Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'

7/29/2019 Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'

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Colegiul Naional Dimitrie Cantemir Oneti

Lucrare de atestat

la Limba Englezsesiunea mai 2012

Coordonator, Candidat,

Prof. Filip Felicia Panru Andreea


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A brief history ofBritish Indie Rock


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Contents

Foreword . i

Chapter 1 (Origins: 1980s) ................ 1

College rock and noise rock Development: 1990s Mainstream success: 2000spresent

Chapter 2 (The Smiths) . 3

Formation and early singles (1982 -1984) Discography (19841987)

Chapter 3 (Oasis) ............... 5

Formation and early years (19911994) Discography (1995-2009)

Chapter 4 (Arctic Monkeys) . ....8

Early years and record deal (20022005) Discography (2006-present) Turners affair - The Last Shadow Puppets

Conclusion . ii

Appendices iii

Appendix 1The Smiths on the cover of NME in 2011 Appendix 2Noel Gallagher on the cover of Q magazine in 1996 Appendix 3Arctic Monkeys on the cover of Hot Press in 2009

Bibliography . vi


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Foreword

Indie is a genre of alternative rock which for the past 10-12 years has been slowly but

surely taking shape and emerging from musical underground into becoming the broadly beloved

outlaw of mainstream, defying the charts and gathering followers like a new unconventional

religion.

With roots spread across the United Kingdom, United States and Canada since the early

1980s, the British indie movement will remain the most significant and ardent, through the

eagerness and ambition of both its veterans and rookies.

As far as a definition is concerned, indie rock is generally associated with a number ofstyles that are: "too sensitive and melancholy; too soft and delicate; too dreamy and hypnotic; too

personal and intimately revealing in its lyrics; too low-fidelity and low-budget in its production;

too angular in its melodies and riffs; too raw, abrasive, too oblique and fractured in its song

structures; too influenced by experimental or otherwise unpopular musical styles."

(clashmusic.com)

The purpose of this paper is to offer an overall view on the evolution of the British indie

scene as well as the succinct story of several significant musicians throughout its different stages,

from The Smiths, standing out as a defining band back when indie rock was not yet a clearly

distinct genre, to Oasis, who have brought a revolution not only in their area, but in the entire

British music scene with visible effects until this day, and Arctic Monkeys, the representatives of

todays indie rock culture, carrying on their legacy and assuring that this genre is yet to have

proven its full potential.

i


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1. Origins: 1980s

College rock and noise rock

In the mid-1980s, the term "indie" began to be used to describe the music producedon post-punklabels rather than the labels themselves. The indie rock scene in the US was

prefigured by the college rockthat dominated college radioplaylists, which included key bands

like R.E.M. from the US andThe Smithsfrom the UK. These bands rejected the

dominant synthpop of the early 1980s, and helped inspire guitar-based jangle pop; other

important bands in the genre included 10,000 Maniacs and the dB's from the US, and The

Housemartins and The La's from the UK.

The most abrasive and discordant outgrowth of punk was noise rock, which emphasized

loud distorted electric guitars bands and powerful drums, and was pioneered by bands

including Sonic Youth, Swans, Big Blackand Butthole Surfers. A number of prominent indie

rock record labels were founded during the 1980s. These include Washington DC's DischordRecords in 1980, Seattle's Sub Pop Records in 1986 and New York City's Matador

Records and Durham, North Carolina's Merge Records in 1989. Chicago's Touch and Go

Records was founded as a fanzine in 1979 and began to release records during the 1980s.

Development: 1990sThe 1990s brought major changes to the alternative rock scene. Grungebands such

as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chainsbroke into the mainstream, achieving

commercial chart success and widespread exposure. Punk revivalbands like Green Day and TheOffspring also became popular and were grouped under the "alternative" umbrella. Similarly, in

the United Kingdom Britpop saw bands like Blur and Oasis emerge into the mainstream,

abandoning the regional, small-scale and political elements of the 1980s indie scene.

As a result of these changes the term "alternative" lost its original counter-cultural

meaning and began to refer to the new, commercially lighter form of music that was now

achieving mainstream success. The term "indie rock" became associated with the bands and

genres that remained dedicated to their independent status.

