UK Indie Rock
tagStarted 1986Peak 1995-2008Last big hit still activeFrom United Kingdom
Located in 2 routes
Guitar-led British rock released on or modelled after independent labels: melodic, literate and slightly scruffy, prizing songcraft over polish. Spans angular post-punk revival, anthemic indie-disco floor-fillers and introspective jangle, typically built on interlocking guitars, wiry basslines and conversational, observational vocals about young British life.
History
Growing out of the 80s indie-chart and C86 ethos, UK indie rock professionalised through the 90s and exploded in the 2000s landfill-indie boom led by Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and the Libertines. Internet-era word-of-mouth (Arctic Monkeys broke via MySpace in 2005) made it the dominant British guitar sound of the decade.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indie_rock
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-punk_revival
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/indie-rock-ma0000002565