art rock

1988
The Velvet Underground Nico died

On July 18, 1988, at age 49, Nico died of a cerebral hemorrhage following a bicycle accident in Ibiza , Spain.

Genesis (band) performed at Atlantic Records concert

on 14 May 1988, they performed a 20-minute set at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden.

Siouxsie and the Banshees Following a lengthy break, the band recruited multi-instrumentalist

Following a lengthy break, the band recruited multi-instrumentalist Martin McCarrick and guitarist Jon Klein . The quintet recorded a multifaceted album, Peepshow in 1988, with non-traditional rock instrumentation including cello and accordion . Q magazine praised the album in its 5-star review: ” Peepshow takes place in some distorted fairground…
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Buck-Tick had become popular enough that they could only play at

Buck-Tick had become popular enough that they could only play at large halls now. They missed small live houses, so they organized a secret gig under the false name “Bluck-Tlick” at Shinjuku Loft on January 24, 1988. The alias was taken from a shōjo manga that was based on themselves,…
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Queen (band) noticed his increasingly gaunt appearance

Fans noticed his increasingly gaunt appearance in 1988, with Mercury insisting he was merely “exhausted” and too busy to provide interviews; he was now 42 years old and had been involved in music for nearly two decades.

Genesis (band) shows released

The shows were released in 1988 as The Invisible Touch Tour .

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds saw the arrival

Tender Prey , the dark, brooding 1988 follow-up, saw the arrival of American guitarist and The Gun Club stalwart Kid Congo Powers —Harvey made the transition to bass—and short-tenured German keyboardist Roland Wolf .

Queen (band) working on various solo projects

After working on various solo projects during 1988 (including Mercury’s collaboration with Montserrat Caballé , Barcelona ),

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featured in 1988 film

Cave was featured in the 1988 film Ghosts… of the Civil Dead , which he and Race co-wrote.

The Who Lifetime Achievement Award

At the 1988 Brit Awards , at the Royal Albert Hall , the band were given the British Phonographic Industry ‘s Lifetime Achievement Award. The short set they played there was the last time Jones played with the Who until 2014.