Bananarama, Depeche Mode, Queen — all playing live in the UK this year.
The music industry is fickle, ever changing, and yet often filled with nostalgic come-backs and reemerging genres remade for new generations. In the past few years, we’ve seen the reemergence of oldies rock through acts like Jake Bugg and The Strypes. We’ve also seen the reemergence of eighties pop-music style synths in acts such as Lany and The Wombats.
It’s not just the sound which has come back either — acts such as Bananarama and Depeche Mode have recently announced their 2017 tours (both of which have several dates in London). As genres change to accommodate new generations, so do musical acts, so the question is this: how many young people know these music legends?
Well, within the small sample group at the Ursuline Ilford the answers were clear. Aside from the few who listen to the music their parents play, none knew of these acts. Not so shocking when you think about it — for all their musical talent and impressive history, without the recent media coverage necessary to get acts in the mind of the public then an act simply can’t be known by a newer, younger audience.
With the announcement of their tours however, they will surely enter back into the young pop culture of the UK. “Depeche Mode definitely sound cool,” said Emma, aged 17, “I can hear the style that must have influenced groups around today, and I’d definitely listen to them. I just don’t know where to start!”
Depeche Mode play in Stratford in June, 2017
(Isabel King, Ursuline Academy Ilford)
