The Scene That Celebrates Itself
Encyclopedia
The Scene That Celebrates Itself was a term used to describe a social and musical scene in the early 1990s within London and the Thames Valley
area.
The term was invented by the Melody Maker
s Steve Sutherland in 1990 in a near-contemptuous gesture. The term focused on the fact that the bands involved, rather than engaging in traditional rivalries, were often seen at each other's gigs, sometimes playing in each other's bands, and drank together. Bands lumped into the 'scene' by the press included several of the bands that were branded with the shoegazing
label, such as Chapterhouse
, Lush
, Moose
and other (mainly indie
) bands such as Blur
(prior to the release of their single "Popscene
"), Thousand Yard Stare
, See See Rider
and Stereolab
.
A prime example were Moose, who often swapped members with other bands on a given night. Moose's Russell Yates and Stereolab guitarist Tim Gane
would often trade places, while "Moose" McKillop often played with See See Rider. Gane and his Stereolab colleague Lætitia Sadier
even played on the 1991 session by Moose for John Peel
's BBC Radio 1
show.
The bands, producers and journalists of the time would gather in London
and their activities would be chronicled in the gossip pages of the music papers NME
and Melody Maker.
The most famous club and focal point was Syndrome which was located on Oxford Street
and ran weekly on Thursday nights. The NME in particular, embraced the scene and the unity of the bands was probably advantageous to their careers because when one band had a successful record, the other bands could share the publicity. The scene was extremely small and revolved around less than 20 regular individuals.
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
area.
The term was invented by the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
s Steve Sutherland in 1990 in a near-contemptuous gesture. The term focused on the fact that the bands involved, rather than engaging in traditional rivalries, were often seen at each other's gigs, sometimes playing in each other's bands, and drank together. Bands lumped into the 'scene' by the press included several of the bands that were branded with the shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
label, such as Chapterhouse
Chapterhouse
For the religious buildings, see Chapter houseChapterhouse are a British shoegazing band originally of the early 1990s, from Reading, Berkshire, England. Formed in 1987 by Andrew Sherriff and Stephen Patman, the band began performing alongside Spacemen 3...
, Lush
Lush (band)
Lush were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. They were one of the first bands to attract the "shoegazing" label...
, Moose
Moose (band)
Moose were a British indie rock band who formed in London in 1990. The original line-up included Russell Yates , K.J. “Moose” McKillop , Damien Warburton , and Jeremy Tishler . After Warburton and Tishler left the band they were replaced with Lincoln Fong , his brother Russell , and Richard Thomas...
and other (mainly indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
) bands such as Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
(prior to the release of their single "Popscene
Popscene
"Popscene" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released 30 March 1992 as a single. The low chart placing came as a confidence blow for the band, who were struggling financially at the time...
"), Thousand Yard Stare
Thousand Yard Stare (band)
Thousand Yard Stare were an English band from Slough, Berkshire active during the early 1990s, prior to the Britpop explosion. Supporting popular bands on the indie circuit such as James and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, the band also released several EPs.-History:The band's debut effort, the...
, See See Rider
See See Rider (band)
See See Rider were an indie rock group formed in East Kilbride, Scotland, and active between 1989 and 1992, and featuring former members of The Primitives and Felt. The band took their name from the Leadbelly song "C.C...
and Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
.
A prime example were Moose, who often swapped members with other bands on a given night. Moose's Russell Yates and Stereolab guitarist Tim Gane
Tim Gane
Tim Gane is the leader of the rock band, Stereolab.He started his musical career as a purveyor of harsh noise in the early 1980s under the alias Unkommuniti releasing self financed cassettes on Black Dwarf Wreckordings along with fellow Unkommuniti members Kallous Boys and other noise projects....
would often trade places, while "Moose" McKillop often played with See See Rider. Gane and his Stereolab colleague Lætitia Sadier
Lætitia Sadier
Lætitia Sadier is a French musician best known as the singer of the post-rock band Stereolab.-Stereolab:...
even played on the 1991 session by Moose for John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show.
The bands, producers and journalists of the time would gather in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and their activities would be chronicled in the gossip pages of the music papers NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Melody Maker.
The most famous club and focal point was Syndrome which was located on Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
and ran weekly on Thursday nights. The NME in particular, embraced the scene and the unity of the bands was probably advantageous to their careers because when one band had a successful record, the other bands could share the publicity. The scene was extremely small and revolved around less than 20 regular individuals.