Music Minute: Ghosts – Japan (1981)

While sitting in our favourite local cafe, Cool Hand of a Girl, we heard a favourite melody and it reignited our love of gothic new-wave (Not that we’re saying the flame ever went out). We were in fact listening to Japan.

Forming in 1974, it would be this band from South London who’d help usher in NewWave. Achieving success in the late 1970s, early 1980s, they have been cited as an important influence on 1980s synthpop bands such as Duran Duran and Camouflage.
They would forever be associated with the ‘New Romantic ‘ fashion movement, an association which would always be denied by Japan.

In the early 80s, the group would garner their most notable success with “Ghosts“. From the 1981 album ‘ Tin Drum“, it reached number 5 in the UK Singles Chart in 1982. Although it was their biggest hit, this was not enough to stop the band splitting only a few months later.