My Tribe, Your Tribe
July 10th 2008 07:23
What is it about being a Brummie or perhaps those from Sheffield that are so inclined towards the need for music tribalism. And this isn’t necessarily a Yorkshire/Midlands phenomenon; you’ll find it throughout Britian or any culture that’s very into its Anglo-American popular musics. New Romantic, Goth, Emo, Indie, Hip Hop, IDM….. the list is endless.
It used to be all so simple up until the mid 70s early 80s - you’d either be very credible, taken seriously making it quite clear (with head held high) that you were definitely into rock music, or else you would lurk around your peer environment furtively giving of secret signs and whispering to those that you thought may be that way inclined that you were into pop and simply LOVED Gary Glitter - rather the same way that some do when it comes to fessing up to adoring Wagner nowadays...
Well, of course, such times of ease and simplicity are well and truly over. Can we blame the socio/political situation that Britain found itself in during the 70’s? This kicked of a whole swathe of new popular music forms. In particular a most aggressive, and some would argue a seminal musical genre: Punk. This new tribe told everything/one to EFF OFF in no uncertain terms, and gosh, we loved it! Musically there was absolutely nothing new about Punk Rock. It was simply rock n roll sped up and intentionally played with no virtuosity (refreshingly). Besides being a breath of fresh air, it’s appeal lay in association - rather the same way that an aging heiress wears her large sunglasses emblazoned with the twin C’s whilst holidaying on the Med. i.e.: branding.
Who/what we belong to is what gives us our identity. We all seem to need to belong to some sort of religion or other.
Oh well – at least that moment in British popular music history gave us many more choices of religion to shop around for…
It used to be all so simple up until the mid 70s early 80s - you’d either be very credible, taken seriously making it quite clear (with head held high) that you were definitely into rock music, or else you would lurk around your peer environment furtively giving of secret signs and whispering to those that you thought may be that way inclined that you were into pop and simply LOVED Gary Glitter - rather the same way that some do when it comes to fessing up to adoring Wagner nowadays...
Who/what we belong to is what gives us our identity. We all seem to need to belong to some sort of religion or other.
Oh well – at least that moment in British popular music history gave us many more choices of religion to shop around for…
Ya Wanna Be In My Gang?
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