I’m eagerly awaiting tonight’s Cut Copy show in Austin, Texas! This ’80s-influenced band from Melbourne, Australia has skyrocketed to indie popularity in the seven years since the release of their first album Bright Like Neon Love in 2004. I remember seeing the band at South by Southwest in 2005 with the guy I’d just started dating (now my husband), and I was heavily drawn to the upbeat, layered synthpop that captivated the crowd.

Since we spent last week exploring ’80s tribal fashion and we’re getting ready to celebrate ’80s jungle style, here’s a little primal ditty from British group Toto Coelo (known in America as Total Coelo). They’re not wearing cheetah print frocks or hanging from vines, but the neon hut, palm trees and rhythmic chanting certainly give the piece a jungle-like feel.

On the heels of our ’80s Tribal Fashion post, we bring you the video for a track with a tribal sound: Bow Wow Wow’s 1981 single “Chihuahua.” The band is known for its African-influenced percussion. Drummer David Barbarossa, guitarist Matthew Ashman and bassist Leigh Gorman had previously been key members of Adam and the Ants (Bow Wow Wow’s tendency toward New Romantic fashions designed by Vivienne Westwood are reminiscent of the musicians’ Adam and the Ants days). If “tribal, New Wave romanticism” were a style, this band would emanate it!

In keeping with the spirit of this week’s Afropop theme, we direct you to the music video (that might as well be a comedy bit) for “You Can Call Me All,” a hit song from Paul Simon’s 1986 album Graceland. Much of the album was recorded in South Africa and featured South African musicians. However, the album was a melding of styles, including pop and rock, and its unique sound earned it the 1986 Grammy for Album of the Year.

This week Mirror80 spotlights ’80s music that was influenced and inspired by African rhythms. When listening to bands like Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club, Bow Wow Wow and Oingo Boingo, or to musicians like Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel, it’s hard not to notice certain connections, especially of the percussive nature.

Our ’80s Egyptian Revival week wraps up with a video it would’ve been crazy NOT to feature! That’s right–it’s the Bangles, with a song they included on their 1986 album Different Light.

Greetings from Austin, Texas, where the South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conferences and Festivals are well underway. Two nights ago, Duran Duran headlined at Stubb’s. I was happily immersed in the Film Festival while they performed, but my brother Andy was at the show and said the band delivered a good mix of songs. Crowd-pleaser “The Chauffeur” was awesome. Furthermore, the band opened with “A View to a Kill” (how wonderfully unexpected)!

For this week’s Friday Video Pick, we can’t help but select a video that captures the glitz and glam of a night out on the town. And because of our earlier post on ’80s nightlife for the working professional (and the New York City setting of many of the ’80s films that feature fast-track yuppies), this gem of a video seemed perfect! Filmed in NYC at the St. Regis, it combines signature ’80s fashion touches with a sophisticated sound and a nod to ’30s glamour.

Mirror80 concludes My Little Pony Week with music videos from two Eighties ladies with hair to rival the most elaborate of My Little Pony manes. When it came to selecting music videos with the allure and vibrancy of one of our favorite 1980s toys, we couldn’t help but “highlight” the hair of Missing Persons’ Dale Bozzio in “Destination Unknown” and Cyndi Lauper in “True Colors.”

In keeping with this week’s ’80s fairy tale theme, we thought we’d spotlight this Ric Ocasek video, in which the singer portrays a prince who must fight and defeat a powerful beast to obtain the potion that will revive his Beloved.