Ryan Moore has argued that in the wake of the appropriation of alternative rock by the

corporate music industry that what became known as indie rock increasingly turned to the past to

produce forms of "retro" rock that drew on garage rock, rockabilly, blues, country and swing.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_radiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangle_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_Maniacshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dB%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_La%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Youthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swans_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Blackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butthole_Surfershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_DChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_Pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durhamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merge_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicagohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanzinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grungehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundgardenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Chainshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_revivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabillyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabillyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blur_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Offspringhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_revivalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_in_Chainshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundgardenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grungehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanzinehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touch_and_Go_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicagohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merge_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durhamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matador_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Cityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub_Pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dischord_Recordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_DChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_record_labelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butthole_Surfershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Blackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swans_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_Youthhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_La%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartinshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dB%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_Maniacshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jangle_pophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthpophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smithshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campus_radiohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_rockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punk


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Mainstream success: 2000spresentIn the 2000s, the changing music industry, the decline in record sales, the growth of new

digital technology and increased use of the Internet as a tool for music promotion allowed a new

wave of indie rock bands to achieve mainstream success. This new commercial breakthrough and

the widespread use of the term "indie" to other forms of popular culture, led a number of

commentators to suggest that indie rock had ceased to be a meaningful term.During the decade, the term which previously in the United States had very limited usage

"became the label of choice for Americans and an even greater worldwide audience to talk

about modern rock and pop music". Wendy Fonarow, an anthropology professor and author of

the bookEmpire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie Culture, asserts that this

change occurred because at the turn of the century American bands began to be influenced by

British indie music and the Internet, which made British music publications and online music

websites such as Pitchfork Media immediately available to readers.

In the early 2000s, a new group of bands that played a stripped-down and back-to-basics

version of guitar rock emerged into the mainstream. They were variously characterized as part of

a garage rock, New Wave orpost-punkrevival. Because the bands came from across the globe,

cited diverse influences (from traditional blues, through New Wave to grunge), and adopteddiffering styles of dress, their unity as a genre has been disputed. There had been attempts to

revive garage rock and elements of punk in the 1980s and 1990s and by 2000 scenes had grown

up in several countries.

The commercial breakthrough from these scenes was led by four bands: The Strokes,

who emerged from the New York club scene with their dbut album Is This It (2001), The

White Stripes, from Detroit, with their third album White Blood Cells (2001), The Hives from

Sweden, after their compilation album Your New Favourite Band (2001), and The Vines from

Australia with Highly Evolved (2002). They were christened the "The" bands by the media,

and dubbed "The saviours of rock 'n' roll", leading to accusations of hype.

A second wave of bands that managed to gain international recognition as a result of the

movement included The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Modest Mouse, The

Killers, Interpol and Kings of Leon from the US. From the UK were The Libertines, Franz

Ferdinand, Bloc Party, Editors, The Fratellis, Placebo, Razorlight, Kaiser Chiefs and The

Kooks, but without a doubt,Arctic Monkeys were the most prominent indie rock act to emerge

from the UK scene at the time, owing their initial commercial success to the use of Internet

social networking.

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2. The Smiths Formation and early singles (1982 -1984)

The Smiths were an English alternative rockband, formed in Manchesterin 1982. Based

on the song writing partnership ofMorrissey (vocals) and Johnny Marr(guitar), the band alsoincluded Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (drums). Critics have called them the most

important alternative rockband to emerge from the British independent music scene of the

1980s.

The Smiths were formed by Steven Patrick Morrissey, a writer who was a big fan of

the New York Dolls and briefly fronted punk rockband The Nosebleeds, and John Maher, a

guitarist and songwriter. Maher changed his name to Johnny Marr to avoid confusion

with Buzzcocks drummerJohn Maher, and Morrissey performed under his surname alone. After

recording several demo tapes with Simon Wolstencroft (later ofThe Fall) on drums, Morrissey

and Marr recruited drummer Mike Joyce in the autumn of 1982.

