Cities have begun to reopen and some people are finding socially-distant ways to put on concerts, but the world of live entertainment as we know it is still far from back to normal. While you wait for concerts to officially resume, here are 10 amazing post-punk concert videos from the genre's classic '80s era to tide you over:
Talking Heads @ Palazzo dello Sport, Rome 12/17/1980
You've seen Stop Making Sense a million times (and if you haven't, do watch that) but maybe you haven't seen this -- Talking Heads playing Rome on the Remain in Light tour. It's less of a flashy production and and a little more punk, with the augmented "10-piece funk machine" lineup of the group that included Bernie Worrell and Adrian Belew, and the setlist that hits some deeper cuts (or at least just pre-"Burning Down the House"). No big suits, just a killer performance with especially awesome renditions of "I Zimbra" and "Crosseyed and Painless." [Bill Pearis]
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The Fall @ Leeds University, February 1981
The Fall were on a hot streak in 1981, coming off the great Grotesque and releasing one of their best-ever records -- the perfect mini-LP Slates -- that year. The lineup of the band, including guitarists Craig Scanlon and Mark Riley, and sibling rhythm section Paul and Steve Hanley, was truly top notch too, as you can see at this Leeds University show, that includes such fall standards as "Hip Priest," "Middle Mass," "Prole Art Threat," "Totally Wired," "Slates, Slags, Etc" and "Draygo's Guilt." Mark E Smith prowls around the stage oozing more menace than you'd think any clean-shaven man wearing a sweater an oxford shirt could. [Bill Pearis]
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Joy Divison @ Manchester Apollo in 1979 & 1980
This is the "Here Are the Young Men" video which features footage from Joy Division's two Manchester Apollo shows in October of 1979 and a January 1980 show in the Netherlands. It includes performances of "Love Will Tear Us Apart," "Transmission," "Dead Souls," "She's Lost Control," "Day of the Lords," "They Walked In Line," and more. For many more classic Joy Division videos, interviews, and photos, head here. [Bill Pearis]
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The Cure @ Berg en Bos Festival 7/18/1980
The Cure were picking up steam in 1980 and turning darker: Simon Gallup joined the band and "A Forrest" was the group's first Top 40 UK single. Full goth was just around the corner but The Cure look kinda normal (and very young) at this July 1980 festival gig in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, though part of that is probably having to play in the daytime. They sound terrific, though, playing "A Forrest," plus "Jumping Someone Else's Train," "Play for Today" and more. But it's quite a different band than we'd see post-Disintigration in the Show concert film. [Bill Pearis]
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Young Marble Giants @ Western Front, Vancouver 11/6/1980
Welsh trio Young Marble Giants only lasted two years and only made one album -- 1980's Colossal Youth -- but their minimal, haunting sound continues to influence today. They didn't last too much longer past this Vancouver show which includes pretty much everything you'd want to hear, including "Searching for Mister Right," "Eating Noddemix," "Wurlitzer Jukebox," "Credit in the Straight World" (famously covered by Hole), "Cakewalking" and, maybe their best-ever song, "Final Day." It seems like a miracle that someone videotaped this at all, and the stark, low-grade black and white resolution just adds to the mystery. [Bill Pearis]
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Echo & The Bunnymen @ Royal Albert Hall July 18, 1983
Echo & The Bunnymen were at the absolute peak of their powers at this 1983 show filmed at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall. They definitely brought their A-game, armed with a string section and a bucketful of great songs. "This is a new one," Ian McCulloch says introing "The Killing Moon" (played faster than you may have heard it before) which would end up on 1984's Ocean Rain, and preview "Silver" off that album as well. Other highlights: the moody, percussive "All My Colours (Zimbo)", a storming version of "The Cutter" and one of their classic extended renditions of "Do It Clean" where Ian works in lyrics of other songs (this ended up on their Sound of Echo/Never Stop EP). Bonus: lots of great '80s looks both onstage and in the crowd. [Bill Pearis]
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XTC on Rockpalast February 10, 1982
XTC singer/guitarist Andy Partridge suffered a mental breakdown on-stage in the middle of the band's Paris show in March of 1982. The band only played a few more shows after that and never toured again. It's a real shame as XTC were an amazing, energetic and incredibly tight live band, as you can see in this episode of German music program Rockpalast that was filmed about a month before that fateful Paris show. The band's fifth album, English Settlement, had only been out for a week and their set is heavy on those songs, including singles "Ball and Chain" and "Senses Working Overtime," with the 15-song set rounded out by now-classics like "Respectable Street," "Making Plans for Nigel," "Generals and Majors," "Sgt Rock," "Life Begins at the Hop," and "Towers of London." XTC's sound would change significantly after English Settlement and this show finds them at the height of their nervy powers. [Bill Pearis]
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The Sound @ TVE Studios in Madrid, Spain - 10/2/1984
The great Adrian Borland sadly took his own life in 1999, but he left behind a ton of work for us to remember him by, including material by his '70s punk band The Outsiders, his '80s post-punk band The Sound, and his solo career. He's a cult legend in some circles and severely underrated in others, and it's easy to see why so many people still latch onto his music to this day. He's a great songwriter, and like many of the best punk/post-punk singers, he's got a nervous energy in his voice, a subtle knack for melody, and the ability to really soar when the time is right. As this excellent video of The Sound from 1984 proves, that came across live just as well as it did in the studio. [Andrew Sacher]
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The Chameleons @ Camden Palace, London 9/11/1984
Contemporaries to The Sound and compatriots in style, The Chameleons shoulda been as big as U2 with their anthemic post-punk sound fueled by effects-laden guitars (the dueling Dave Fielding and Reg Smithies), John Lever's pounding drums and charismatic frontman/bassist Mark Burgess. It didn't turn out that way but The Chameleons' three '80s albums are all fantastic. They were great live, too, even more blistering than on record, as this 1984 performances proves. [Bill Pearis]
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OMD @ Rotterdam Ahoy 10/26/1985
While you can point to Belinda Carlisle and Molly Ringwald for making the "'80s Dance" a thing, some credit has to be given to OMD frontan Andy McCluskey who could rock that swaying move while also playing the bass. It's a big part of the synthpop icons' charm to this day. OMD always had a leg up on the competition by mixing all the keyboards with real drums and bass, not to mention an abundance of bangers like "Enola Gay," "Messages," Secret," "So In Love," "Locomotion" and more. All those are played at this Greenpeace benefit in Holland. [Bill Pearis]
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For more of our favorite live videos, head here.