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What is dark neon?
dark neon :: back to the 80s is an online magazine. Currently it is made up of interviews, facts, quotes and pictures of some of pop stars from the 1980s. Mostly stars from the New Romantic movement of the early '80s. dark neon ltd. is also the name of the online publishing company owned by Huw Collingbourne.

The What Romantic?
You mean you don't remember? Maybe you weren't even there! A few bands started wearing frilly shirts and make-up. Some journalists theorised that this meant they were part of a new musical movement (in fact, they weren't. They just happened to like wearing frilly shirts and make-up). In the early days, the so-called 'movement' went by a variety of names including Futurism and (my favourite) The Cult Without A Name. But the name that caught on was The New Romantics...

So who were The New Romantics?
Nobody ever owned up to it. However, based on a frilly-shirt count, it's safe to say that the following bands fell into the category: Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Classix Nouveaux, Visage. In the early days, Depeche Mode kind of fitted the bill too (Dave Gahan use to wear a semi-transparent white outfit that looked like a set of net curtains with ambitions to become a kaftan). The there were fringe bands and one-hit wonders such as Landscape (they had a hit with 'Einstein-a-go-go'). Kid Creole and The Coconuts were, arguably, on the fringes (well they certainly gave Zoot suits a new lease of life). And Modern Romance were ahead of the late '90s Latin revival (they also wore some of the yuckiest pink suits you've ever seen). In spite of the make-up and fancy costumes, I was never really sure that either Culture Club or Adam and the Ants were really New Romantics. Each of those groups was, in its way, just too odd and distinctive to be put into a category.

Where do all the interviews on this site come from?
All the quotes, fact files and interviews on this site were done by me, Huw Collingbourne, back in the '80s when I was working as a freelance pop music journalist.

Huw Who...?
Aw, now, don't be like that! Click here if you really want to know more about me.

How can I get in touch?
See HERE

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