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From Unsigned Band to Household Name: Making a Break for the Mainstream
A recent article in the Observer, a leading British Sunday newspaper, detailed how music known as ‘indie’ has evolved in both essence and meaning. Essentially, in the 1980s, to be ‘indie’ signified a particular attitude – a subculture that was associated with obscurity and anti-commercialism. But today, indie’s biggest bands are wholly commercial: multi-platinum selling bands like The Kooks, Snow Patrol and Coldplay are still known as ‘indie’, although there’s very little that’s independent about them.
But despite the independent in music now having become ingratiated into the mainstream music scene, recent years have seen the resurgence of an underground musical scene in the UK, where unsigned bands and independent record labels reign supreme. The phenomenal success of MySpace has meant that up and coming bands have found it increasingly easy to get heard and build-up a dedicated following via the web, thus creating a solid subculture that plays itself out both virtually and in musical gatherings found off the beaten track.
Moreover, many of Britain’s top summer festivals offer stages for unsigned bands to be heard by hundreds of thousands of new ears – a platform that only a privileged few are allowed to inhabit. The Topman Unsigned Stage at the Carling-sponsored Leeds Festival, for instance, offers unsigned bands from across the UK the chance to play to over 70, 000 people – an opportunity that many bands would be willing to sacrifice a lot for. The T-Break stage at Scotland’s T in the Park festival offers unsigned Scottish bands a similar privilege, allowing the movers and shakers of the local scene to truly shine out in style.
However, if you’re in a band and you’re eager to make it to one of the UK’s big summer festivals as a performer rather than a spectator, it’s important to make sure that your look is distinct in order to shine out against all the other independent bands out there – especially if you’re a man. With the likes of Pete Doherty and Razorlight frontman Johnny Borrell laying down the new the new fashion stakes in the indie music scene, as well as the kin of the Klaxons and similar having laid down the diktats of new-rave over the last year, male musicians have come under increasing pressure to look good as well as sound good.
Luckily, a simple scour of any leading men’s clothing store is sure to provide any budding Alex Kapranos with what they’re looking for. And while festival fashion needn’t involve any more than a printed t-shirt, roll up shorts and large sunglasses, a printed waterproof jacket or a pair of neon wellies could really set you apart from the crowd.
Ultimately, while indie music might not be so “independent” any more, making sure your image shines out from afar could really give you the edge in making the transition from unsigned band to household name. And even if you don’t make it to the stage, you’ll still be able to get tickets to see the other unsigned bands that did: and then those wellies will really come in handy!
About the Author
Kashmere Stage Band – Kashmere
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You’re the who? (Band & Stage Name Origins+Rock Connections) It must have been around 1957, I know I could not have been much more than five years old, when I saw my mom dancing around the kitchen for the first time. I remember that my dad, being of a sound religious mind at the moment, did not care too much for the sight. But my mom still danced. She said she loved rock and roll. The person that was making my mom dance was Elvis Presley—the King of Rock … |
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