The four giants of indie music in the UK in the 80s

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Sparked by the Smith's thread.

When I were a lad in the 80s, the four giants of the UK indie music scene were :

Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cocteau Twins and The Smiths
representing Mute, Factory, 4AD and who was it?

Which of these were most influencial? Which defined you?

― phil jones (interstar), Monday, 4 November 2002 11:33 (twenty-three years ago)

rough trade.

the real giants of the UK indie music scene in the '80s were stock, aitken and waterman.

― Denise Lambert, Monday, 4 November 2002 11:38 (twenty-three years ago)

Is this a Beveridge reference?

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 4 November 2002 11:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Re: When I were a lad in the 80s, the four giants of the UK indie music scene were ...

This reminds me when Sounds magazine did an analytical article on the UK Indie label Scene in the Summer of 1986.

Question who was the 5th most significant?

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 4 November 2002 12:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Morgan Khan of Streetsounds was number 2.

― Denise Lambert, Monday, 4 November 2002 12:05 (twenty-three years ago)

The Smiths, New Order, Depeche Mode and Echo & The Bunnymen.

Representing, uh, the playlist of WDRE?

― kate, Monday, 4 November 2002 12:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Kate - Echo & the Bunnymen - were on a Warners/Wea owned label, therefore not indie !

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 4 November 2002 12:13 (twenty-three years ago)

Alright, although not technically indie, they were Alternative as fuck!

― kate, Monday, 4 November 2002 12:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Chronologically, in my little world at least, the '80's went Killing Joke* > Smiths > Pixies.

* - if you don't classify EG as independent then substitute Theatre Of Hate

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Monday, 4 November 2002 13:31 (twenty-three years ago)

the fat tulips, the field mice

no, i mean:
the jesus and mary chain (creation (initially))
the specials is a better example - #1 single and all...

all this talk of indie or non-indie winds me up - the people spouting on about how everything on majors suck and how they only buy music on indie labels invariably smoke cigarettes and drink beer...

― koogs, Monday, 4 November 2002 17:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Serious answer to an honest question. New Order were probably most influential (though they all were to some extent). The Smiths defined me back then.

― Tom (Groke), Monday, 4 November 2002 18:49 (twenty-three years ago)

beggars banquet r00ls this thread

― mark s (mark s), Monday, 4 November 2002 21:20 (twenty-three years ago)

mark s is right ! Love & Rockets, The Bolshoi - Friends, The Cult: (Circa) Love, Peter Murphy, The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Monday, 4 November 2002 21:26 (twenty-three years ago)

The Cure, The Smiths, Pixies and JAMC (and New Order, but we're only allowed four apparently...)

Oddly enough, when I was a nipper I never really paid any attention to what label a band was on. I couldn't give a monkey's that the Mary Chain were on a Warners affiliate - I was just happy I could buy their wondrous records in WH Smiths with ease. As far as I was concerned, all of the above (not to mention Inspiralstonemondays a bit later) were "indie" as far as my definition went, ie. I liked them and so did about 7 other people in my whole school.

― Charlie (Charlie), Monday, 4 November 2002 21:37 (twenty-three years ago)

I thought I understood what "indie" meant in Britain but I'm not sure anymore. Depeche Mode??

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Monday, 4 November 2002 22:41 (twenty-three years ago)

The Birthday Party, The Fall, The Smiths... and here I'm conflicted by The Jesus & Mary Chain and Dead Can Dance.

But no one likes Dead Can Dance besides myself, so I guess that disqualifies them from being 'giants.'

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 4 November 2002 23:31 (twenty-three years ago)

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