New wave of new wave
| New wave of new wave | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 1990s, United Kingdom |
| Derivative forms | Post-punk revival |
The new wave of new wave (NWONW) was a term coined by
music journalists to describe a subgenre of the British alternative rock scene in the early 1990s, in which bands displayed post-punk and new wave influences, particularly from bands such as the Clash, Blondie, Wire, and the Stranglers.[1]
History
The associated bands generally played guitar-based
keyboards. The movement was short-lived, and several of the bands involved were later linked with the more commercially successful Britpop, which it immediately preceded, and the NWONW was described by John Harris of The Guardian (one of the journalists who first coined the term)[2] as "Britpop without the good bits".[3] The NME played a major part in promoting and covering the genre, and promoted the "On" event, which featured many of the bands they had labelled NWONW.[4]
Notable examples
Record label
S*M*A*S*H,[1][5] Menswear,[6] Sleeper, Echobelly, Shed Seven,[5] These Animal Men,[5][7] and Compulsion.[4]
Legacy
Robert Christgau identified the mid-1990s NWONW movement as the peak of a new wave revival that has continued on and off since, stating "1994 was the top of a curve we can't be certain we've reached the bottom of".[8]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-14726-2, p. 365.
- theguardian.com. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ^ Harris, John (2006) "The new wave of old rubbish", The Guardian, 13 October 2006.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006) The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Oxford University Press.
- ^ ISBN 1-84195-335-0, p. 965.
- CMJ New Music Monthly, December 1995.
- CMJ New Music Monthly, May 1995.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (1996) "How to Beat the Law of Averages", from Details, 1996.
