Additional information
The World Was A Mess, But His Hair Was Perfect - The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010.
Special guest Gordon Raphael, producer of The Strokes.
Janine Warren joins The Long Play Sessions for a talk and signing celebrating the UK's last indie music scene, 2000–2010.
The first, cohesive account of a seminal period in UK Music history affectionately referred to as 'Indie Sleaze'.
At the turn of the millennium, Britain was suffering from a post-Britpop hangover. The whirlwind successes of Oasis and Blur had faded (for now), leaving a music industry that felt stagnant and directionless, churning out formulaic singer-songwriters and identikit pop acts. It was a cultural vacuum, waiting to be filled.
Across the Atlantic, however, a spark had been lit. In New York City, The Strokes ignited a raw, urgent revival of rock’n’roll that would ripple across the globe, catalysing a new wave of indie rock.
Suddenly, young people on both sides of the ocean were inspired to pick up instruments, start bands, and create something of their own. Emerging from grassroots DIY scenes, independent labels, and small venues, this was the moment that would become known mythically as the UK’s ‘last indie scene.’
Drawing on revealing and often hilarious interviews, The World Was A Mess, But His Hair Was Perfect captures the chaotic energy of the British aughties: the legendary gigs, records, parties and excess that defined a generation.
