Listen to Paul Gambaccini's Absolute Radio series Tribes of the 80s
It explores four different 80s subcultures
Last updated 12th Dec 2019
As part of the 10th birthday celebrations of Absolute 80s earlier this month, broadcasting icon Paul Gambaccini joined Absolute Radio to host a four-part series called Tribes of the 80s.
The acclaimed series shone a light on four music fan subcultures - New Romantics, Glam Metal, Generation X and Rudeboys - that changed the landscape of the 1980s, and how their influence still resonates more than three decades on.
In each episode Paul hears from a plethora of musical icons of the era, and how their impact shaped the nation. How did the 80s look and sound like to them? What did they wear, what did they listen to, who did they look up to? Which Tribe did they belong to?
Listen to all four episodes of Tribes of the 80s below:
Tribes of the 80s: New Romantics
The first episode focused on New Romantics. Directly influenced by glam rock icons of the seventies including David Bowie, Roxy Music and Marc Bolan, the flamboyant, eccentric retro-futurist movement exploded from nightclubs like The Blitz in Covent Garden and is seen by many as a direct reaction to punk music. Contributors to the episode include Boy George, Soft Cell’s Marc Almond, Yazoo’s Alison Moyet, Ultravox’s Midge Ure, and Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, Martin Kemp and Gary Kemp.
Tribes of the 80s: Glam Metal
In the second episode, Paul turned his attention to Glam Metal. Borrowed heavily from 1970s British glam rock, the bands that were torchbearers for the explosive and oft controversial movement went from performing in bars and clubs on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip to packing out vast stadia across the globe in just a few short years. Contributors include Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Billy Idol, Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Rick Savage.
Tribes of the 80s: Generation X
The third episode of Tribes of the 80s explored the youth of the decade themselves - Generation X. Often dubbed the ‘MTV Generation’ thanks to the all-pervading influence of MTV, the young people of Generation X embraced a vibrant, fun and exciting popular culture that starkly juxtaposed the austere politics of the time. The episdoes features contributions from Soft Cell’s Marc Almond, Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley, and Keren, Sara and Siobhan of Bananarama.
Tribes of the 80s: Rudeboys
Tribes of the 80s’s fourth and final episode focuses on the rudeboy subculture. The term itself originates from 1960s Jamaican street culture, and in the late 1970s to early 1980s, reggae, ska, ska punk, dancehall came to the fore and was embraced by bands like The Police, The Sex Pistols and The Clash. Contributors that feature in the episode Pauline Black, Madness’ Suggs and The Police’s Stewart Copeland.
As part of Absolute 80s' 10th birthday celebrations, Absolute Radio's Sarah Champion had a wide-ranging chat with Martin and Shirlie Kemp, and Claire Sturgess met Wham! legend Andrew Ridgeley. You can listen to the interviews below:
Sarah Champion meets Martin and Shirlie Kemp:
Claire Sturgess chats with Andrew Ridgeley:
You can also find out what song Absolute Radio listeners voted as the Greatest Song of the 80s below.