The Garage Rock Revival

Under the shadow of 9/11 and during the turbulent music industry changes of the early-00s with the arrival Napster et al came arguably the last flush of alternative rock acts into the mainstream.

Flagship band were New Yorkers The Strokes, whose debut album Is This It cut a swathe through the moribund post-millennial rock scene with their combination of Stooges proto-punk and previous New York acts such as Television. All jagged guitars and distorted vocals. This opened the floodgates for a brief deluge of stripped-down garage-style acts, which was wider spread in global terms compared to the more parochial scenes of the 90s such as Grunge and Britpop.

The music press (themselves fighting a losing battle with online journalism) swung right behind it. The crucial difference between the noughties and the nineties though was this revival of guitar-based music wasn't nearly as commercially successful, putting each of these bands on a tightrope. By the end of the decade most of the acts featured had either blown themselves out or drifted back to the margins. Was it all hype? You decide...

Featuring The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Vines, Electric Six, The Libertines, Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Franz Ferdinand

First uploaded to Bitchute 15/09/2023