In between Oxford, Cambridge and Hogwarts, there was the mysterious PPU (Post-Punk University) it’s star pupils who matriculated in 1980.

Unfortunately, it seems lesser genre spinoffs like New Romantics (with after school classes held at the Blitz club in Covent Garden in 1979-80) and students who flunked out attended nighttime adult education classes in Goth at the Batcave from 1982-85, got more of the glory, or at least impact in fashion and culture.

The Cure

The star valedictorian was actually a transfer student from an art college headed by Wire, completing their first year with the formative Three Imaginary Boys (1979). The Cure didn’t get full credit, do to the failure to include their best songs so far, “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Jumping Someone Else’s Train” and the misunderstood Camus referencing “Killing an Arab.” After studying the foreboding power of Joy Division shows and lending his guitar playing to pals Siouxsie & the Banshees, who were also evolving quickly, Robert Smith put the band on a more focused track that later became known as the Gloom Trilogy. The peak, Pornography (1982) nearly killed them, so they took a year sabbatical before their lesser acclaimed The Top (1984), a messy but interesting psychedelic experiment. They wouldn’t have graduated on time if not for the school accepting the singles compilation Japanese Whispers (1983), which hinted at what would later make them post-graduate superstars.

The Sound

Salutatorian The Sound had a breathtaking body of work. If it weren’t for the strength of The Cure’s singles, they might have stolen the top spot. Adrian Borland and team actually had the valuable experience of the open university of Punk from 1976-79. As The Outsiders, their Calling On Youth album was one of the first self-released full length punk album in May 1977, preceded only by the Buzzcocks’ Spiral Scratch EP. While that and Close Up (1978) were solid efforts, the band really clicked when they recorded Propaganda in 1979, which was never released. They changed their name to The Sound and entered the PPU (post-punk university) in 1980, starting strong with Jeopardy (1980). Into the Lions Mouth (1981) is their peak which should have won awards and accolades, but languished in obscurity, slowly gaining an audience after reissues starting in 2001. All Fall Down (1982) is underrated even by fans, and makes more sense if considered as what Wire might have done right after 154 (1979). The lack of success caused a wobble, and a delayed graduation. Shock of Daylight EP (1984) and Heads and Hearts (1985) were less experimental, but did a fantastic job in creating their own take on Big Music that would have other contemporaries rocking stadiums. Sadly, it wasn’t to be for The Sound, and after the solid Thunder Up (1987) and several solo albums, Borland took his own life in 1999.

The Comsat Angels

PPU cum laude graduates The Comsat Angels operated in somewhat similar sonic territories as The Sound, integrating subtle psychedelic elements into their doom laden post-Joy Division post-punk Also like The Sound, their greatest achievement was their sophomore year thesis, Sleep No More (1981). While less accessible than the elegantly moody soundscapes of Waiting for a Miracle (1980), it was a masterclass in tension and bleakness. They got as much criticism for their fearless adventure into the extreme as The Cure got acclaim for doing the same thing a year later. Life continues to be unfair.

Echo & The Bunnymen

Graduating magna cum laude, Echo & the Bunnymen spent their third year abroad, touring heavily surpassing even the mighty Cure in ticket and album sales at the time. While I have a soft spot for their debut, they’re one of the few where their fourth album is their most successful and critically acclaimed. Over the years Ian McCulloch himself hasn’t been shy about repeatedly calling it “the greatest album ever made.” The band expanded their references to the likes of Jaques Brel and Scott Walker, and while their bombastic use of strings and the sweeping romance of “Seven Seas” and “The Killing Moon,” threaten to be too much, they stay on the line.