Classix Nouveaux
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Defunct | 1985 (initially) |
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Classix Nouveaux is a British new wave group that was active from 1979 to 1985, during which time they released three studio albums and eleven singles. Their most notable single, "Is It A Dream," achieved a peak position of No.11 on the UK Singles Chart.
The band also gained popularity across various international territories such as Portugal, Finland, Australia, Israel, Poland, and Iceland.
Formation
After the dissolution of X-Ray Spex, former members Jak Airport (guitar) and B.P. Hurding (drums) advertised in Melody Maker to find a lead vocalist. Sal Solo, previously with The News, answered the call, and alongside bassist Mik Sweeney, they established Classix Nouveaux. Their first live performance took place on 25 August 1979 at London's Music Machine (currently known as KOKO). The band's distinctive visual style led to their association with the burgeoning New Romantic scene. Later that year, Gary Steadman replaced Jak Airport on guitar.
In 1980, after recording a four-track session for Capital Radio, their song "Robot's Dance" received frequent spins by DJ Nicky Horne. This exposure attracted interest from United Artists, part of the EMI group, but due to delays in signing, the band independently released "Robot's Dance" through their own ESP label. The single remained on the UK Indie Chart for eleven weeks, reaching No. 22, and became a favored alternative dance hit. Their follow-up single, "Nasty Little Green Men," was issued on 10 November 1980.
Career
Classix Nouveaux’s debut album Night People came out in 1981, featuring two singles—"Guilty" and "Tokyo"—that both entered the UK Top 75 charts with moderate success. "Guilty" also achieved Top 20 status in Sweden and reached No. 25 in Australia. The album itself peaked at No. 66 in the UK. The band gained further recognition through a dynamic music video for "Guilty," directed by Russell Mulcahy, which was broadcast on MTV in the United States.
Their sophomore album, La Verité (1982), included the single "Is It A Dream," which became their sole Top 20 hit in Britain by climbing to No. 11. Although not officially part of the 'Blitz Kids' movement, their unique aesthetic often linked them to the New Romantic genre. The subsequent single "Because You're Young" reached No. 43 on UK charts, while the album attained No. 44 domestically and topped charts in Portugal. Expanding their reach, the band toured extensively through Asia and India. Following this tour, Finnish guitarist Jimi Sumen joined the lineup, taking over from Gary Steadman.
Their third and last album, Secret (1983), was produced by Alex Sadkin but encountered financial limitations that prevented its full completion. Anne Dudley contributed orchestral arrangements for the single "Forever and a Day." Due to insufficient promotional support, their record label eventually dropped them. Despite limited success in the UK market, tracks like "Never Never Comes" and "Heart from the Start" topped charts in Poland. The band continued touring extensively, including performing before an audience of 25,000 in Helsinki. By this stage, Sal Solo remained as the only founding member after lineup changes replaced Sumen with Rick Driscoll and B.P. Hurding with Paul Turley.
Break-up
Classix Nouveaux dissolved in 1985, by which stage Sal Solo had embarked on a solo path, scoring a UK chart hit with "San Damiano," which peaked at No. 15 early that year. He followed this with the album Heart and Soul and singles such as "Music and You" (which reached No. 52) and "Forever Be," though these releases achieved modest commercial impact. Subsequently, Solo collaborated with the French space-rock group Rockets before shifting his focus toward music with Christian themes.
Mik Sweeney moved to Los Angeles, where he crafted fretless bass guitars and worked as a session musician; he currently lives in Ireland. Gary Steadman became part of A Flock of Seagulls for their 1986 Dream Come True tour. Jimi Sumen pursued a career in record production in Finland and also released solo projects.
In 1997, EMI Records issued the initial Classix Nouveaux compilation album, which was re-released with an altered tracklist in 2003. From that year onward, Cherry Red Records reissued the band’s original albums on CD format. River Records brought out The River Sessions in 2005, a live recording from a 1982 performance at Strathclyde University. Cherry Red further released The Liberty Singles Collection in February 2021, compiling every single and B-side.
Reformation
In May 2021, the group reunited its classic members—Sal Solo, BP Hurding, Mik Sweeney, and Gary Steadman—and issued a new version of "Inside Outside," originally from their debut album. On 29 May 2022, their single "Fix Your Eyes Up" climbed to No. 10 on The Heritage Chart, featured on Mike Read’s show on Talking Pictures TV. On 17 November 2023, Classix Nouveaux unveiled Battle Cry, their first studio release in four decades (42 years for the founding lineup), marking a notable comeback.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | FIN | ICE | POR | SWE | ||
| Night People |
|
66 | 85 | 18 | — | — | 11 |
| La Verité |
|
44 | — | 6 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
| Secret |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| Battle Cry |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" indicates releases that did not chart or were unavailable in that market. | |||||||
Live albums
| Title | Album information |
|---|---|
| The River Sessions |
|
Compilation albums
| Title | Album information |
|---|---|
| Singles |
|
| The Very Best of Classix Nouveaux |
|
| The Very Best of Classix Nouveaux |
|
| The Liberty Singles Collection |
|
| The Liberty Recordings 1981–83 |
|
Singles
'Note: The symbol "–" indicates releases that either did not chart or were not distributed in that region.| Title | Year | Highest chart positions | Album | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | UK Indie | AUS | FIN | ICE | IRE | POL | POR | SPA | SWE | US Dance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The Robots Dance" | 1980 | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | rowspan=2 Template:N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Nasty Little Green Men" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Guilty" | 1981 | 43 | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | 66 | Night People | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Tokyo" | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Inside Outside" | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Run Away" (France-only release) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Never Again (The Days Time Erased)" | "44" | "—" | "—" | "13" | "—" | "—" | "3" | "1" | "13" | "19" | "—" | "La Verité" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Is It a Dream" | "11" | "—" | "—" | "11" | "3" | "29" | "—" | "9" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "La Verité" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Because You're Young" | "43" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "La Verité" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The End... Or the Beginning?" | "60" | "—" | "—" | "25" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—" | "—"
Template:N/A Non-album single |- |
"Forever and a Day" | '1983' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '26' | '—' | '—' | '5' | '—' | '—' | '—' | - | "Never Never Comes" | '1983' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '2' | '—' | '—' | '—' | - | "Heartbeat"(credited as Sal Solo with Classix Nouveaux) | '1985' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '3' | '—' | '—' | '—' | - | "Inside Outside 2021" | '2021' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | '—' | - | "Fix Your Eyes Up" | '2022' | '–' | '–' | '–' | '–' | '–' | '–' | '–' | '–' | '–' | Battle Cry |- | "Battle Cry"(Single Edit) | 2024 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | - |
Additional Charted Tracks
| Song Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Positions | Associated Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| POL | |||
| "Heart from the Start" | 1984 | 1 | Secret |
| "When They All Have Gone" | 10 |