The ARCTIC MONKEYS live back in 2006.
Clearly, they aren’t forgotten, other competitors are
Those were the days. Well, the question is – do you remember them? The special time between 2004 and 2007 when indie-rock exploded all over the globe, but especially in Great Britain. With all these young an exciting bands full of adolescent wilderness and grooving rock tunes. Recently NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION celebrated the 10th anniversary of the FRANZ FERDINAND debut album. It was – in some way – one of the key sparks that ignited the fire back then. And with the fire came a lot fantastic bands that entertained us over the years and some are – partly – still doing it.
But it wasn’t just about FOALS, BLOC PARTY or MAXIMO PARK. This special period of time brought us many different variations of the good-old fashioned garage rock band. Tight jeans, skinny shirts, dishevelled hair – plenty of groups that were temporarily hot and hyped but pretty soon already gone. Like FRANZ FERDINAND sang: ‘This Fire Is Out Of Control…’
NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION takes this anniversary as a chance to look back on ten of these (almost) forgotten indie-rock bands of that time. Bands that left quicker than they came. Or others who are sill active in some form. Re-Discover them on the next pages.
10. MILBURN
When ARCTIC MONKEYS went on their first European headliner tour they invited their buddies from MILBURN over to join them. Well, Sheffield lads stick together it seemed. It was also quite fitting since the bands sounds matched very well back in 2006. After two mediocre records MILBURN parted ways in 2008 while the ARCTIC MONKEYS became a global rock sensation. Former guitarist Tom Rowley even toured with Alex Turner and his boys. Well, as said before – lads stick together.
09. THE LONG BLONDES
Another band from Sheffield. And one that brought a certain feminine note into the whole ‘indie segment’. Especially charismatic lead singer Kate Jackson was responsible for this. While their 2006 debut Someone To Drive You Home was full of catchy indie disco hits, the 2008 follow-up Couples was a bit… well, undefined. Shortly after its release the band split up due to health issues of guitarist Dorian Cox. Jackson started working on a solo record but besides a few singles nothing really happened.
08. ART BRUT
Well, to be fair. ART BRUT are one of the few still active bands in this list. But compared to the massive hype their 2005 debut Bang Bang Rock & Roll created their current status is more or less irrelevant. The mixture of rough garage rock and funny lyrics of front man Eddie Argos isn’t the worst combination. But it’s like THE SMITHS once sang: ‘That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore’. They never really made it out of the ‘indie club’. If you’re looking closer you’ll still find them there from time to time.
07. THE OTHERS
When the English lads of THE OTHERS released their self-titled debut in early 2005 it arrived just in time. It was rough, wild and furious. And so were the guys. Singer Dominic Masters was quite a charmer anyway. They had that special punk attitude and they still have it. After a seven year long break they released their third album last December. Did you notice? Well, it’s not bad if you haven’t.
06. THE BRAVERY
Yes, THE BRAVERY sounded like THE KILLERS. We all knew it back then and we accepted it because their songs were good. And singer Sam Endicott had a great ’80s new wave’ look. While their self-titled debut still gave us glittering wave pop the follow-up records offered mediocre and highly mainstream-focussed material. They split in 2012. Truly… an honest mistake.
05. THE DEPARTURE
Northampton-based THE DEPARTURE mixed the energy of the Mid-00s-Indie-rock with a certain dark energy, giving it a certain JOY DIVISION factor. Their only album Dirty Words was released back in 2005 and it was actually quite nice. But since it hardly made the Top 100 their major label dropped the band which resulted in a split while the band was working on their sophomore album.
04. THE VIEW
With his chubby cheeks and curly hair THE VIEW frontman Kyle Falconer clearly was one for the ladies. Their boyfriends rather stuck with the wild and furious garage sound of the band’s 2007 debut Hats Off To The Buskers. And if we remember it correctly even Pete Doherty was a fan. They are still active and even released a best of record last year. They’ve gotten a bit softer but Falconer still got his lovely curls.
03. LITTLE MAN TATE
Okay, so if you were in the mood for street credible ‘working class’ indie rock Sheffield was definitely the place to be ten years ago. Besides MILBURN and the ARCTIC MONKEYSthese guys knew a thing or two about it. They released two albums in 2007 and 2008 and were quite successful in their local area. But all in all they weren’t as good as their competitors. Singer Jon Windle still releases solo records that sound as British as guitar pop can sound.
02. THE PIGEON DETECTIVES
Of all the bands we’re listening here Leeds-based PIGEON DETECTIVES are probably the most active one. They still have a huge fan base in their home country and released their fourth studio album We Met At Sea last year. And it still sounds like their 2007 debut Wait For Me. It’s this spirit of stagnation that somehow leaves you shrugging your shoulders.
01. THE ORGAN
Of course, a lot of indie-bands wanted to desperately sound like THE SMITHS. But in the case of Canadian wave formation THE ORGAN they actually came quite close to the original. Especially singer Katie Sketch resembled the voice of MORRISSEY way better then others. They only released one album, Grab That Gun, in 2004 and it’s a really lovely album. Somehow timeless thanks to its retro sound. They parted ways in 2006 and Sketch opened a bar in Toronto. It’s called ‘The Henhouse’, feel invited to visit it and ‘grab that drink’.