The band picked their name in part as a reaction against those used by synthpopbands of

the early 1980s, such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Darkand Spandau Ballet, which they

considered pretentious. In a 1984 interview Morrissey said that he chose The Smiths "because it

was the most ordinary name" and because he thought that it was "time that the ordinary folk of

the world showed their faces". Signing to indie label Rough Trade Records, they released their

first single, "Hand in Glove", in May 1983. The record was championed by DJ John Peel, as

were all of their later singles, but failed to chart. The follow-up singles "This Charming Man"

and "What Difference Does It Make?" fared better when they reached numbers 25 and 12

respectively on the UK Singles Chart.

Discography (19841987)In February 1984, the group released their debut album The Smiths, which reached

number two on the UK Albums Chart.

Early in 1985 the band released their second album, Meat Is Murder. This album was

more strident and political than its predecessor, including the pro-vegetarian title track

(Morrissey forbade the rest of the group from being photographed eating meat), the light-hearted

republicanism of "Nowhere Fast", and the anti-corporal punishment "The Headmaster Ritual"

and "Barbarism Begins at Home". The band had also grown more diverse musically, with Marr

adding rockabilly riffs to "Rusholme Ruffians" and Rourke playing a funk bass solo on

"Barbarism Begins at Home". Morrissey brought a political stance to many of his interviews,

courting further controversy.

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Among his targets were the Thatcher government, the monarchy, and the famine relief

project Band Aid. Morrissey famously quipped of the last, "One can have great concern for the

people ofEthiopia, but it's another thing to inflict daily torture on the people of England"

("torture" being a reference to the music that resulted from the project). The subsequent single-

only release "Shakespeare's Sister" reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart, although the

only single taken from the album, "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore", was less successful, barely

making the top 50.

During 1985 the band completed lengthy tours of the UK and the US while recording

their next studio record, The Queen Is Dead. The album was released in June 1986, shortly

after the single "Bigmouth Strikes Again". The single again featured Marr's strident acoustic

guitar rhythms and lead melody guitar lines with wide leaps. The Queen Is Dead reached

number two in the UK charts, and consisted of a mixture of mordant bleakness (e.g. "Never Had

No One Ever", which seemed to play up to stereotypes of the band), dry humour (e.g. "Frankly,

Mr. Shankly", allegedly a message to Rough Trade boss Geoff Travis disguised as a letter of

resignation from a worker to his superior), and synthesis of both, such as in the now legendary

"There Is a Light That Never Goes Out".

The album which preceded the break-up, Strangeways, Here We Come, peaked at

number two in the UK and was their most successful album in the US, reaching number 55 on

the Billboard 200. It received a lukewarm reception from critics, but both Morrissey and Marr

name it as their favourite Smiths album.

Since the band broke up, Morrisey and Marr have attracted criticism over the division of

royalties with Joyce and Rourke; recurring speculation about a reunion, often fuelled by the pair

themselves; and their apparent efforts to maximise returns on the band's modest back-catalogue

by continually repackaging the same material.

The Smiths have influenced a number of alternative rock bands. As early as 1985, "the

Smiths had spawned a rash of sound-alike bands, including James, who opened for the group ontheir spring 1985 tour". Marr's guitar playing was a huge building block for more Manchester

legends that followed The Smiths, including The Stone Roses, whose guitarist John Squire has

said Marr was an influence. Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagheralso cites The Smiths as an influence,

especially Marr: "when The Jam split, The Smiths started, and I totally went for them."

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3. Oasis Formation and early years (19911994)

Oasis were an English rockband formed in Manchesterin 1991. Originally known as The

Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher(vocals and tambourine), Paul "Bonehead"Arthurs (guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass guitar) and Tony McCarroll (drums,

percussion), who were soon joined by Liam's older brotherNoel Gallagher(lead guitar and

vocals).

They have had eight UK number-one singles and eight UK number-one albums, and won

fifteen NME Awards, nine Q Awards, fourMTV Europe Music Awards and six Brit Awards,

including one in 2007 for outstanding contribution to music and one for the best album of the last

30 years as voted by the BBC Radio 2 listeners. They have been nominated for three Grammy

Awards. As of 2009, the band have sold an estimated 70 million records worldwide. Also the

band was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 for Longest Top 10 UK Chart

Run By A Group after an unprecedented run of 22 top 10 hits in the UK. The band also holds

the Guinness World Record for being the most successful act in the UK between the years 1995

and 2005, spending 765 weeks in the Top 75 singles and albums charts.

