plus Shiiine On DJs until 2.30am
—
British popsters Republica blend dance-fueled beats with a definite 1980s-punk sensibility.
Fronted by a photogenic lead singer and backed by four musicians with much collective experience behind them, Republica achieved their first success in the United States while earning comparisons with Garbage, another alterna-pop act with a similar formula to its line-up. Yet Republica’s success Stateside with their infectious single “Ready to Go” was near- heretical act for a British band; its sales and the attendant MTV coverage would doom them to the silent treatment in the rabid U.K. music press, but by 1997 the band had attained some grudging respect at home and a favorable review or two.