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Women of the 80s Indie Boom

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    Women of the 80s Indie Boom

    Saw this in the Graun and thought of MsD.

    Their title not mine - highly debatable that "indie" could encompass The Slits.

    #2
    80s is a bit of a misnomer too, considering two of the photos are from 1979 and the shot of Bikini Kill is from 1993. Indeed, a look on wiki tells me that they were formed in October 1990.

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      #3
      As SotS suggests, one or two of these aren't even from the 1980s. I mean, I guess it's whatever could be found/cleared, but if I'm thinking of 'women of the 1980s indie boom', I'm thinking perhaps Gymslips, Marine Girls, Fuzzbox, Alison Statton (Young Marble Giants/Weekend), Alex Taylor (Shop Assistants/Motorcycle Boy), Tracey Tracey (Primitives), etc - certainly not of Riot Grrl and Foxcore, which flourished in the early nineties.

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        #4
        I went to see The Flatmates on Saturday night, supported by Helen McCookerybook of proto C86 act The Chefs. Indie never forgets (but The Flatmates have got a different singer since they reformed five or so years ago).

        I've got Sam Knee's book about '80s indie fashions. It is a good read/view, particularly if you were alive then and that way inclined, but does suffer a bit from being heavily focussed on half a dozen acts, not so much on The Kids. As JW suggests, the available material probably influences the editorial direction for projects like this about the pre-digital age.

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          #5
          Originally posted by Jah Womble View Post
          As SotS suggests, one or two of these aren't even from the 1980s. I mean, I guess it's whatever could be found/cleared, but if I'm thinking of 'women of the 1980s indie boom', I'm thinking perhaps Gymslips, Marine Girls, Fuzzbox, Alison Statton (Young Marble Giants/Weekend), Alex Taylor (Shop Assistants/Motorcycle Boy), Tracey Tracey (Primitives), etc - certainly not of Riot Grrl and Foxcore, which flourished in the early nineties.
          Amelia Fletcher (Talulah Gosh) would be another. There can't be many people whose Wiki page describes them as singer, songwriter, guitarist and economist.

          Typical Girls incidentally is another song that 6 Music have managed to neuter by playing it on at least a weekly basis.

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            #6
            Strawberry Switchblade were surely pop and signed to a major label. Surely Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins is a glaring absence in that gallery.

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              #7
              Well, a fair few of them were signed to major labels - Primitives were with RCA for a while and Fuzzbox with Warners. I think 'indie' stopped meaning 'signed to an independent label' around 1981-82.

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                #8
                Originally posted by Sits View Post
                Saw this in the Graun and thought of MsD.

                Their title not mine - highly debatable that "indie" could encompass The Slits.
                Hmm .. so which bit reminded you of me? "Forgotten?" "Women of the 80s"?

                Seriously, yes, the Slits were my thing, other bands not so much, so that is quite interesting to me. I'm not that much of an indie kid, although I know people from the C86 bands, went to see the Monochrome Set the other night, and was musing yesterday as to who would win in a punch-up between them (C86) and the Pillows and Prayers lot. ( My money would be on P&P).

                There was a C86 get together on Tuesday with Luke Haines playing (as there's a C86 book out). There's another one planned for the New Year, I will try to remember to post details when I hear.
                Last edited by MsD; 23-11-2017, 21:35.

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                  #9
                  You're right of course MSD, no offence meant. Just took a stab in the dark as to my untrained eye I wondered if any other than the Slits might fail in your ballpark. I also though "Indie" was pretty inaccurate.

                  But no, not "forgotten" <winky>

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                    #10
                    I would take issue with the "Forgotten" bit as well. There are some obscure ones on there but a fair few are well-known to many people interested in 'indie' music. I don't know whether they are 'forgotten' but Voice of the Beehive are another one that started out genuinely "indie"

                    "Indie" appears to mean a certain type of music, of course, rather than truly independent. I am DJing a room at an "indie" night and am going to do a truly "independent" playlist which may end up having bigger acts and singles than the "indie" room which will include a lot of major acts in the "indie" vein.

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                      #11
                      Anne-Marie Hurst, Rosie Garland. And, although she was also 1970s, Pauline Murray.

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                        #12
                        She's not at all forgotten, she played in Camden two weeks ago.

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                          #13
                          In fairness, "forgotten" is a rather relative and loose term when there is no qualifier as to who the forgetters are.

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                            #14
                            It's a nice original post, but if you talk about anyone, then oh bondage up yours 1 2 3 4.

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by G-Man View Post
                              In fairness, "forgotten" is a rather relative and loose term when there is no qualifier as to who the forgetters are.
                              What he said.

                              And the age group, for the age gap. And which part of the brain decides if a female is allowed to be out on her own? What about the ones that are unremembered? What about the mens that should be dismembered? (I forgot Poly Styrene's name, so all of that was just me mansplaining to remember)

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                                #16
                                Oh, and Tracy Chapman, Tanita Tikaram, and Julia Fordham. All 80's.

                                And so was Aretha Franklin.

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                                  #17
                                  How are any of the above 'indie'?

                                  As for X-Ray Spex, their heyday was 1977-79. And their reformation in the early nineties.

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                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by G-Man View Post
                                    In fairness, "forgotten" is a rather relative and loose term when there is no qualifier as to who the forgetters are.
                                    It's rather relative, but I think if someone's selling out fairly large venues in London and their name is immediately recognisable to people who are interested in that genre of music, then I don't think they count as "forgotten". There are plenty of people who are forgotten and deservedly so, in a lot of cases.

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                                      #19
                                      Reggae and early hiphop. Roxanne Roxanne etc. Certainly was played on Peel so counts as alternative if not indie as genre.

                                      Slits were before Indie until maybe the last album.

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                                        #20
                                        Sam Knee's instagram feed is really good.

                                        The picture of Skinned Teen is from 1993 not 1983, I've never seen it before. I was good friends with Flossy and Esme, who briefly dated a way, way, way before he was famous Erol Alkan. I had that 16 t-shirt Esme is wearing, bought it from Duffer of St George.

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                                          #21
                                          There's a C86 panel / book launch at Rough Trade East on Friday at 18.30. I'm going as a couple of friends are on the panel. Free entry (well, they're just talking about things and trying to sell a book, don't think anyone is playing.)

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                                            #22
                                            I got quite drunk with the C86ers last night - my good friends from the Lemon Drops were there, him from JAMC/Felt, along with a June Bride, a Wolfhound, a member of Miaow Miaow. We went to the pub.

                                            The book doesn't have an index, it was quite funny seeing people go straight to the back to look themselves up, and find nothing.

                                            My copy is being held at RT till next week.

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