After over a year of live shows, rehearsals and a recording of a proper demo (known as

the Live Demonstration tape), the band's big break came in May 1993 when they were spotted

by Creation Records co-ownerAlan McGee. Oasis were invited to play a gig at King Tut's Wah

Wah Hut club in Glasgow, Scotland, by a band called Sister Lovers, who shared their rehearsal

rooms. Oasis, along with a group of friends, found the money to hire a van and make the journey

to Glasgow. When they arrived, they were refused entry to the club as they were not on that

night's set list, which reportedly caused the band to bully their way in (although both the band

and McGee have given contradicting statements about how they actually managed to get into the

club on that night). They were given the opening slot and impressed McGee, who was there tosee 18 Wheeler, one of his own bands. McGee was so impressed by what he saw he signed the

band to Creation four days later. Due to problems securing an American contract, Oasis ended up

signing a worldwide contract with Sony, which in turn licensed Oasis to Creation in the UK.

Discography (1995-2009)Following a limited white label release of the demo of their song "Columbia", their first

single, "Supersonic", was released in April 1994, reaching number 31 in the charts. Oasis had

their first UK number one single in April 1995 with "Some Might Say". During this period, the

British press seized upon a supposed rivalry between Oasis and Britpop band Blur. Previously,Oasis did not associate themselves with the Britpop movement and were not invited to perform

on the BBC's "Britpop Now" programme introduced by Blur singer Damon Albarn. On 14

August 1995, Blur and Oasis released new singles on the same day, setting up "The Battle of

Britpop" that dominated the national news. Blur's "Country House" outsold Oasis' "Roll with It"

274,000 copies to 216,000 during the week.

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Definitely Maybe, their first studio album went straight to number one in the UK

Albums Charts on initial release. It was the fastest selling debut album of all time in the UK

when it was released and went on to be certified 7x Platinum (2.1 million+ sales) by the BPI. It

marked the beginning of Oasis' success in America, selling over one million copies there, despite

only peaking at 58 on the Billboard 200. The album went on to sell over eight million copies

worldwide and brought widespread critical acclaim.

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? is the second studio album by theEnglish rockband Oasis, released in October 1995 through Creation Records. The album is the

band's most enduring commercial success, staying at number one in the UK charts for 10 weeks,

and reaching number four in the U.S. It propelled Oasis from being a crossover indie act to a

worldwide rock phenomenon. It has been pinpointed by music critics as a significant record in

the timeline of British indie music, demonstrating just how far into the mainstream independent

music had ventured, and is followed by Be here now (1997) and Standing on the shoulder of

giants (2000).

Throughout 2001, Oasis split time between sessions for their fifth studio album and live

shows around the world. Some gigs included the month-long Tour of Brotherly Love with The

Black Crowes and Spacehog and a show in Paris supporting Neil Young. The album, Heathen

Chemistry, Oasis' first album with new members Andy Bell and Gem Archer, was released inJuly 2002. The album reached number 1 in the UK and number 23 in US, although critics gave it

mixed reviews.

After much turbulence, the band's sixth album was recorded in Los Angeles-based

Capitol Studios when producerDave Sardy took over the lead producing role from Noel, who

decided to step back from these duties after a decade of producing leadership over the band. In

May 2005, after three years and as many scrapped recording sessions, the band released their

sixth studio album, Don't Believe the Truth, fulfilling their contract with Sony BMG. The

record was generally hailed as the band's best effort since Morning Glory by fans and critics

alike, spawning two UK number one singles: "Lyla" and "The Importance of Being Idle", whilst

"Let There Be Love" entered at number 2. Oasis picked up two awards at the Q Awards: one a

special People's Choice Award and the second forDon't Believe the Truth as BestAlbum. Following in the footsteps of Oasis' previous five albums, Don't Believe the Truth also

entered the UK album charts at number one.

In June 2008, the band re-signed with Sony BMG for a three-album deal. Oasis recorded

for a couple of months in 2007 between July and Septembercompleting work on two new

songs and demoing the rest. Dig Out Your Soul, the band's seventh studio album, was released

on 6 October and went to number one in the UK and number five on the Billboard 200. The

band's again-new lineup started touring for a projected 18-month long tour, with support

from Kasabian, The Enemy and Twisted Wheel.

