It's the 7th of July 2013. The hottest day of the year so far.
As I'm laid on the grass soaking up some UV rays and some VU melodies, I begin to wonder where it all went wrong. Whatever happened to good music and the culture that went with it? In the 50s we had Rockabilly; in the 60s we had Folk Rock, Beatlemania and the Factory scene in New York; in the 70s we had Punk and Reggae; in the 80s we had Madchester,
Acid House, and New Romantics; in the 90s we had Grunge, Britpop, and Rave; in the 00s we had Garage-Rock, Post-Punk and Indie-Rock; and last but not least in the 2010s we have.. um.. Jason Derulo?! Okay, I'll be fair - we have some good indie artists too such as Palma Violets and Jake Bugg but in the grand scheme of things, music is in a pretty shite state. It was then in my thought process that my mind wandered to this years' Glastonbury headliners - The Rolling Stones and then it occurred to me that a large proportion of youngsters nowadays recognise that current music is not worth listening to and so they're simply getting into artists that are before their time. Therefore it's not that there are no subcultures anymore, there are many - most of which are revivalists. For example, The Stone Roses are perhaps even more popular amongst teens now than they were back at the height of their fame. In fact, the same goes for bands such as Happy Mondays, 808 State, The Charlatans, Joy Division and The Smiths. The release of films such as Spike Island - which is loosely based on what became known as 'woodstock for the E generation' - again only reinforces the idea that we are now immersed in a Madchester-revival, not just in the music but even in fashion. Granted, the flares have not made a return but the 'Reni fishing hats', the 'baggy' tie-dye t-shirts, and the overall 'part hippie, part football casual' look certainly has.
There's more. There's another youth culture knocking about; the females have their hair in bobs and fringes, wear fur coats and Fred Perry polos, watch Quadrophenia and obsess over The Beatles; the males wear parkas, button up shirts, lust after Twiggy, and ride Vespas - all of which are traits which can only indicate a return of the 60s Mod. It is no coincidence that Miles Kane - an artist whose popularity is rising by the second - has an uncanny resemblance to Paul McCartney and whose face is now on the walls of many girls' bedrooms across the country. Bands such as The Kinks and The Who have also seen a rise in popularity among this subculture.
The 60s Real Deal. Talking 'bout my generation.
Last but not least, there's been a revival of the Post-punk/Gutter-rock scene. It was headed by bands which were chiefly influenced by The Velvet Underground such as The Strokes, The Libertines, and The Hives and was at its peak around 2002. People who belong to this subculture often had older siblings or parents who were fans of the music at the time and insist that they were simply born 10 years too late. Although there is no strict dress code that goes with this subculture, there is a 'rock and roll' element to their style which is often sported with a band t-shirt, a roll-up and an alcoholic beverage!
