“Looked like Lego”: What were the hats worn by Devo?
Every great band needs its own distinctive image: The Ramones had leather jackets; Kiss had their signature make-up, but new wave pioneers Devo were in search of something a little different. After all, the Ohio group were crafting a style of music that had never been heard by American audiences before, characterised by synthesisers, surrealist humour, and ample helpings of kitsch. In order to curate an original image to reflect that original sound, band leaders Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale set about creating an entrancing piece of headwear known as the energy dome.
Devo was a group founded on a staunch artistic manifesto. Using the overarching theme of de-evolution—the idea that society in America was regressing—the Kent State band explored the innermost recesses of American culture and society. Every aspect of Devo’s existence had been meticulously thought out, and consequently, when they emerged from the underground in 1978 with their debut album Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, the music-buying public had absolutely no idea what to make of them.
You cannot blame mainstream audiences for not adopting Devo. Not only were they creating an innovative, modern style of music that had rarely been heard before – aside from pioneering electronic outfits like Kraftwerk or Telex – but they also never sought to appeal to the mainstream. Devo created music for society’s outsiders and rejects, people who couldn’t relate to mainstream pop but also didn’t find much solace in the aggression of punk rock.
Even if you have never actively listened to Devo in your life, you are probably aware of the band’s image, usually marked by yellow boiler suits, sunglasses, and their distinctive red ‘flower-pot’ hats. The hats, known as energy domes, quickly became a defiant symbol for the band itself, with fans instantly associating the distinctive shape of the hats with the band and their music. To many outsiders, though, the origins and importance of the energy domes remain an unsolved mystery of the new wave era.
Devo actually designed and made the terraced plastic hats themselves, owing to their DIY approach to the music business. Mothersbaugh once recalled, “We designed them, Jerry [Casale] and I. We were influenced both by German Bauhaus movement and geometric fashion and Aztec temples.” Those influences certainly come across in the final product, with its geometric nature, bright primary colours, and staggered design.
Explaining the reason why the band decided to make these strange hats in the first place, the songwriter shared, “We just liked the look. It looked good, and it didn’t look like any other bands out there. We weren’t interested in wearing groovy hats or groovy clothing. We kind of looked like Lego toys or something by the time we got those on our heads, and that was a positive thing.” Looking like a consumer product helped to reflect the devolution message at the heart of the band’s music, and their distinctive look certainly set Devo apart from the rest of the new wave scene during the early 1980s.
From the very beginning, Devo had sought a strong image for themselves, and the energy dome was an extension of that desire. The band owe a lot to their adoption of the energy dome, with the hat featuring on various album covers, countless world tours, and the Halloween outfits of fans all over the world. Not long after their initial adoption, the energy dome became a definitive symbol of the band, not just an outlandish stage outfit.
So, when did Devo first wear the energy dome?
Although the energy dome is now an iconic symbol of Devo, the band didn’t actually adopt the headwear until 1980, seven years after they first formed while at Kent State University in Ohio. For their debut album in 1978, the band donned their usual yellow suits, but the energy domes had yet to be imagined by Mothersbaugh and Casale. However, when the follow-up album, Freedom of Choice, was unveiled, the band were proudly donning the domes on the album cover.
Devo continued to wear the energy domes throughout the Freedom of Choice tour, most notably during an appearance on the American television programme Fridays. The success of that tour on those TV appearances led the energy dome to become a regular part of Devo’s stagewear, appearing in virtually every tour and performance since those shows in 1980.