Noel Gallagher gave conflicting information about what he planned for the group's future

following the tour. In one interview, he stated that he wanted the band members "to go off and

do [their] own projects", and added "it would be interesting to see what comes out. See how the

four parts make up the whole." On August 28, 2009, following a fight between the Gallaghers in

a backstage area, which reportedly resulted in Liam breaking Noel's guitar, the group's manager

announced the cancellation of their concert at the Rock en Seine festival near Paris just minutes

before it was about to begin, along with the cancellation of the European tour and a statement

that the group "does not exist anymore".

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Two hours later a statement from Noel appeared on the band's website writing that "with

some sadness and great relief...I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but

I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer".

On 5 September 2009, it was reported in News of the World that Liam Gallagher was

planning to continue with Oasis despite Noel's absence.

Many bands and artists have cited Oasis as an influence or inspiration, including The

Killers, Arctic Monkeys, The Enemy, Lily Allen, Maroon 5, Coldplay, The Strokes, The Coral,Ryan Adams, The Kooks, The Rifles, The Pigeon Detectives, and Kasabian.

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4. Arctic Monkeys

Early years and record deal (20022005)Theyre an amazing band and theyre northerners, like us. I look at these and I know

theyre not going to ruin it, because theyre solid, they love each other those four. I stood out in

the front in Brixton with all the sweaty people and theres only two bands Ive done that for. I

saw The Libertines at The Forum and they had something for a while, but they lost it. But

watching that, theyre the only two things that Ive seen since Oasis that had what we had and

The Libertines lost it. They [Arctic Monkeys] have proved to me that youth culture is alive. If

thats the music that the kids are making then Im happy for the kids. And Im happier because I

didnt feel old at their gig. (Noel Gallagher)

Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb ofSheffield, UK, the band currently consists

ofAlex Turner(lead vocals, lead/rhythm guitar), Jamie Cook(rhythm/lead guitar), Nick

O'Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Helders (drums, percussion, backing vocals).They began rehearsing at Yellow Arch Studios in Neepsend, and played their first gig on

13 June 2003 at The Grapes in Sheffield city-centre. After a few performances in 2003 the band

began to record demos at 2fly studios in Sheffield. Seventeen songs were demoed in all and the

collection, now known as Beneath the Boardwalk, were burned on to CDs to give away at

gigs, which were promptly file-shared amongst fans. Slowly as more demos were spread, they

were all classified under this name. This has led to many people falsely believing that Beneath

the Boardwalk was an early album, or that the early demos were all released under this heading.

The group did not mind the distribution, saying "we never made those demos to make money or

anything. We were giving them away free anyway that was a better way for people to hear

them", admitting that they did not even know how to get their songs onto the Internet. Whenasked about the popularity of the band's MySpace site in an interview with Prefix Magazine, the

band said that they were unaware what it was, and that the site had originally been created by

their fans.

They began to grow in popularity across the north of England, receiving attention

from BBC Radio and the British tabloid press. A local amateur photographer, Mark Bull, filmed

the band's performances and made the music video to "Fake Tales of San Francisco", releasing it

on his website, alongside the contents ofBeneath the Boardwalk. In May 2005, Arctic

Monkeys released their first single, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys on their own Bang

Bang label, featuring the songs "Fake Tales of San Francisco" and "From the Ritz to the

Rubble". This release was limited to 500 CDs and 1000 records, but was also available to

download from the iTunes Music Store. Soon after, the band played at the Carling Stage of

the Reading and Leeds Festivals, reserved for less known or unsigned bands. Their appearance

was hyped by much of the music press and the band was watched by an unusually large crowd.

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Eventually, they signed to Domino in June 2005. The band said they were attracted to the

"DIY ethic" of Domino owner Laurence Bell, who ran the label from his flat and only signed

bands that he liked personally. Their first single with Domino, "I bet you look good on the

dancefloor", was released on 17 October 2005 and went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart.

