| Grebo | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s – early 1990s,Midlands, England |
| Regional scenes | |
| English Midlands | |
| Other topics | |
| Cool Britannia | |
Grebo (orgrebo rock)[1] was a short-livedsubculture[2] and broadly definedsubgenre ofindie rock centred around theMidlands, particularlyStourbridge andLeicester. Musically, the genre incorporated elements ofelectronic,punk rock,folk andhip hop music into indie rock. The scene occupied the period in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the United Kingdom before the popularisation ofBritpop andgrunge.[3]
Derived from "greaser",[4] the word "grebo" began being used in the 1970s as a slang term for bikers with long hair.[5][6] The word was re-fashioned by the groupPop Will Eat Itself that represented a brand ofUnited Kingdomsubculture of the late 1980s and early 1990s, largely based in theEnglish Midlands.[7][8][6] The scene particularly was centred onStourbridge andLeicester.[9]
Fronted byPop Will Eat Itself,the Wonder Stuff andNed's Atomic Dustbin, the bands quickly gained attention: Pop Will Eat Itself's 1989 singles "Wise Up! Sucker" and "Can U Dig It?" both entered the UK Top 40 and Stourbridge briefly became a tourist attraction for young indie rock fans. The seminal albums from the scene were released between 1989 and 1993: the Wonder Stuff'sHup andNever Loved Elvis; Ned's Atomic Dustbin'sGod Fodder andAre You Normal?; and Pop Will Eat Itself'sThis Is the Day...This Is the Hour...This Is This! andThe Looks or the Lifestyle?. In this period, the scene's bands became fixtures, sometimes headliners, atReading Festival, sold millions of albums and were frequently featured on the covers of magazines likeNME andMelody Maker.[10] Grebo bands were distinct from prior indie rock groups not only because of their broad influences, but their subversion of the twee or unhappy moods of most other bands in the genre, and their pursuit of a heavier sound and aesthetic. The scene came to include the stylistically similar bands of nearby Leicester:the Bomb Party,Gaye Bykers on Acid,Crazyhead,the Hunters Club andScum Pups.[11] The term has also been used to describeJesus Jones fromWiltshire.[1][12]
A younger subset of grebo bands emerged around 1991, who were in turn labelled "fraggle" bands.[13] During this movement, the dominant sound was a style of indie rock that was heavily indebted to punk and Nirvana'sBleach album, while also occasionally making use ofdrum machines.[14]Gigwise writer Steven Kline described the style as "filthy guitars, filthier hair and t-shirts only a mother would wash". Prominent fraggle acts includedSenseless Things,Mega City Four andCarter the Unstoppable Sex Machine.[14]
The grebo genre was broadly defined, and used more as a name for the Stourbridge scene than as a genre label.[10] For the most part, it was a style ofindie rock which drew influences from a diverse array of genres, includingelectronic, punk,folk,hip-hop music,[10]dance-rock,psychedelia[15] andpop.[8][16] Pop Will Eat Itself adopted anindustrial alternative rock style[17] that combined "heavy metal andhard rock guitar riffs, electro-dance rhythms, samples andrap vocals."[18] While Gaye Bykers on Acid's use of hip-hop and dance beats was considered as "a major innovation in mid-'80s alternative rock,"[19] Ned's Atomic Dustbin focused on "the hyper punk aspect" of the movement, relying on "catchyhooks and a dual-bass sound."[20]
Grebo artists and fans sported long hair,dreadlocks and baggy shorts.[21][15]
Fraggle c.1991: Name for alternative rock bands, some of whom basically represented younger end of 'Grebo' genre, reputedly coined by band-booker at indie venue Harlow Square in recognition of similarity between scruffily attired groups/fans and characters from Muppets spin-off TV show Fraggle Rock. Bands: Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Senseless Things, Mega City Four
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| Styles and fusion genres |
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