Idols of the 80s

Speaker Profile

Take six of Australia's most innovative & successful bands of the 80s, not to mention six of the biggest 80s pop idols… and you have the biggest and coolest party band in the country! Idols of the 80s are…

Brian Canham from Pseudo Echo;
Scott Carne form Kids in the Kitchen;
Brian Mannix from the Uncanny X-Men;
Dale Ryder from Boom Crash Opera;
Sean Kelly from the Models; and
David Sterry from Real Life.

PSEUDO ECHO pioneered the new 80s electro-pop sound in Australia, soon establishing themselves at the top of the Australian charts with Top 10 hits such as 'Listening' and 'A Beat For You' from their Gold selling debut album Autumnal Park. The band then scored their biggest worldwide hit to date with their version of 'Funky Town' (12 weeks at the Number 1 spot), which later featured on their Platinum selling follow up album Love an Adventure… Also including the hit singles 'Don't Go', 'Living in a Dream' and the title track 'Love an Adventure'.

Kids in the Kitchen, the 80s 'new wave' band that formed in 1984, quickly raced to the top of the charts with their Platinum selling debut album Shine. Yielding 5 top ten singles including 'Change in Mood', 'Bitter Desire' and 'Current Stand'.

The Uncanny X-Men were one of Australia's most outrageous bands of the 80s, featuring extroverted front man Brian Mannix. Total sales of over a half a million, with hits including the Number 1 smash - '50 Years', and Top 10 hits 'The Party', 'Everybody Wants To Work' and 'How Do You Get Your Kicks' as well as a Double Platinum selling album Cos Life Hurts.

Boom Crash Opera's debut single 'Great Wall' reached number 5 on the ARIA chart, their self-titled debut album went Gold and their second album spent more than 12 months in the Top 40, achieving double platinum sales with the top 10 single 'Onion Skin' and top 20 singles 'Get Out Of The House', 'Best Thing' and 'Dancing In The Storm'.

The Models, one of the coolest bands of the early 80s, with a string of hits including 'I Hear Motion' and 'Big on Love'. They later shot from 'hip' to totally 'hot' when their Number 1 smash hit lead them to dominate the pop charts with 'Out of Mind Out of Sight'!

Real Life launched their first single 'Send Me An Angel' in 1983 and reached Number 1 though out Europe, Top 10 on the ARIA chart locally, as well as Top 20 in the USA not once (1983), but TWICE (again in 1989)! Their debut album Heart Land went Gold and sprouted 2 more top 20 singles including 'Catch Me I’m Falling' which also reached Top 10 in the USA & Europe!

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