions and remixes of the song "Fade to Gray" and all the single releases except the "Beat Boy". It's out on Universal from March 1, 2010.

The Face - The Very Best Of Visage

New Visage

Few weeks ago I posted a topic about the new Visage song that was going to be available soon. Now you can get the brand new Visage song in full on the official website. 

http://www.visagemusic.com/

Steve Strange and Visage Mark II

Steve Strange the vocalist of the band Visage has a new Visage. Most people remember him thanks the New Romantic anthem "Fade To Gray". Steve Strange performed this song two years ago with a new line up and now there are romours about a new song "Diary of a Madman". There is a clip for this song on their official website which will hopefully offer more info and content in the future.

http://www.visagemusic.com/

Tik and Tok

When robotic act Plastic Joe and mime and music outfit Shock got together in 1980 the seeds of Tik + Tok were sown. Shock played at legendary venues at their height like the Hacienda, The Blitz and The Warehouse, became a key part of the New Romantic movement and recorded with Rusty Egan (Visage) and Richard Burgess (Landscape). Tik and Tok consisted of Tim Dry and Sean Crawford with Barbie Wilde, Robert Pereno, L.A. Richards and Carole Caplin.

“Mime was where we started. It was our chicken or was it our egg? We never wanted to be human! Then bit by bit we bought some music equipment so we could start to make our own little soundtracks for Mime ideas we had. We've always seen ourselves as being abstract visual artists who just happen to make music as well.” Tik

When Shock split soon after, Tik + Tok appeared everywhere from the Covent Garden Piazza to the 1983 Royal Variety Show, on countless TV shows and had key roles in 80's sci-fi creepfest Xtro. A young band called Depeche Mode supported them live, they released a series of cracking electronic singles on the Survival label and one album, Intolerance, shortly before disappearing from the music scene in 1984.

“A mix of everything that we liked musically at the time. Movies like Blade Runner too. Plus needing tracks that we could create a Mime piece to. Oh, and sex and Sci Fi too of course! We'd already got Vile Bodies so we kind of built side 2 of Intolerance around that. Side 1 of the album was geared towards a more 'Poppy' kind of stance, but deep down we were still wanting to be unearthly and quite weird musically. The pop stuff was fun to tart around to but I think that both of us now feel that we're quite glad that we didn't have a hit single. No 'Buzzcocks' or revival tours for us!” Tik

After 21 years away from the live circuit, Tik + Tok have reformed and re-emerged earlier this year at the annual Elektrofest festival whipping up a storm. Back to finish what they started, the time was perfect to communicate with the legendary Robots.