Next month the BBC will broadcast a 3 part series documenting the definitive history of indie music in the UK, exploring the evolution of the bands and labels that shaped the genre. The first episode looks at labels such as Manchester’s Factory, Zoo in Liverpool, Glasgow’s Postcard, as well as Rough Trade and Mute in London all of which spearheaded the movement.
As the series continues it will focus on the growth of the scene, chart how small labels grew into viable businesses and discuss the rise of indie as bands like Oasis and Blur revealing how they took on the acid house movement and shot to fame in the mainstream.
The series’ Presenter Mark Radcliffe says ‘This is really a story that’s been waiting to be told. We’re always hearing about the seismic shifts the music business is undergoing, but in many ways, this was the first – when the egalitarian independent spirit of punk and DIY broke the stranglehold of the men in suits in the posh offices of the major labels in that there London creating the soundtrack of our lives along the way.’
The series will also feature an array of guest interviews with notable indie influencers including Joy Division/New Order’s Stephen Morris, New Order’s Gillian Gilbert, Buzzcocks’ frontman Pete Shelley, Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand and The Libertines’ Carl Barat.
The Story Of Indie will begin early October on BBC Four.