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Lightweight Heroes and Synth-Pop Ghosts

© Jason C. Reeher

In the aftermath of post-punk, new wave bands experimented with styles like New Romanticsm and dance rock. Although they are all but forgotten now, in the early 1980’s, bands like Thompson Twins, the Fixx, and OMD were a bridge between the DIY/punk movement and the U.K. “acid house” era of the late ‘80’s and early '90's.

These bands were derivative of pioneering groups like Roxy Music, Joy Division, and Bowie’s various periods. Yet, these bands were also capable of brief, dizzying creative heights; in their basest form, the lightweight heroes of the synth-pop era produced some of the best singles of the decade.

Thompson Twins had a misleading name. Like today’s alterna-folk greats, Belle and Sebastian, Thompson Twins were not a duo and were named after a children’s show. Formed by college chums Tom Bailey and Joe Leeway, plus Bailey’s girlfriend Alannah Currie, the Twins would release “Side Kicks” in 1983, which garnered some airplay in the U.S. with the single “In the Name Of Love.”

In classic new wave style, none of the three principal band members played traditional rock instruments; instead, Bailey played keyboards, Leeway and Currie split percussion duties, and all three sang. The rest of the band was filled out by session players.

Thompson Twins had huge success in 1984 with the LP, “Into the Gap.” Where contemporaries were moodier, the Twins made no bones about their pop ambitions, and this shown through on chart hits like “Doctor, Doctor” and the classic, Roxy Music-lite ballad “Hold Me Now.”

There may not have been much to Thompson Twins beyond their New Wave posturing and flamboyant stage presence – augmented by giant platforms and Currie’s over dramatic gong-banging – and after a couple of more minor hits, the band faded from sight. Still, “Into the Gap” holds up nicely (if surprisingly) over time. Minus the garish visuals, Thompson Twins play less like New Wave nostalgia, and more like a simple forerunner to the less innocent “Madchester” scene.

Like Thompson Twins, the founding members of the Fixx met at college in the U.K. The band was less dance-oriented then their New Wave brethren – at first. Like many New Wave bands, however, the Fixx found that success in dance clubs equaled chart hits; short-lived success, of course, was preferable to none at all, and when you’re thin on talent and songwriting ideas, it was best just to move people’s bodies and hope their hearts - and wallets - followed.

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