Where have all the music subcultures gone?

[Pevenseagull]

I'm a 42 year old hybrid shoegazing indie kid ............ and I ain't changing

 

[daveinprague]

I think spontaneity is still the key. I remember an agreeable impromptu evening in Prague singing along with veterans of the Velvet Revolution rejoicing in the fall of communism amid liberal quantities of Pilsner Urquell and surprisingly good Czech wine.

They are very proud of their wines from the Moravia region...id never really heard of Czech wine, so I was surpised....
Our dept took us to some place called Mikuluv (not sure if thats the right spelling) which is the heart of their wine region for a wine tasting weekend...tbf after several glasses, it all tastes the same to me..

 

[W.C.]

I think younger people these days have much more of an eclectic taste in music.

Which is GOOD thing.

So much good music around and so easy to get access to, I guess the days of punks etc. is a bit dated.

Kind of agree with the comment about being less angsty and divisive too.


Comments about music these days being corporate and not 'real' are just utter bullshit if you ask me. These days, very few artists are going to make cash like musicians did back in the day. They are still doing it though.

 

[SouthCoastOwl]

I don't think 21st century people like to isolate themselves by becoming stereotypes anymore.

I've found that whatever genre music you go to see live, the crowds are generally the same - just "normal" looking people, some more tattooed/pierced/crazy haired than others, but no defined groups like previous decades.

This

The stupidity of my youth where I fell into a sort of metal/prog/folk subculture meant I missed out on some cracking bands, many of which I've caught up on now I've "allegedly" grown up. However, it does mean I missed the opportunity to see them live in their prime and this will always be a regret.

 

[Biscuit]

Why limit yourself to one type of music? Why not enjoy all it has to offer?

 

[Shatner's Bassoon]

I assume it's just me who responds to the thread title question with "... long time passing."

When will they ever learn?

 

[Hornblower]

Is anyone else thoroughly sick of seeing the 'shoreditch' look around London? Sharp hair, big beards, tattoo sleeves and skinny jeans. Maybe it looked cool 5 years ago but now it's just tiresome.

 

[Brighton Mod]

Went to see Miles Kane and was surpried at the age range, from late teens to late 50s, maybe older, sharing the same style. The subculture boundaries may well be a little blurred and the youth of today probably not as angry as we were, but there is still and of old and new styles out there.

 

[Brighton Mod]

Is anyone else thoroughly sick of seeing the 'shoreditch' look around London? Sharp hair, big beards, tattoo sleeves and skinny jeans. Maybe it looked cool 5 years ago but now it's just tiresome.

No, couldn't care less, why be judgemental of others on such a superficial theme. Chill man.....

 

[Hornblower]

No, couldn't care less, why be judgemental of others on such a superficial theme. Chill man.....

I like people watching and I'm sick of seeing that look. Time to move on.

 

[Superphil]

I don't think 21st century people like to isolate themselves by becoming stereotypes anymore.

I've found that whatever genre music you go to see live, the crowds are generally the same - just "normal" looking people, some more tattooed/pierced/crazy haired than others, but no defined groups like previous decades.

It's strange when you go to see a gig like UK Subs, Anti Nowhere League, Motörhead, Damned, these days you get quite a turnout of (mainly older) Mohicans, proper old fashioned Punks, full on Leather Bristles Studs & (no) Acne, original Metal rockers with all the gear, badges, denims etc, where do they go when the gig's over? You never see them out on the streets.

 

[Superphil]

Punk's not dead, but it does seem to have learnt a few more chords

[yt]OADPvcLBTgI[/yt]

 

[Brighton Mod]

It's strange when you go to see a gig like UK Subs, Anti Nowhere League, Motörhead, Damned, these days you get quite a turnout of (mainly older) Mohicans, proper old fashioned Punks, full on Leather Bristles Studs & (no) Acne, original Metal rockers with all the gear, badges, denims etc, where do they go when the gig's over? You never see them out on the streets.

Well, I go to a few gigs and always like to dress correctly for them, crew neck jumper, ben sherman or fred perry, sta pressed trousers or straight 501s with maybe cuban heels or winkle picker shoes and maybe a boating jacket or pea coat. Love the whole thing, getting dressed up, the music and company, but when not at the gig the dress style is toned down but still the same. The whole thing about sub cultures was that generally the core of them were quite small, so when we go home after a gig we are all diluted.

