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| Baggy | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s – 1990s,Manchester, England |
| Derivative forms | Britpop |
| Local scenes | |
Baggy is a Britishalternative dance genre popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s,[1][2][3] and generally associated with the Northern UK'sMadchester scene.[4] The style sawalternative rock bands draw influence frompsychedelia as well asdance music.
The genesis of indie-dance was theBalearic beat scene (where there were DJs playing an eclectic mix of records including such rock/dance crossovers like "Jesus on the Payroll" byThrashing Doves[5] and producers likePaul Oakenfold[6]) and the indie music scene in the north west of England, which featuredTony Wilson'sFactory Records and formerpost-punk bandthe Stone Roses in Manchester.[7]
Even though the Stone Roses were not signed to Factory Records, instead signing to Paul Birch'sRevolver Records in Wolverhampton[8][9][10] (before taking a deal with Jive Records'Silvertone), the band did have links to Tony Wilson, Martin Hannett[11] andPeter Hook, with theNew Order bassist scheduled to produce their debut album beforeJohn Leckie took over.
It was Leckie who produced the Stone Roses single "Fools Gold" (an indie-dance record which had a prominent 'shufflebeat'[12][13][14] which came from a four-bar loop based uponClyde Stubblefield's "Funky Drummer" drum pattern, as well as Bobby Bird's "Hot Pants" beat) and it was mainly fans of the Stone Roses who started to wear the fashions that gave the genre/scene its alternative name.
Although it was not geographically confined to the city ofManchester,[15] many Madchester bands likeHappy Mondays,Northside andthe Stone Roses were described as being baggy. As baggy was characterised bypsychedelia andacid house-influenced guitar music, often with a "Funky Drummer" beat, new indie-dance bands in other British cities emerged following the breakthrough of the Madchester acts, though some acts in Liverpool argued they were already part of their own scene which had emerged independently of those in Manchester (sometimes referred to as 'scally').[16][17][18]
Some acts, such asCandy Flip,[19][20]Blur[21][22][23][24][25] andthe Soup Dragons reinvented their sound and image to fit in with the new scene. This led some critics[who?] to accuse baggy bands of bandwagon-jumping and derivative songwriting.[26]
Bands in the indie-dance era ofpop music can be divided into two camps[according to whom?]; the acts who could be described as baggy (usually theMadchester acts and a few others such asFlowered Up from London), and those who can be described asalternative dance (i.e.Jesus Jones andthe Shamen, who were moretechno inspired). The Shamen would begin as a psychedelicindie rock band, sharing some of the characteristics of earlyshoegaze bands, but their style would morph between psychedelic indie rock andacid house, before absorbing more elements of techno to become a dance music act, in a way similar tothe Beloved, whose career took them from an indie band to a dance duo after theSecond Summer of Love.[27]
Alongside the music, a way of dressing emerged that gave baggy its unique name. Baggy jeans (often flared) alongside brightly coloured or tie-dye casual tops and general 1960s style became fashionable first in Manchester and then across the country – frequently topped off with abucket hat in the style sported by the Stone Roses' drummerReni. The overall look was part rave, partretro or parthippie, partfootball casual. Many Madchester bands had football casual fans and a number of bands even wore football shirts. Eaitisham 'Shami' Ahmed's Manchester-basedJoe Bloggs fashion label[28][29][30][31] specialised in catering for the scene, making him a multi-millionaire.[32]
It is also generally accepted that French stylistsMarithé et François Girbaud were among the first designers to integrate baggy in the fashion industry,[33] though the style can be seen originating in theNorthern soul scene. This scene included Twisted Wheel attendee Phil Saxe, who went on to sell flares and baggy clothing on his Gangway market stall in Manchester and Joe Moss who ran Crazyface.[34]
Some baggy bands evolved intoindie rock orBritpop bands who remained popular throughout the 1990s.The Charlatans retained their popularity, although little trace of the baggy sound and look remained. The baggy style was eclipsed by thegrunge and Britpop genres; apart from tribute acts, the style has been absent from the indie arena.
There was another wave of bands in the style of the past baggy Madchester sound during the mid-2010s. Bands such asKasabian,Reverend and the Makers, the Ruling Class, Sulk, the Bavarian Druglords, andWorking for a Nuclear Free City brought back aspects of the style in various forms and have garnered comparisons tothe Stone Roses and the Madchester sound.
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| Styles and fusion genres |
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