Band · United Kingdom
The Buggles
Formed in 1977 · Ended in 1981
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About
The Buggles are an English new wave band formed in London in 1977. Their best-known lineup was as a duo of singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes, with Bruce Woolley briefly contributing as a member from 1977 to 1979. They are best known for their 1979 debut single, "Video Killed the Radio Star", which topped the UK singles chart and reached number one in 15 other countries.
They released their debut studio album, The Age of Plastic, on the 10 January 1980. On 7 September 1979, "Video Killed the Radio Star" was released, serving as both the lead song of the album and the band's debut single. The modestly successful singles "Living in the Plastic Age", "Clean, Clean" and "Elstree" followed. Around this time, the group also produced the Jags' most successful single, "Back of My Hand", and helped with the production of Dan-I's sole hit, "Monkey Chop".
Soon after the album's release, Horn and Downes joined the progressive rock band Yes, recording and releasing Drama (1980) in the process. They also released their second and final studio album that year, Adventures in Modern Recording. After a tour to promote the album, the group disbanded in 1981. That same year, on 1 August, the music video for "Video Killed the Radio Star" became the first shown on MTV in the United States, It also was the final music video played on MTV Music when it ceased broadcasting on 31 December 2025.
Since 1998, Horn and Downes have occasionally performed the Buggles' songs. The band had its debut tour in 2023 in a lineup with Horn, but without Downes. Their most recent reunion occurred in 2023, and is currently ongoing as of 2025. In 2017, they planned a musical entitled The Robot Sings, although its fate is unknown. Their work has influenced popular acts such as Justice, Phoenix and Daft Punk, and has been covered by artists such as Erasure, Robbie Williams and Ben Folds Five.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Also in Français
The Buggles était un groupe de synthpop et new wave britannique, originaire de Wimbledon (Londres) en Angleterre. Il se forme en 1977 et se sépare en 1981. Ce duo, constitué de Geoff Downes et Trevor Horn, connaît son plus gros succès en 1979 avec son premier single, Video Killed the Radio Star.
Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Discography
Albums
EPs
- 1979 Excerpts From 'The Age of Plastic'
- 2012 Lenny
- 2012 On TV
Singles
- 1979 Video Killed the Radio Star
- 1980 Clean, Clean
- 1980 The Plastic Age
- 1980 Elstree
- 1981 I Am A Camera
- 1981 On Tv
- 1993 Video Killed the Radio Star / Living on Video (remix)