The Strange Death Of English Bands

Every festival, in fact.

My band and four bands with friends of mine in them. Actually, scrap that- my three bands and one band with friends in.

also its not only England suffering from this complete lack of 'good' bands. The bands from wales and scotland namely Travis and Stereophonics are bland pop acts who play a little guitar. As for the American scene, have they produced anyone truly great in the past 10years? possibly the Strokes but they still have much to prove.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/18/why-bands-are-disappearing-young-people-arent-excited-by-them

Ben Mortimer, co-president of Polydor Records, says that cost is more of an issue for artists than for labels. “If you’re young and inspired to become a musician, you face a choice. If you go the band route, you need to find bandmates with a similar vision, you need expensive instruments and equipment, and you need to get out on the road to hone your craft. On the other hand, you could download Ableton [production software], shut your bedroom door and get creating straight away. Culture is shaped by technology.”

Still some K-pop groups as the article notes. They have $ behind them

a lot of words to basically just say that rock has significantly declined in popularity in the last decade or so, and rock is the only genre where groups are the predominant format. the expense in starting a band these days that's noted is no doubt why the class background of up and coming indie acts skews much more middle-to-upper class whenever people look into that.

kpop is a different story because the south korean entertainment industry is really set up in a way that seems to encourage pop groups rather than solo artists. idols are on tv all the time not just as singers, but as variety show contestants, hosts, etc., and so a larger group means more members to go out and appear separately to promote the group, while costing less for the agencies than launching them all as separate solo artists, as well as the content angles and everything.

washed-up former ilxor declares bands dead

It's not just about rock, is it? Rap bands/groups were very popular in the 80s and 90s (Public Enemy, NWA, Run DMC, Fat Boys; Digable Planets, ATCQ, De La Soul; Wu Tang, House of Pain, Bone Thugs, etc). There were loads of popular disco bands (Chic, Bee Gees, Sister Sledge, Kool & the Gang, KC & the Sunshine Band, Trammps, ...) R&B vocal groups were quite popular in living memory. Maybe there's a broader trend and it's hitting rock later?

the expense in starting a band these days that's noted is no doubt why the class background of up and coming indie acts skews much more middle-to-upper class whenever people look into that.

This reminded me of something I saw over the weekend, from a streaming metal show that featured a between-set interview segment. The band pictured is Glorious Depravity, ftr.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ew9IfpuW8AI0UCq.jpg

I don't buy the "musical equipment is so expensive" argument at all. The cost of acquiring good-quality instruments and amplification has actually steadily diminished over the last twenty years. (The same period during which the likelihood of making a living through the use of those instruments has also steadily diminished.)
In any case, talent and ambition will always find a way - people like Pete Shelley and Robert Smith made their first recordings with POS guitars that they'd bought in Woolworth's.

I don't think it's that instruments are especially expensive. 25-30 years ago, it would have been prohibitively difficult for the average young person to assemble and master the technology to produce a professional-quality track in a popular style on their own. Practising on a $200 guitar, playing with a few friends, and recording to a 4-track was much more practical. Now that most households have a computer and even the current version of Garageband offers more than many studios might have 30 years ago, it's an easy way for anyone to get into making music. Mic-ing instruments is comparatively more difficult and rental space for rehearsal has definitely become more expensive.

The UK Chart site shows the numbers pretty starkly. If it were any other era, Wolf Alice (for example) would’ve had a similar number of Top 10/Top 20 hits as say, a Ride or a Franz Ferdinand. Instead.. they’ve had *no weeks in the singles chart whatsoever*. Two number 2 albums; a Mercury prize, playing at the Alexandra Palace as far back as 2018; not a sniff of a chart placing. Nuts!

https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/29171/wolf-alice/

I’m half convinced it’s because Top Of The Pops isn’t on anymore.

I don't buy the "musical equipment is so expensive" argument at all.

yeah. seems like this has got to just be down to the convenience of available software vs anything about being in a band becoming more difficult than it used to be. that being said if theres a class or cost argument to be made its got to be related to space - you cant start a band if at least one kid in your group doesnt have access to a house or garage or basement or a room at school you can use or something. there needs to be at least one vehicle in the mix as well.

Inexpensive guitars are incredible these days in terms of quality, you can go on Craigslist and get a Fender Squier for $150 that is actually a playable and decent instrument

Also I reject the notion that the health of rock bands or music has anything to do with the charts or if bands are still playing arenas, who cares?

It does show something about popular trends, though.

Ultimately, I think there will always be an appetite and audience for people creating music together in a group. Might be consistent bands like we are used to in rock music or possibly more ad hoc combinations of independent musicians who freelance on their own, like we often see in jazz, who knows

that would be cool actually

The article also quotes label guys who say there are fewer bands to sign.

I reject the notion that the health of rock bands or music has anything to do with the charts or if bands are still playing arenas, who cares?

I'm in two minds on that argument. If the industry majors completely lose interest in nurturing the development of rock bands, because shifts in public taste mean that there's no longer a return on their investment, then that will mean that we'll see less of the likes of Maroon-fucking-5. On the other hand, records like Remain in Light and Doolittle and (my personal touchstone) Starfish can only come about when someone pays for well-rehearsed musicians to record in good studios with sympathetic and experienced engineers. Tom Verlaine would not have been able to realize Marquee Moon by fiddling about with a laptop by himself each night, after coming home from his shift at the book store. And sure, there are lots of great styles of music that don't require drum kits and rehearsal rooms, but the classic rock band is a form that has given the world a lot of great art.

The increased affordability of digital music technology does also mean that it's much less expensive than it used to be to record live musicians as well.

There are still bands, but they are marketed as a solo artist. Even Maroon 5 more or less works that way.

But go to a show: that solo artist still has a band, just like yesterday. Listen to the songs: still recorded with a band or guns-for-hire, just like yesterday. Look at songwriting credits: lots of them have multiple writers, just like yesterday.

I think that all reinforces the point — people are still making music, but the traditional band model isn’t so popular right now.

"bands" have a whiff of communism tbrr

Having lots of past band experience I have to say that working out the logistics of when everyone can be in the same place at the same time with all their gear is a giant pain in the ass, so I totally understand some people not wanting to mess with it and just making do with what they can self-produce in their bedroom.

Why won't President Biden call this a crisis?