Indie rock originated in the 1980s in both the UK and US, with subgenres including indie pop and jangle pop. While indie originally suggested outsider status, many indie artists found commercial success in the 2000s due to changes in the music industry and the internet. Key early American indie artists included R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs, while British artists included The Smiths and The Housemartins. In the 1990s, grunge and punk revival bands also achieved mainstream popularity, blurring the lines between indie and alternative genres. Common musical elements of indie rock include guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and an emphasis on vocals that are distinct from the beat.

1. Genre Research

2.  Indie Rock is a genre of alternative rock which
originated in the 1980s in both the UK and the
USA
 Sub genres of Indie Rock include Indie Pop and
Jangle Pop
 Although the term Indie Rock originally
suggested that artists were outsiders and
underground, many Indie Rock artists began to
boast commercial success in the 2000s.This was
a result of changes in the music industry and was
partly due to the internet

3.  In the US, the Indie Rock scene began with “College
Rock” in the early 1980s. In the US this included bands
such as R.E.M, and in the UK bands such asThe Smiths
 Other bands in this genre included 10,000 Maniacs,The
Housemartins andThe La’s
 These bands went against the “synthpop” genre which
dominated the early 1980s

4.  In the UK in 1986, NME made a compilation
cassette featuring bands such asThe Pastels
and Primal Scream.This is a document of the
start of the Indie Pop scene which influenced
the development of the entire British Indie
scene
 Some original Indie Pop artists include Josef K
and Orange Juice

5.  In the 1990s many Grunge bands such as Nirvana,
Pearl Jam and Soundgarden were widely exposed and
achieved commercial success
 Punk revival bands including Green Day andThe
Offspring were grouped under the Alternative Rock
umbrella and were also very popular
 In the UK, bands such as Blur and Oasis also broke into
the mainstream
 The terms “Indie” and “Alternative” lost their original
countercultural meanings and now described a lighter
form of music as a result of mainstream success

6.  Music style combines elements from British
Punk, Rock and Heavy Metal
 Usual instruments include guitar, bass, drums
and keyboard
 The main emphasis is on the vocals
 Lyrics often a reflection of social and
economic matters or address topics of social
concern
 Typically underground and less popular
artists signed to independent record labels

7.  Guitars
 Bass
 Keyboards
 Drums
 Vocals

8.  The vocals of Indie music have a distinctive
sound which mean the lyrics do not
necessarily match the beat

9.  The Smiths were formed in Manchester in 1982
 Signed to RoughTrade Records
 Four studio albums
 Most important band marking the start of the UK
indie scene in the 1980s
 The band broke up in 1987

10.  American Rock band formed in 1980
 One of the first popular Alternative/Indie Rock
bands
 Originally signed to the record label Hib-Tone
 Achieved mainstream success with their single
“The One I Love” in 1987
 Signed toWarner Bros Records in 1988
 The drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997 but
the rest of the group continued as a trio
 Announced their split in 2011

11.  English Alternative Rock band formed in London
in 1988
 Graham Coxon (the guitarist and singer) left the
band in 2002 but they carried on to do a tour in
2003 without him
 After this tour, however, they did not continue to
any studio work or touring as a band
 The band reunited with Coxon in 2008 and still
remain active
 They received a Brit Award in 2012 for
Outstanding Contribution to Music

12.  American Indie Rock band formed in 1997
 Noted for use of unconventional instruments
 Seven studio albums and five EPs
 Gained commercial success in 2003 with their fourth
studio album “Transatlanticism”

13.  American Rock band formed in 1999
 Originally the band produced music with Southern
Rock and Blues influences but has gradually
expanded to a more alternative, arena rock sound
 Nine UK top 40 singles and two Brit Awards
 Achieved chart success in the US in 2008 with their
singles “Sex on Fire”, “Use Somebody” and “Notion”
 The band still remain active

14.  British Indie Rock band formed at the 1999
Reading music festival
 Musical influence from bands such asThe
Cure and Radiohead
 “SilentAlarm” was their 2005 debut album
which won NME Album of theYear and Indie
Album of theYear at the PLUG Awards
 Went on to release three more albums and
are still active

15.  Formed in Glasgow in 2002
 First achieved UK chart success with their second
single “Take Me Out”
 Their second album in 2005 was platinum-selling in
the UK and gold-selling in the U
 Nominated for several Grammy and Brit Awards,
and won an NME Award
 Sold over 3 million albums
worldwide in 2009

16.  Formed in Sheffield in 2002
 Four studio albums and one live album
 Their debut album in 2006 was the fastest
selling debut album in British music history
 Five Brit Awards, and two Grammy
nominations
 Fall under the umbrella of Indie Rock,
however one of the bands key features is that
they have changed their genre of Rock in
each of their albums