The Resurgence of British Music

Albion and Arcadia - The Resurgence of British Music

There are more toaters than usual tonight. “Seventy quid???? You’re having a laugh”. A familiar sound when walking through Birmingham’s dirty Irish quarter towards the most anticipated gig of the year. The band has drawn out all types. Your usual indie scenesters are out in abundance, fancy dress style skinny jeans, cardigans and trilby hats are mandatory. The older crowd consists of spectacle wearing men who look like out of work Geography teachers dragging their girlfriends to what is a cramped, sweaty hovel, purely for the sake of the music. I hustle for position. The floor is sticky and smells of urinal cakes. Finally the lights are dimmed. I plant my feet and prepare for the surge. As the plastic of a plectrum met the steel strings of a guitar and the wood of a stick met the leather of a snare I knew this was going to be good. The crowd lost it. Dirty Pretty Things had landed. Carl Barat was of course a member of the most important British band of this decade, the Libertines, and his new band are bursting ear drums in similar ado here in Birmingham tonight. Watching him, serves as a beautiful reminder as to how it started a few years ago.

The story now is as utopist as ever. The Libertines saved British music. It’s 2001 musically bands were suffering a post brit-pop hangover. The crass, vulgar bark of American bands such as Limp Bizcuit and Papa Roach was dominating radio and the best Britain could counter with was Travis, a well meaning guitar band that lacked teeth. The Libertines made music to believe in, the Libertines made music dangerous again. Their music was informed by literature, past greats and unique aspects of ‘Englishness’ that had become lost in the ‘Americanism’ of the time. Most importantly they gave us an identity. This is why in December 2002 when Pete and Carl put pen to paper and signed for Rough Trade Britain’s musical Renaissance began.
It has become boring to say it, but the Internet changed the music industry. Everybody loves the story of how a bunch of Sheffield born rapscallions called the Arctic Monkeys broke down the established norms and conquered the British charts. The Arctic Monkeys however, were not the first band to pioneer this medium. In 2002 the Libertines set the blueprint. Pete Doherty used online blogs, chat rooms and The Libertines’ very own web page to dissolve the distance between a band and their fans. For the first time a fan could become fully immersed in the development of a band, from the writing of songs to their culmination and performance. Doherty made people feel like they belonged to something special. Not only could he communicate upcoming guerilla gigs but also fans could gain access to his thoughts and feelings, especially detailing his tempestuous relationship with Carl. Libertines’ fans were devoted. As Anthony Thornton and Roger Sargent recall, in the book Bound Together, by the time the Libertines hit New York in early 2003 everybody knew the words to their songs – this kind of greeting had not been seen since Oasis and The Manic Street Preachers arrived a decade earlier and the Beatles years before them. Like every truly great band The Libertines built a following. The importance of this cannot be overstated.

In essence the Internet has served as a counter reaction to the hegemony of the major record labels. Indie music is commonly referred to as an abbreviation of independent music. This is true, but to some extent we can now regard ‘Indie’ as individual music. In this way we can account for why people feel this sense of ownership and belonging when they discover a band like The Libertines or the Arctic Monkeys. From this fans develop an emotional attachment to a band that draws a stronger bond than any passing craze. Without the Internet this could not have been achieved. Without the Internet The Libertines or Arctic Monkeys may not exist.

But this is the past, what of the future? For any potential musician it is now possible to create and distribute music without any record deal. Although I hate to lavish any praise on him, Rupert Murdoch’s Myspace.com has created a public space in which bands can offer songs, give tour dates, post messages, pick up feedback and communicate with fans on a whole new level. This has brought about a new era of low cost, mass-market music where anyone can make it. While record companies continue to seek money, and fans continue to pursue originality, the Internet will continue to be the most important tool in the Renaissance of British music.