The success preceding I bet you look good on the dancefloordidnt intimidate the Monkeys,

but caused Turner to protest against overnight success he felt they had not earned yet. The video

a live performance of the tunebegins with a piece of advice for the crowd: Dont believe the

hype, quote which is representative for Arctic Monkeys attitude until this day for their

reluctance towards praises such being declared as the band with the potential to become bigger

than The Beatles by NY Times, only managing to further irritate Turner who found the

statement insulting towards his favourite band and felt they had not even musically made their

point yet. Their second single, "When the Sun Goes Down" released on 16 January 2006, also

went straight to #1 on the UK Singles Chart, selling 38,922 copies.

The band's success with little marketing or advertising led some to suggest that it could

signal a change in how new bands achieve recognition.

Discography (2006-present)The band finished recording their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What

I'm Not, at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire in September 2005. It became the fastest selling

debut album in UK chart history, selling 363,735 copies in the first week. This smashed the

previous record of 306,631 copies, and sold more copies on its first day alone118,501than

the rest of the Top 20 albums combined. The cover sleeve ofWhatever People Say I Am, That's

What I'm Not, showing Chris McClure, a friend of the band smoking a cigarette, was criticized

by the head of the NHS in Scotland for "reinforcing the idea that smoking is OK". The image onthe CD itself is a shot of an ashtray full of cigarettes. The band's product manager denied the

accusation, and suggested the opposite"You can see from the image smoking is not doing him

the world of good."

The band's second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, was released on 23 April 2007,

a week after the release of accompanying single "Brianstorm". Like its predecessor, "Favourite

Worst Nightmare" also went straight to #1 in the album charts. Early reviews of the release were

positive, and described it as "very, very fast and very, very loud."

Meanwhile, the band continued to pick up awards from around the world, namely the

Best New Artist in the United States at the PLUG Independent Music Awards, the Album of the

Year awards in Japan, Ireland and the US, awards for Best Album and Best Music DVD at the2007 NME Awards. They ended the year by clinching the Best British Band and Best British

Album at the 2008 BRIT Awards.

For the second year in a row, the band were nominated for the annual Mercury Prize,

although they failed to match their feat of 2006 after the award went to Klaxons'Myths of the

Near Future.

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On 29 April 2007, the day Favourite Worst Nightmare charted at #1 in the UK Albums

Chart, all 12 tracks from the album charted in the Top 200 of the UK Singles Chart. On 27 April

2007 they had a total of 18 tracks in the Top 200.

In a preview article on ClashMusic.com, writer Simon Harper claimed that the band had

"completely defied any expectations or presumptions to explore the depths they can reach when

stepping foot outside their accepted styles", and that "Turner is his usual eloquent self, but has

definitely graduated into an incomparable writer whose themes twist and turn through stories and

allegories so potent and profound it actually leaves one breathless". On the same site, Alex

Turner revealed that the band had listened to Nick Cave, Jimi Hendrix and Cream while writing

the new album, the title of which would be Humbug. Like both of its predecessors, the album

went straight to #1.

Q magazine reported that the fourth Arctic Monkeys album will be of a "more accessible

vintage" than Humbug. Q printed edition 299 states It's the sound of a band drawing back the

curtains and letting the sunshine in. On 10 March 2011 the band revealed the album is to be

called Suck It and See and was released on 6 June 2011. The band allowed fans to listen to the

entire album on their website before deciding about whether to purchase it or not. "Suck It and

See" was then released on 6 June 2011, and went straight to #1 in the album charts. In doing so,

Arctic Monkeys became only the second band in history to debut four albums in a row at the top

of the charts.

Turners affair - The Last Shadow PuppetsFront man Alex Turner has been regarded by many as a talented and varied lyricist, who

has successfully written music in a range of different styles, including film score for the British

movie Submarine, and also the most poetic song writer of his generation. Many try to sing

about lifes mudanity, but what makes Alex Turner stand out as a genius is that he makes gettingchucked out of the queue of a nightclub sound exhilarating, a life-affirming right of passage.

Yet his co-writing with The Last Shadow Puppets, the so-called Turners affair due to a

his statement quoted on the cover of NME regarding the side-project - I was worried the

Monkeys would think Id had an affair - allowed Turner to explore a more cinematic view of

storytelling. Its that combination of emotional mystique and sharp observation that have

coloured the Monkeys best work.

