12 Iconic Top of the Pops Performances That Reshaped British Music

Every now and then I get people asking for a playlist of every song mentioned in my videos: Well here's a Spotify link for this one: open.spotify.com/playlist/0RZODeEHlAfLb4dO88B174?s… Youtube Music Link: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLooaZ33lSalc0-rFNGxSMkp…

Adam and the Ants- Stand and Deliver. I was 11 and I went into school the next day and painted a white stripe across my face in Art class. Then, so did 4 other kids. The teacher didn’t know what the hell was going on but he was cool and wanted to. That was my first experience of feeling part of the beginning of something. It was great.

It wasn't a power cut for the Stone Roses. The studio had a decibel limiter as a union requirement for the crew, and in rehearsals they tripped it, so were warned to turn down the amps, which they happily did. As soon as they went live, they jacked up the back line so loud the limiter went red for 30 secs then automatically cut the power to the stage (which is why the presenters mic is still on and the lights didn't go off, which would have happened in a power cut). The SR threw a tantrum until the programme went to VT, and then instantly calmed down and thanked everyone for the stunt. My dad was running the sound in the studio, I remember him coming home moaning about them!

David Bowie on Top of the Pops – one of the most significant moments in popular culture at all. Literally blew up the minds of a generation, having a gigantic creative force.

You really make some of the absolute top-tier music content on YouTube.

I know you've covered it before, but Kate Bush's debut with Wuthering Heights was jaw dropping for me as a kid. And I guess my personal highlight would be as a 15 year old goth-curious, seeing The Sisters do TOTP 3 times in a year with This Corrosion, Dominion and Lucretia. Absolutely glorious!

Wow, Bauhaus, Banshees, Bunnymen, Buzzcocks, Jam, I could go on. Whoever put this together, kudos

Thank you again for supplementing my music education. The British music canon is not readily available here in the states. This is another well researched, organized, edited, segmented and presented video. The connections between earlier and later artists are well explained. Childhood amazement turns to true respect when the younger artists emulate their idols. Well told.

I just shed about 40 years and I'm back in front of the TV watching TOTP and hoping my dad won't walk into the living room and ask me what this music is all about and why I like it. Glorious nostalgia and awkwardness.

Excellent video and a really superb choice of performances - many of which I remember! I would add either/both Kate Bush's first performance of 'Wuthering Heights' and Siouxsie and the Banshees' 'Hong Kong Garden' in 1978 as watershed moments when female musicianship and autonomy in their images and performance began to come of age. I've heard many musicians (male and female) reference these as early influences.

Iron Maiden doing Running Free while actually playing live has gotta be number one for me, it's legendary

Before Desmond Dekker's "Israelites", there was Milly Small singing "My Boy Lollipop" in 1964! That was probably the first mainstream exposure of ska in the UK. (Early ska was often in triple time, before 2/4 and 4/4 time signatures became standard.)

Tubeway Army in 1979 turned the music scene on its head overnight. Are "Friends" Electric? was simply sensational and still feels shead of its time today. Numan also had a superb look and concept to go with it. The full package. His emergence also opened the door for other brilliant bands such as the original versions of Ultravox and Human League , as well as OMD to finally gain the recognition they deserved but had not got up to that point. The floodgates also opened for many other new and exciting synth based bands and solo artists. Tubeway Army/Numan were pivotal in '79 and changed the landscape dramatically.

Skunk Anansie and Bjork doing Army of Me on TOTP was one of the best things I ever heard

I lived as a kid in the 🇬🇧 from '84 to '92. TOTP was so influential in my upbringing and that of several generations of youths. We were so lucky to live such great years of music!

Babe, new Trash Theory dropped. Wake up the entire neighborhood.

The thing I love so much about music (Rock in particular), is how everything, no matter how independent or small it may seem at the moment, can be largely influential to an entire generation... which can again influence another generation. Artists sharing their art with the world and in return, are acknowledged by the people they've influenced, even 20 years after their "prime" in the spotlight. Continuously building upon of ideas laid out by people who just wanted to share their creations with the world. Even with the commercialization of Alternative musical genres growing with each decade, authenticity ALWAYS seemed to break through above everything else. Music is always evolving because PEOPLE evolve; not manufactured radio hits.

I grew up in the 70s and 80s.... what a dynamic time. Love Bowie, Clash, Pistols, Specials, the Police, Beat, Jam, Marley, B52s, Spandau Ballet, UB40, OMD..Gary Numan... they were all over the place in a good way.

My youth revisited. Thursday evenings were sacred and you typically knew / hoped who the line up would be each week based Sunday’s Radio One Top 40 broadcast. For me this is the best video this channel has ever produced because it celebrates my eclectic and broad tastes when it comes to music. And like the commentary mentioned, TOTP probably influenced me to become a musician. Performances that stick in my memory include: Cameo / Word Up (and that red codpiece), Pet Shop Boys / West End Girls, Gary Numan / Cars, and the travesty that was All About Eve / Martha’s Harbour. After watching this I’m going to spend the day creating play lists and sharing this video with friends ❤

In the early 70s I'll never forget the uproar when some quiet 14 year old turned up at the grammar school where I was a first year with a Ziggy hairstyle. He was given a hideous verbal tirade from the prefects and he was sent home. He never came back. Back then in a miserable provincial town like ours it seemed unthinkable to be different. I was confused but impressed and shocked to see him get such a level of abuse. I hope he did okay in life.