The Rise and Fall of ...

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Get to know the shocking highs and lows of the biggest stories in music.

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  1. EPISODE 1

    1. Foundations

    Noughties UK indie music was iconic, fashionable and thrilling. These days the kids call it 'Indie Sleaze', although at the time there was no cohesive name for the collection of bands - from Franz Ferdinand to The Libertines, The Long Blondes to The Cribs, Bloc Party to Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys to The Kooks - that erupted from all corners of Britain. These young artists exploded with attitude, tunes, vitality, and misconduct, creating an army of costumed disciples. This is the story of the UK’s most influential musicians of this millennia, and the wild culture that surrounded them - including a collapsing music industry in the face of new media, a fatal tabloid frenzy, and the lows to be found amidst the highlife. Come and ride the UK Indie Wave, as recalled by the people who were there, sweating into their skinny jeans. Episode 1 takes us back to Year Zero (aka 2001), when a foreign band invasion led by the Strokes ignites and inspires this nation's youth. Featured interviewees include Johnny Borrell, Pete Doherty and The Hives Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    17 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    2. Boys In The Band

    Now that being in a band is cool again, and now that grotty indie guitar music seems a viable career choice, every corner of the UK sprouts an exciting new group ... or two, or three. Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand seize the moment, winning the Mercury Music Prize. They are the undisputed early leaders of this new scene-without-a-name, setting a tone that is unashamedly artistic and literate. And also quite boozy. Featured interviewees include Alex Kapranos, The Cribs and Paul Smith Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language and adult themes.

    16 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    3. Hey Scenesters!

    A new tribe is born: The Indie. You can spot an Indie a mile off. They are in skinny jeans, scarves, and trilbies, in a random configuration designed to look as dirty and debauched as possible. The early internet - MySpace and band forums - solidifies this fun new scene, and breaks down barriers between artist and fan. 'Guerilla Gigs' become a thing, with spontaneous shows sprouting up in funeral parlours, tube trains, pub roofs ... and drug dens. Featured interviewees include Alexandra Haddow, Gary Jarman and Pete Doherty Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    20 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    4. Golden Touch

    2005 to '06 is the pinnacle of UK Indie Sleaze, as Razorlight, Arctic Monkeys, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Kooks well and truly take over the mainstream. Scrappy guitar bands are now dominating the BRIT Awards and playing to an audience of 2 billion at Live 8. But with success comes the inevitable backlash... Featured interviewees include Johnny Borrell and Luke Pritchard Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    18 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    5. Can't Stand Me Now

    What’s a music scene without fighting and feuding? Brace yourself for Art Brut versus Bloc Party, Razorlight versus The Kooks, and The Libertines versus themselves. With all the booze, drugs, and partying, things are bound to get messy. Especially at the notorious NME Awards, where Ryan Jarman of the Cribs has a near death experience. Featured interviewees include Luke Pritchard, Johnny Borrell, Eddie Argos, Pete Doherty and Ryan Jarman. Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    16 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    6. When The Sun Goes Down

    The UK indie guitar music scene hits the tabloids. Johnny Borrell, Pete Doherty and Luke Pritchard partner up with A-List celebrity girlfriends. Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse become unhealthy media obsessions. And most shockingly of all, Preston from the Ordinary Boys goes on Celebrity Big Brother and actually has a great time. This red top frenzy builds to a messy crescendo that includes phone hacking, divorce, band break-ups, and a devastating fatality. Featured interviewees include Alexandra Haddow, Pete Doherty, Samuel Preston, Tara Joshi, Johnny Borrell and Luke Pritchard Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language, adult themes and descriptions of drug use, which some listeners may find distressing. Details of help and support are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

    21 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    7. Bang Bang You're Dead

    Just six action-packed years after the start of the UK indie sleaze music scene, The Word magazine coins the derisory term “Landfill Indie” to describe the oversaturation of guitar music, turning the entire genre into a joke. Major labels are falling over themselves to sign the next big indie thing, but many of these hopefuls aren’t ready for the limelight. And audiences seem ready for a new, entirely different, sound ... one that's less male-dominated, for starters. Cue Kate Nash, Adele, Laura Marling, Florence Welch and co. Featured interviewees include Alexandra Haddow, Johnny Borrell, Tara Joshi, Alex Kapranos, Paul Smith and Gary Jarman Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Warning: this episode contains strong language and adult themes.

    16 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    8. Not Nineteen Forever

    So here we are, twenty years on... The UK indie guitar scene was a brief, bright moment where exciting new bands emerged from all corners of the UK, and made themselves available to fans. It was a time when young people controlled the culture and left the major record labels in the dust. It was an intoxicating era of community, messiness and hedonism. And actually, there is a hunger for all of that now. Many of the bands from that time are still going, and are playing to more people than they ever have before. The UK Indie Explosion holds a fascination for those audiences too young to have experienced it firsthand, and those Gen Z-ers have popularised the term ‘indie sleaze’. Meanwhile, guitar music is cool again, with the likes of English Teacher, Wet Leg, and Wolf Alice leading a rock revival. Presented by Kate Nash Produced by Jack Howson & Rich Power A Peanut & Crumb production for BBC Sounds & 6 Music Commissioners for the BBC were Will Wilkin and Hannah Clapham The producers would like to extend deep thanks to: Ed Greig for additional (early noughties) production heard across the series David Crackles for engineering every episode The BBC Archive team, namely David Hyde, Joseph Schultz, and Colin Waddell

    24 min
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Get to know the shocking highs and lows of the biggest stories in music.

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