VOL. 1, TRACK 16: SPANDAU BALLET, “CHANT NO. 1 (I DON’T NEED THIS PRESSURE ON)”

There’s no way you would have known this, my New Wave friends, but a previous incarnation of New Wave Parade I was putting out about eight years ago was basically just a fan fiction site about Spandau Ballet. As in, THE Spandau Ballet, my number one choice for years and years insofar as anything New Wave (i.e. Britpop 1980-1988) was concerned. Which is hilarious, because Spandau isn’t nearly the most New Wave of the New Wave! In fact, they were way more New Romantic than New Wave, and even though there’s a lot of overlap in the Venn diagram of those two parties, I think it’s safe to say that a band like Spandau Ballet is FIRMLY on the New Romantic side, with virtually no overlap with New Wave.

I say that because of the overtly white-bread sensibility of Spandau Ballet. They’re just five good-natured, clean-cut bros making tuneful, fun, peppy music! Nothing remotely controversial or progressive about them: they’re just solid, and irrepressibly lovable. For a good three-year stretch (‘81-’84) Spandau collected a whole Easter basket full of solid-gold hits. “True,” of course, being the granddaddy of all those hits, but there were also a number before the True album made them a global success in 1983.

“Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)” is just such a one: classic party-time Spandau, doing what they do best. It’s not a totally remarkable song, and it’s not a totally remarkable video. But there’s still something shiny and Spandau about it, even though this is Spandau trying their adorable best to be a garage-rock band. This video sees the boys all sweaty and exalted in the heat of a crowded, underground-type performance.

I’m going to give it a 7/10 even though it didn’t knock my socks off, and also because I know that better Spandau is coming down the line, on this playlist.

💘