John Peel was the most influential and highly respected radio DJ in this country. His death, in October 2004, prompted national grief on the same level as great musicians’ such as John Lennon or George Harrison. Both the BBC and the ITV news saw his death as holding more importance than the final stages of the U.S Presidential election. His influence and legacy on British music is incomparable. Although he may turn in his grave to hear it, John Peel was the Che Guevara of British music. His importance can be judged in the loose terms of influence and legacy. During his time at Radio 1 he actively resisted the norms of the established music and instead became the champion of new and original music. He very quickly distinguished himself as a natural subversive, pushing the boundaries and dragging the music industry forward by the scruff of its’ overly starched neck. At a time when Punk was banned from the BBC, John Peel was the first to play and promote the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and Siouxsie & the Banshees. He put his career and reputation on the line for the sake of British music. Years before Myspace.com had even been dreamt off, he began playing demo tapes that bands sent in. It was on this stage that the music of Joy Division, the Smiths, the Undertones and Pulp was given a national audience. The list of musicians that are grateful of his patronage even includes the likes of Led Zeppelin and Elton John who, in their early days, were introduced by Peel. And if you thought being the foundation of British music wasn’t hard enough, Peel introduced American bands Nirvana, the Pixies and the White Stripes to an audience far more open minded and accommodating than that in the U.S. His legacy will continue to open doors for new and original music in the years to come. It was said by Ian Inglis recently that too much emphasis has been placed on the longevity of his career. The importance of his career can be judged by his ability to retain and encourage enthusiasms, optimisms, and alternatives in the production and consumption of music.

NME magazine or the New Musical Express was launched March 7 1952 In its’ 54 years of existence it has done much for the plight of British music. Its’ history, and indeed popularity can be viewed in peaks and troughs. It is no surprise that when British music is dominant NME thrives both in sales and influence. In February this year Smash Hits magazine stopped press and ceased to be. During its heyday in the 80’s Smash Hits was selling up to 800,000 copies a fortnight, by 2005 it had dropped to just 92,358. What is it then about NME’s formula that makes it so successful? In my opinion it’s the material – the music. Smash Hits is pop music. No scratch that, Smash Hits is pap music. In reverse NME stands for new music. Its’ brand is built around new music, and new music is something Britain does well.

Now for a short but interesting history lesson: At some point in the music timeline, probably after The Beatles and the Stones but before Bowie, America spawned a disgusting behemoth of a music industry that rattled off artists and hits in the same way that Henry Ford banged out Model T’s. ‘Mass production’ music had begun. Britain had lost its place. But on the grand scale of things this was a temporary blip, or ‘trough’ if you’re still paying attention. In 1977 Punk arrived. If you’re wondering why I’m spelling it with a capital I’ll tell you. The French Revolution, The American Revolution, The Russian Revolution, all important historical events, as is Punk, question answered. Ok ok grandiose comment, but before AJP. Taylor comes to beat me with his ignorance stick, Punk did change the world.
Punk rose like a mainstream anti-Christ, turning established culture upside- down and igniting a revolution on the streets of London and New York. Overnight the status-quo was smashed. Punk redefined popular music and fashion, threatened the establishment, and legitimized an independent, do-it-yourself attitude. Punk captured and gave voice to the rebellious tendencies of youth in an all-new social identity. Most importantly, its’ legacy in the UK would continue to influence and impact future generations of youth culture.

But how, you may ask, is something that happened nearly thirty years ago, relevant today? Punk can be viewed today as the spear tip of the ongoing movement of counterculture. It is not its’ history that makes Punk so important, for as Malcom Mclaren once said, “History is for pissing on”, but more the benchmark it set for progress.

Britain does not have a mainstream music machine that can compete with that of America. So, for every Madonna, Nsync or Beyonce that is produced by the American machine, Britain fails to produce an answer. But this is not to say that British artists are less talented than their American contempories. In mainstream music talent is not relevant. For this reason the legacy of punk and the undercurrent of counterculture it created has helped nurture alternative talent in Britain, making it not only acceptable but also desirable to like British alternative music over that of the mainstream. If Punk didn’t happen would the Arctic Monkeys be sitting at the top of our charts now?

Unfortunately, as with Britpop a decade ago, our Renaissance won’t last forever. So let’s enjoy it while we can. Just a little something to think about. I picked The Daily Telegraph the other day and turned in a few pages. I saw a familiar picture of Glastonbury’s main stage. Underneath this the blurb read, ‘Internet poll names new-band stage after DJ John Peel’. How’s that do you? The British musical Renaissance and its’ composite parts will be on show for the world to see at Glastonbury next year.

As for Carl Barat and Dirty Pretty things, who knows? What we do know is that thanks to Punk, Peel and the Internet, they stand every chance.