 

[loz]

It's strange when you go to see a gig like UK Subs, Anti Nowhere League, Motörhead, Damned, these days you get quite a turnout of (mainly older) Mohicans, proper old fashioned Punks, full on Leather Bristles Studs & (no) Acne, original Metal rockers with all the gear, badges, denims etc, where do they go when the gig's over? You never see them out on the streets.

When I go to a gig I might wear a band t shirt and a pair of jeans because of my lack of hair have a number 1 skinhead...I might look a bit of a punk rocker. Outside of that gig I will wear a tshirt (any kind ) and a pair of jeans and sport my short hair...just look like a normal balding fat middle aged man.

Its like wearing a football shirt looks OK at a game but to wear one down the street one looks like a numpty IMHO.

 

[loz]

Punk's not dead, but it does seem to have learnt a few more chords

[yt]OADPvcLBTgI[/yt]

Wattie had a heart attack over the weekend, The Explioted have had to cancel all there planned gigs.

 

[Superphil]

Wattie had a heart attack over the weekend, The Explioted have had to cancel all there planned gigs.

That's terrible news, it would appear he's making progress in hospital, let's hope he recovers and can carry on, but mostly, let's hope he recovers.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I was a punk (I still consider myself one in moments of idealistic, nostalgic romanticism, despite the suit I wear to work) but I had friends who were Teds, Mods, Skins, Rockabillies, Psychobillies, Hippies, 2-Toners, Headbangers, New Romantics, Trendies / Smoothies / Casuals and so on.

All you seem to see nowadays are Emo types, the occasional Goth, Hipsters in East London, and a bunch of prannies with tight jeans and One Direction hairstyles. This makes me feel a bit sad.

Has bland, corporate music and endless karaoke shows on TV killed ‘real’ music and the associated subcultures?

I remembered this thread over the weekend when I was reading an article on the birth of Acid House, which for me was the last music subculture that truly scared the world. It unified many young people at the time but it was also the last great youth culture movement. To an extent I blame both the corporate sanitising of dance music (and football incidentally) and to another I blame the internet. Anyway, I wrote a longer blog post about it last night and published it this morning (link below - also briefly mentions the Albion at the time that football fans were regarded as folk devils).

http://notaproperblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/moral-panics-youth-culture-and-neknominate/

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

The music so called sub-cultures have gone nowhere they are admittedly not as big as they used to be with gangs of metalheads, skinheads and teddyboys roaming the streets looking for a fight, but having been on the end of a good kicking by skinheads several times I for one am glad them hate fueled days are long gone. I think that many of the sub cultures look the same now or have similar looks at least. Speaking from my own experience Psychobillies started off borrowing the look from skinheads with the flight jacket and bleached jeans along with steel toe cap shoes or the beetle crushers and heavy tattoo look from the teddyboys, flannel or hawaiian shirts from the rockabillies along with a shaved side of the head and a massive over the top quiff. Later on they started wearing dark jeans again like the rockabillies, life's a beach shorts from the yankee surfer dude look, now they tend to have a more rockabilly look with slicked back shorter hair not so much the big outrageous quiff, alot of the american emo, punk and ska bands have this look and is not uncommon on any high street, its not the fear striking look it used to be. Therefore what I am trying to say it is hard to tell what people are into by what they dress anymore.

 

[BBassic]

I was a "goth" in my teen years. Listened to nothing but screechy metal, wore makeup, dressed all in black and generally looked like a complete tit.

28 now and I still listen to screechy metal (not exclusively mind, diversity is the key) and just dress in jeans and a t-shirt most days. Jeans and shirt if I have a meeting to go to.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Thumbs up for honesty.

I never understood the thought processes behind this fashion. It seems the general mentality of goths is to make themselves look as ugly and depressing as possible, reducing the chance of getting an attractive girlfriend or normal mates to zero..

Dude two points

1: Have you seen some of the goth girls oh my days I got off with a few in the past and jebus....

2: Normal mates..... Come on fella, what is normal that is such a bad attitude we are past that surely grow up we all know "normal" who are complete pricks.

1 & 2: see photo below