Sylvia & The Sapphires - Shopping Around • TopPop

What this video is

Released in July 1982 on Stiff Records (BUY 154), 'Shopping Around' by Sylvia & The Sapphires sits at a precise cultural inflection point: the moment when UK independent labels began producing dedicated promotional videos as standard practice, yet still relied heavily on continental European TV programs like AVRO's TopPop for international exposure. TopPop, which aired weekly from September 1970 to June 1988 on…

Why it matters

Represents the rare intersection of the Stiff Records indie-pop catalogue with continental European TV-promo culture. As a soul-inflected new wave girl-group act on Stiff in 1982, Sylvia & The Sapphires occupy an under-documented niche between post-punk indie aesthetics and mainstream pop…

The director

David Robinson (born 14 May 1944, Drumcondra, Dublin), known as 'Robbo', is an Irish music executive, music video director, record producer, manager, and photographer. He co-founded Stiff Records in August 1976 with Jake Riviera and signed artists including…