The Evolution Of Indie Music

What is Indie music?

The term indie rock, derived from "independent," describes the small and relatively low-budget labels on which it is released and the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists involved. Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate companies, these labels and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream audiences. The term indie can also refer to the ‘underground’ nature of the music, this especially refers to the 1980’s when indie rock and its sub categories were practically unheard of.

The Smiths + R.E.M. 1980’sThe Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. The band consisted of vocalist Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce. Critics have called them the most important alternative rock band to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s and were seen as the first British Indie rock band paving the way for bands such as Oasis, The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys in the future.

R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention because of Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's unclear vocals.

Both The Smiths and R.E.M. were seen as the founders of Indie Rock because of there strange ways and there hands on approach to recording. The Smiths brought indie music to Britain Whilst R.E.M. brought a subgenre which eventually turned into Indie rock, College rock to America.

Blur, Oasis and the Britpop Movement 1990’s

A chart battle between Blur and Oasis dubbed "The Battle of Britpop" brought Britpop to the forefront of the British press in 1995. The bands had initially praised each other but over the course of the year antagonisms between the two increased. Spurred on by the media, the groups became engaged in what the NME dubbed on the cover of its 12 August issue the "British Heavyweight Championship" with the pending release of Oasis' single "Roll With It", and Blur's "Country House" on the same day. The battle pitted the two bands against each other, with the conflict as much about British class and regional divisions as it was about music. Oasis were taken as representing the North of England, while Blur represented the South. The event caught the public's imagination and gained mass media attention in national newspapers, tabloids, and even the BBC News. This battle between the two super bands meant that people were beginning to question the term ‘indie music’ and what it represented.

The Stone Roses are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's most successful line-up consists of vocalist Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Gary "Mani" Mounfield, and drummer Alan "Reni" Wren. The band released their debut album, The Stone Roses, in 1989. The album was a breakthrough success for the band and garnered critical acclaim, with many critics regarding it as one of the greatest British albums ever recorded.

The Decline in Indie MusicStarting on 10 August 1996, Oasis played a two-night set at Knebworth to a combined audience of 250,000 people, with one journalist commenting; "(Knebworth) could be seen as the last great Britpop performance; nothing after would match its scale. Oasis' third album Be Here Now was highly anticipated. Despite initially attracting positive reviews and selling strongly, the record was soon subjected to strong criticism from music critics, record-buyers and even Noel Gallagher himself. As the movement began to slow down, many acts began to falter and broke up. The popularity of the pop group the Spice Girls has been seen as having "snatched the spirit of the age from those responsible for Britpop.

The revival of Indie Music (The Libertines)

The Libertines were a British rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the song writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall (bass) and Gary Powell (drums) for most of its recording career. The band was part of the indie rock revival and spearheaded the movement in the UK. The band were seen as saving Indie Rock and bringing it back to the attention of the media with often controversial circumstances such as Doherty’s drug abuse and there famous Guerilla gigs were they would invite fans around to there flat to play intimate gigs. The band gained some notoriety in the early 2000s. Although their mainstream success was initially limited, their profile soon grew, culminating in a No. 2 single and No. 1 album on the UK Charts. In December 2004, their self-titled second album was voted the second best album of the year by NME magazine.

Present (Arctic Monkeys)

Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield. The band consists of Alex Turner (lead vocals, lead/rhythm guitar), Jamie Cook (rhythm/lead guitar), Nick O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Matt Helders (drums, backing vocals). Former member Andy Nicholson (bass guitar, backing vocals) left the band in 2006 shortly after their debut album was released. The band are regarded as one of the most prominent bands to be part of the Indie Rock revival in the UK, after achieving commercial success and spawning two number one singles with their debut album.Currently the Arctic Monkeys are one of the biggest bands in the world recently Headlining Glastonbury festival as well as embarking on a sold out world tour.