Department S

DEPARTMENT S
 
 
Department S  are a British post-punk/new wave band formed in 1980, who took their name from the 1960s TV series Department S.  They are best known for their debut single, “Is Vic There?”, which was originally released in December 1980 and reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart the following year.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 

Of the songs that I have heard, the deceptively languid “Johnny No” is my favorite Primitives song and is included on the English Freakbeat, Volume 4 CD.  The mix of foreign-language lyrics and an English tag line reminds me of the delightful 1980 song “Is Vic There?” by the British band Department S; I once had the “French version” of the song on a small punk rock CD that I stumbled on in a bargain bin.  Evidently there was the regular English version and also an Italian version.  

  

(May 2015)