New Romantic
New Romantic is a British pop movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s that paired synthesizer-led dance pop with flamboyant, dressed-up fashion.
It began in London and Birmingham nightclubs, most famously the Blitz club, as a glamorous reaction to punk's rough look. The bands drew on David Bowie, Roxy Music and electronic music, using synthesizers, steady dance beats and dramatic vocals. Clothes, makeup and video were central, which suited the arrival of MTV. Musically it overlaps with synth-pop and new wave; what marks it out is the scene and its style.
Artists it is known for: Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Visage, Culture Club.
- Family
- Pop
- On Spotify
- No longer returned by Spotify’s API
- What it is
- A scene
- From
- London and Birmingham, late 1970s
- Also called
- new romantics, blitz kids
- Trackify listeners who play it
- 6%
About 4,600 of 83,000 Trackify listeners with public profiles have new romantic among their top artists of the last four weeks. Rounded; updated 13 November 2026.
New Romantic artists
Depeche Mode
Tears For Fears
Duran Duran
New Order
Billy Idol
Wham!
Siouxsie and the Banshees
The Cars
Spandau Ballet
Pet Shop Boys
The new romantic artists most Trackify listeners have in their top fifty. Each opens on Spotify.
Sources
The definition is written for this site from open sources, and was checked against them on 13 November 2026.