Kicking off a four-part series on youth in 1985, the Observer headed round the country with its Walkman on, working out who was listening to what, and where they were dancing.
In a review of regional trends, the Smiths – New Order’s ‘new rivals’ for the Manchester gloom crown – were witheringly described as ‘romantic wimpery’. Liverpool’s scene was ‘an unholy scrap’ where music took second place to characters: ‘If you’ve got a mouth, you’re halfway to making the grade.’ Tears for Fears and XTC were helping Wales break free from its ‘heavy metal headbanging and straw chewing’ reputation and, in Scotland, Lloyd Cole and Aztec Camera lyrics showed ‘The American dream… looms larger than a desire to own a croft or farm salmon.’