In August 2007, NME magazine reported that he and lead singer of newly formed The

Rascals, Miles Kane, would be recording an album with James Ford, old friend of Turner and

producer of all four Arctic Monkeys albums, producing and playing drums. Turner and Kane had

become friends when Kane's previous band, The Little Flames, played support for Arctic

Monkeys on their 2005 UK tour. The Little Flames also supported Arctic Monkeys on their April2007 UK tour, when Turner and Kane wrote songs together for a collaborative project which

would satisfy their desire to revive a type a music that their generation had forgotten about. Their

collaboration initially extended into Arctic Monkeys material.

The initial recording of the songs that would eventually form their debut album took

place in France in late August 2007 with additional material added between August and

December of that year.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Cavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Kanehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ford_(musician)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Flameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Flameshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ford_(musician)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Kanehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rascals_(English_band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suck_It_and_Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbug_(album)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_(band)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrixhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Cavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Charthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Chart


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Owen Pallett was appointed to arrange the strings, brass and percussion for the album

with the 22-piece London Metropolitan Orchestra.

Their first and so far only record, The age of the understatement, boils over with the

sheer fun of its own making: galloping violins sweep and swoon as if they are auditioning for the

Las Vegas production of Phantom Of The Opera, producer James Ford hammers out

stampeding lounge beats on the drums and Alex and Miles swap harmonies like Eurovision

lovebirds from 1972. The duo's almost indistinguishable voices occasionally chafe against thelush backing, but there's still a fervour to their harmonies at odds with Turner's usual laconic

approach. Their pastiches feature such an abundance of loving detail that The age of the

understatement frequently seems as much about the overwhelming effect Scott Walker's

greatest hits can have on the listener as the mysterious femme fatale who inhabits almost every

lyric. It's an album that bounds out of the speakers, grabs you by the arm and starts yelling about

the fantastic records it's been listening to recently. Even if you heard those same records years

ago, it's hard not to find that kind of enthusiasm infectious. NME writes Turners affair is a

remarkable achievementa modern reinvigoration of an archaic, dead musical language.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Palletthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Metropolitan_Orchestrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Metropolitan_Orchestrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Pallett


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Conclusion

With newly acquired knowledge on the journey towards the worldwide success of these

acts, as well as a general perspective over the international indie scene, at least two conclusions

are easily drawn.

Firstly, independent rock was the result of the desire for the common working class

mans chance at recognition and his need for music which he could easily relate to . It came as a

response to the music industrys tendency to revolve around financial gain, promoting means of

pursuing dreams at reasonable costs, thus, representing the opposing camp in this battle for

establishing what should rightfully be placed at the foundations of every musical act.

Secondly, it is interesting that the heroes of this movement, regardless of their age and

era, fall into a pattern of the initially anonymous misfit, setting out to change the world with no

weapon beside an idea and the power of their own will, becoming a glorified genius and

controversial maverick - a type of character the common man can aspire to be, but is unlikely to

ever succeed.

Seemingly, it is enough to know that it is possible, not necessarily probable, for anyone

who has something valuable to show the world to stand out, and that there are still artists out

there who make music for your soul, not only for your wallet.

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Appendices

Appendix 1 -TheSmiths on the cover of NME in 2011

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Appendix 2Noel Gallagher of Oasis on the cover of

Q magazine in 1996

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Appendix 3Arctic Monkeys on the cover of Hot Press in 2009

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Bibliography

1. Reference books: Fonarow, Wendy, 2006, Empire of Dirt: The Aesthetics and Rituals of British Indie

Culture, Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, USA;

Goddard, Simon, 2006, The Smiths: Songs that saved your life, Reynolds & Hearn,USA

Mathur, Paul, 1996, Take me there: Oasis story, Bloomsbury Publishing, London, UK Craic, Seamus, 2010, Arctic Monkeys, Artnik Publishing, London, UK

2. Internet sources: Wikipedia.org NME.com Guardian.co.uk ClashMusic.com

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Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'

Documents

Transcript of Atestat - 'a Brief History of British Indie Rock'