New British Canon

Emerging out of the embers of Joy Division, New Order spent the 1980s smashing together the worlds of punk and disco. In 1983 they gave the world a shuddering party starter that took elements from Black Gay club music, Giorgio Moroder, Kraftwerk, Spaghetti Westerns and British melancholy. Such a revolution in sound that “Blue Monday” perhaps became the biggest selling 12 inch single of all time. Perhaps, because the myths surrounding “Blue Monday” are belligerent and numerous, impeded by each member of the band having conflicting accounts of their 1980s. Many of the rumours and legends about the song are provably wrong, and yet still persist. It may be the song to get indie kids to the dancefloor, but what do we really know about this 7 and half minute groove-automaton? This is New British Canon and this is the story of “Blue Monday.”

On paper, Pet Shop Boys are an unlikely pop behemoth. A former pop journalist and an architecture student, their first hit, “West End Girls,” had their thirty-year-old middle-class British frontman embodying Grandmaster Flash. Starting off as what could’ve quite easily remained a one-hit wonder, they defined British synth pop in the late 1980s, combining the cutting edge of dance music with their intelligent self-reflective lyricism. By 1987 they had hit their imperial phase with a song that attacked the Catholic Church with Hi-NRG bombast and extraneous countdowns. This is New British Canon and this is the story of "It’s a Sin”.

There was a time when the British Music Press had absolute power. Punk, C86, Madchester, Grunge, Britpop, and The New Rock Revolution were all invented and made famous within the pages of NME, Sounds and Melody Maker. But trends are fickle. Once the press got bored of a certain sound or scene, they quickly moved on to the next one, viciously mocking what they were promoting weeks before. Many bands’ careers ended prematurely. Slowdive had approximately six months of next-big-thing write-ups and glowing praise before they were exiled. In came Grunge and Shoegaze was suddenly not cool. For the rest of their initial three album run, they were critically kicked, punched and spat on by journalists. They were the enemy of the NME, and deemed monstrous by Melody Maker. Despite creating some of the most beautiful euphoric music of the 1990s, they were the most hated indie band in Britain. This is New British Canon, and this is the Story of “When The Sun Hits.”

At first, Blur were a band that prided themselves on their Britishness. They wrote keenly observational pop songs about 18-30 Holidays, The Shipping Forecast, Sunday Lunch and the Quiet Frustrations of Everyday British Life. In Britain, it made them heroes. But in the US they were nobodies. So it was quite the surprise that midway through the 90s, they made an about-face and unleashed a screaming chunk of Apple Pie-scented Grunge rawk, the key modern jock jam. But how did they get there? Why was a jumbo jet involved? And was it just a joke aimed squarely to whom it appealed? This is New British Canon and this is the Story of “Song 2.”

1984 was a particularly flamboyant year for British Pop. “Relax” overcame its radio ban to spend five weeks at UK number one. George Michael alluded to his future solo aspirations with “Careless Whisper.” Pete Burns’ Dead Or Alive proved the combination of Hi NRG and Stock Aitken Waterman equalled chart-success. And Freddie Mercury dressed in drag for the “I Want to Break Free” video. But aside from the two core members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, most of these men were living some kind of closeted existence. However, also debuting in 1984 were Bronski Beat. Fronted by Jimmy Somerville, a Scottish socialist with the voice of a disco diva packed within his buzz cut 5 foot 4 frame, they were three openly gay men writing honestly about their lives. Their melancholic debut single is a synth-pop escape, from a smalltown and its small minds, with its destination simply being somewhere better, both for themselves and LGBTQ+ Pop. This is New British Canon and This is the Story of “Smalltow