Bang! 101 Songs about Nuclear War from the 1980s
A podcast delving into 101 amazing songs from the 1980s that dealt with the threats posed by nuclear war.
You'll hear us discuss the biggest hits of the decade (did you even know they were about nuclear war?), songs that you might have forgotten and that need to be heard again, and songs that you may never heard.
Every fortnight, Dave and Pank will be exploring some of the best known hits from around the world, to lesser-known deeper cuts. Every genre of 80s music gets a look-in: punk, new wave, funk, soul, rock, heavy rock, indie, reggae, disco.
We will be discussing the songs from a musical and cultural perspective. What else was happening in the world of television and literature to help paint this nuclear landscape?
With every podcast, we will update our Spotify playlist with the songs we are going to discuss. Have a listen to the tunes, and then the chat, or the chat.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0vLjQBbJEhiDaFNOTz9snD?si=05f85de012a84bfb
Presenters: Dave and Pank
Opening and end music:(Waiting for the) Heatwave by Fay Ray , appears courtesy of Fay Ray, written by John Lovering.
With thanks to Richie for voice, Rachel for art and Shivam for tech
Do email us at [email protected]
Message us at @bangpodcast.bsky.social
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 47 minutes
- Episodes
- 15
- Years Active
- 2025
Have You Ever Seen this Kind of World?
Welcome to Episode 14. This time Dave and Pank travel around the world to hear what other countries were singing about nuclear war.
We start in Nigeria, with the inspirational and innovative William O…
Scarred For Life
It’s Episode 13…. And it’s lucky for us, as we welcome the two creators of “Scarred for Life”, Stephen Brotherstone and Dave Lawrence.
“Scarred for Life” have published 3 magnificent volumes that cove…
The Hands that Threaten Doom
Let there be rock! It's our heavy metal episode. Fuelled by listener demands, we've been exploring 80s nuclear war metal songs. In addition to our usual 5, we run down 20 of the best metal nuclear so…
In the Shadow of the Mushroom Cloud
It’s 12 noon in London, 7am in Philadelphia and around the world, people are getting ready for Episode 11. July 13th 1985 saw one of the greatest concerts of all time, as the world of rock and pop u…
This is Not a Test
Welcome to Episode 10!
Almost half way there. In the last episode we explored Cold War tunes of Australian and New Zealand. In this episode we look at the genuine funkatomic bombs that America produce…
Funkatomic Bombs From Australia
It’s Episode 9!
Welcome – once again the guests come thick and fast as we explore the nuclear themed music of the 80s from two lands down under – Australia and New Zealand. Our special guests this epi…
Look Now, Look All Around... There's No Sign of Life.
Welcome to Episode 8 – with our very special guest, Sylvia Patterson, influential music journalist who was at Smash Hits Magazine when it was at the peak of its popularity. She has written for the bi…
Someone Pushed the Button Down
It’s Episode 7 and, to coincide with the recent Eurovision Song Contest, we look at artists who have either been in Eurovision or have some indirect links with it….
We start with UK champions Bucks Fi…
A Witch Hunt and a Nuclear Party
It's Episode 6, and this time the theme is "Angry Young Britain". We explore songs from bands who raged against the injustices of the day and welcome a very special guest. Four of them hail from the …
Hello? Is Anybody Home?
Welcome to Episode 5 and thanks for being part of our ever growing nuclear family.
There’s not a male vocalist in sight, as we discuss 5 entirely different but outstanding female vocalists of the age.…
So Glad We've Almost Made It....
Welcome to Episode 4 of Bang! (Number 1 in Goodpods Rock and Pop charts for March 2025)
We discuss one of the biggest and best loved songs of the 80s… “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for…
(Waiting for the) Heatwave
In this episode, we are delighted to welcome Tony Travis of Fay Ray for an interview, in which we discuss his band, the album and the song that is the title of this episode and our regular intro and …
Nuclear Melodies for Atomic Crimes
In our 2nd episode, we start by paying tribute to the great Rick Buckler and discuss The Jam's 1980 classic "Going Underground"; then we move on to the calm and reflective "Glad It's All Over" by Cap…
Welcome to the Red Skies...
Welcome to Episode 1 of Bang! 101 Songs about Nuclear War from the 1980s.
In our first episode, "Welcome to the Red Skies...", we discuss the perennial classic, "Enola Gay" by OMD; Hot Chocolate's les…
Bang! 101 Songs about Nuclear War from the 1980s
In this trailer, Dave and Pank tell you what to expect when, on 17th February 2025, we launch the first episode of our podcast.
(Waiting for the) Heatwave appears courtesy of Fay Ray. Written by John…